International Resilience Lab

The International Resilience Lab (IRL) collaboratively leads and facilitates socially engaged research and collaboration between the University of Arizona and local and global partners.

The University of Arizona is a recognized leader in many of the fields and topics critical to resilience, including geography, anthropology, area studies, human rights, public health, political economy, public policy, agricultural economics, water security, climate change adaptation, agricultural extension, and the human dimensions of global change. This breadth and depth of talent creates an important opportunity for individuals at the University of Arizona (and the university's partners) to learn from each other and help broader advance theoretical, practical, methodological, and educational contributions to research and scholarship on resilience, climate adaptation, and disaster risk reduction in international contexts.

The International Resilience Lab is one of the several centers, programs, and institutes that make up the Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR). IRL aligns with the overarching mission of the Arizona Institute for Resilience to collaborate with global communities towards resilience, to manage risks and identify solutions to societal and environmental challenges. The Climate Adaptation Research Program (CARP) is situated in the Arizona Institute of Resilience as part of the International Resilience Lab. 

Mission

The mission of the International Resilience Lab is to collaboratively lead and facilitate socially engaged research and collaboration between the University of Arizona and local and global partners.

Vision

We envision a reality where solutions to global social and environmental challenges are developed through collaborative, socially engaged, and culturally appropriate scientific research. We believe that this type of research can contribute to making the world more resilient and sustainable, enabling transformative change.

Values

We aspire to lead by example and uphold the following values as integral to quality research, partnerships, events, and activities:

  • Inclusivity, including:
    • Respect for all colleagues, disciplines, communities, cultures, and places.
    • Openness to diverse ideas and ways of knowing.
  • Collaboration, including:
    • A commitment to building partnerships and coalitions.
    • Thoughtful consideration and reflection of both how we engage and who we engage with.
  • Integrity, including:
    • Honest reflection and reporting on projects and initiatives.
  • Responsible research practices, including: 
    • Application of holistic perspectives that thoughtfully consider social, economic, and environmental dynamics as interdependent rather than isolated.
    • Commitment to socially engaged research processes. We believe that science should serve society and that problems and solutions should not be exclusively defined by "experts", therefore we strive to engage with diverse and varied research participants and collaborators.
    • Dedication to conducting research in ways that are culturally appropriate.
  • Commitment to learning and improvement of ourselves as researchers and collaborators.

Objectives

The following two overarching objectives support the mission and vision of the International Resilience Lab.

Objective 1

Produce cutting-edge research and scholarship on resilience, climate adaptation, and disaster risk reduction in international contexts.

We accomplish this through three mechanisms:

  1. Collaboratively leading socially engaged research projects

  2. Promoting inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge exchange, and educational opportunities for faculty, staff, and students at the University of Arizona.

  3. Partnering with higher education institutions in the Global South.

Objective 2

Catalyze and support a community of University of Arizona faculty, students, and researchers to advance academic and educational opportunities related to resilience, climate adaptation, and disaster risk reduction in international contexts. 

We accomplish this through three mechanisms:

  1. Developing community events and platforms where individuals can connect and collaborate on relevant academic and educational initiatives.

  2. Connecting faculty, students, and researchers at the University of Arizona to opportunities to obtain funding for participation in socially engaged research consultation initiatives sponsored by IRL's university and industry partners. 

  3. Managing information and knowledge exchange among network members and academic units.