Enrico Quarantelli
Enrico L. (Henry) Quarantelli is an American sociologist, pioneering the sociology of disaster.
Quarantelli received his Ph. . at the University of Chicago in 1959. From 1963 up to 1984 he worked as professor of sociology at the Ohio State University, where he founded the Disaster Research Center (DRC). In 1985 he took the DRC to the University of Delaware, where he worked until 1998.
Dr. Quarantelli is widely known as one of the founding scholars of the social science of disasters. His first involvement in the area dates back to 1949 when he participated in the first systematic disaster field studies as a researcher in the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) team at University of Chicago. Among his many accomplishments ELQ was one of the founding directors Disaster Research Center, Ohio State University, 1963. Was First President, ISA International Research Committee on Disasters, 1982-1986. Was the founder and first editor of the International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, 1983-1987. And was awarded the Charles E. Fritz Career Achievement Award in 1995. ELQ has held numerous memberships in many domestic and foreign disaster-related committees (e.g., Board on Natural Disasters of the National Academy of Sciences and on Scientific Advisory Committee, World Institute for Disaster Risk Management). ELQ has been Principal investigator on over 40 research studies mostly funded by the National Science Foundation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Other funding sources include the National Institute of Mental Health, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Health Resources Administration, the Social Science Research Council, the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, the NHK (Japan) Foundation, NATO, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency. ELQ is author or editor of 29 books and monographs as well as author of 101 chapters in books, 114 articles and 150+ other publications mostly on disaster topics. ELQ's Current research foci include: Future trends in disasters and catastrophes; effects on disaster planning and research from the computer revolution; anti-social behavior in crises; theoretical issues in conceptualizing disasters; historical evolution of civil protection, emergency management and disaster planning organizations; methodological issues in field research.[1]