The Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) Network

The Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) network is a  National Science Foundation-supported  platform for social science hazards and disaster researchers. SSEER is an initiative of the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) CONVERGE facility, which is headquartered at the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder.

The mission of SSEER is to identify social science researchers and help them build connections—to one another, to interdisciplinary teams, and to communities affected by disaster and disaster risk. SSEER is designed to amplify and advance social science hazards and disaster research. SSEER is the first attempt to generate a census, or an official count, of social scientists who study hazards and disasters. The network will help answer some of the questions raised in the landmark 2006 National Research Council consensus study  Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions .

• Lori Peek, Principal Investigator and SSEER Leader (2017 to present)
• Jessica Austin, SSEER Data and Map Manager (2020 to 2023)
• Heather Champeau, SSEER Data Analyst (2020 to 2023)
• Brigid Mark, SSEER Data and Map Manager (2024 to present)
• Mason Mathews, SSEER Map Creator and Data Analyst (2018 to 2019)
• Haorui Wu, SSEER Data Manager (2018 to 2019)

SSEER researchers study all phases of the disaster cycle, from mitigation to long-term recovery. SSEER members also study all types of hazards and disasters, including natural hazards, technological hazards, and terrorist attacks or other intentional acts of violence.

The following charts depict the number of SSEER researchers who report studying each of the three main types of hazards, along with natural and technological hazard subtypes.

The vast majority of SSEER members study natural hazards.

SSEER researchers worldwide have studied a variety of hazards and disasters. Five of the most frequently studied disasters are US-based hurricanes. Other frequently studied events include the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks of 2001; the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami of 2004; the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011; the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010; and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, which became one of the most studied events upon its emergence in 2020.

 _{This interactive map tour presents research highlights from the top ten most studied events in the SSEER dataset.} 

The SSEER network was funded by the National Science Foundation in 2017 and was formally launched in 2018 when Lori Peek issued " A Call to Social Scientists " to join SSEER. SSEER is one of eight Extreme Events Reconnaissance / Research (EER) networks funded by the National Science Foundation, with supplemental funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The EERs focus on geotechnical engineering, social sciences, structural engineering, nearshore research, operations and systems engineering, sustainable materials management, public health, and interdisciplinary research. This EER ecosystem is designed to help coordinate disciplinary communities, while also encouraging cross-disciplinary data collection, information sharing, and interdisciplinary integration. 

SSEER researchers work in 67 countries on 6 continents.

At the end of 2022, there were 1,521 researchers in the SSEER network.

SSEER includes self-identified social scientists who study hazards and/or disasters. This includes academic researchers, students, and applied and professional researchers in government, industry, and private and not-for-profit sectors. Those interested in joining the network fill out a  brief membership form  with information about their affiliations, research, and demographics.

The SSEER team published an expanded typology of four levels of involvement in the hazards and disaster field (see  Peek, Champeau, Austin, et al. 2020 ). We use that typology in the SSEER membership survey and ask each respondent to select which best describes their status as a hazards and disaster researcher: core, emerging, periodic, or situational researcher.

 _{The map below identifies SSEER researchers grouped by their level of involvement. Click on any cluster, then "Browse Features" to view individual researcher details. As you zoom in and out, the clusters shift color to reflect the level of involvement most prevalent in that area.} 

SSEER researchers are asked to indicate which professional status most closely aligns with their professional identity: academic researcher, government researcher, independent researcher, non-profit researcher, private-sector researcher, retired, or student.

SSEER researchers are asked to answer a series of demographic questions. These statistics are reported below in aggregate.

SSEER members represent a variety of disciplines under the social sciences umbrella, and use a number of analytical frameworks and methods to perform their research.

The SSEER membership survey asks researchers to identify their disciplinary background(s) from a list of 20 social science fields. Members are allowed to select more than one discipline and write in other disciplines, and many choose to do so.

 _{This interactive map allows you to display researchers by discipline.}  

Of the 20 disciplines offered on the SSEER survey, most members identified with Disaster Science.

The SSEER membership survey asks researchers to identify the research method(s) they use from a list of 21 commonly-used social science methods, both quantitative and qualitative. Members are allowed to select more than one method and write in other methods, and many choose to do so.

 _{This interactive map allows you to display researchers by method.}  

The most frequently reported methodological approaches used by SSEER researchers include survey research, in-depth interviews, and case studies.

The SSEER team releases an annual census report on the status of the research workforce.  Annual reports  are available in color and black and white and are free to download.

In addition to the annual census, de-identified SSEER data are published on  DesignSafe  each year. The data provide unprecedented access to information about the workforce of social science hazards and disaster researchers, including longitudinal data for a subset of members who have updated their profile.

The SSEER network is a diverse community of social scientists who work across the globe on today's most pressing questions concerning hazards and disasters. If you are a social or behavioral scientist who studies hazards and disasters, you are invited to join the Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) network. Please complete the  sign-up survey , and if you know other social scientists who study hazards and disasters who might want to participate in SSEER, please pass this information along. Our goal is to generate a complete census of the social science hazards and disaster research community, and we look forward to continuing our mission of amplifying the critical insights generated by these scholars.

If you have any questions about SSEER, please contact us at  sseer@colorado.edu .