What Ruben says about the Master's in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation

Ruben from Germany

Who are you and when did you graduate? 

"My name is Ruben and I graduated from the Master’s programme in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation (DRMCCA) in June 2020. In terms of previous experiences, I have a Bachelor’s degree in International Emergency and Disaster Relief from Akkon University in Berlin. I have also done an internship in Dakar at the UN World Food programme."

What are you doing now? 

"I work as Programme Officer and Editor for Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft – an alliance of nine German relief and development organisations. My position includes coordinating and contributing to DRMCCA-related research projects, conducting risk reports, and position papers. One of our main projects is the annual WorldRiskReport, containing a global analysis of disaster risk. Alongside the WorldRiskReport, we are involved in several other research projects on various DRMCCA-related issues, such as vulnerabilities in fisher communities or changing riverine flood risk in the wake of climate change."

From your point of view, could you tell us about the linkage between the skills and knowledge acquired during your studies, and your current working experience?

"I am using a lot of learnings from Lund on a daily basis. I have greatly benefitted from the comprehensive overview of sectors, actors, and developments in our field, both theoretical and practical. This knowledge allows me to grasp and prioritise topics as editor of reports and it helps me to adequately communicate risk and climate-related issues to a wider audience."

For me, the programme built an interface between the primarily conceptual perspectives and skills as well as more technical aspects and methods related to DRMCCA. At the same time, it gave me the freedom to pursue my preferred track and focus on my main interests in assignments and elective courses. Through the course assignments and the Master’s thesis, I had the chance to expand my technical knowledge of risk assessment approaches and climate projections, which I am now applying in my professional role.

As a part of my job, I am working closely with colleagues and project partners from very different backgrounds, with a wide range of skillsets and perspectives. While our projects can greatly benefit from a variety of perspectives and skills of involved contributors and stakeholders, a shared understanding of key concepts, issues, and dynamics within the field of DRMCCA is key for every project’s success. The DRMCCA programme manages to provide students with the comprehensive and interdisciplinary skillset required to bridge between such different perspectives of experts in non-profit organisations, academia, the private sector, and the policy-level. At the same time, the programme motivates the students to critically reflect on their own roles as professionals in DRMCCA."