Simon's interest is in behavioural decision making evolving from a previous career in commercial communications market research for international blue chip fmcg brands. His academic research within the Flood Hazard Research Centre explores the role of both public and professional social contexts in decision making, communication of flood risk with uncertainty and approaches to participatory interaction in flood risk and water management.
Simon undertakes both qualitative and quantitative social research within the Centre. He works closely with both physical scientists focused on the communication of flood risk and uncertainty across flood risk management functions within and between professional and public stakeholders. His research projects have ranged across clients including DEFRA (social justice), Environment Agency (flood warnings, surface water mapping), EPSRC/NERC (FRMRC 1 & 2) and European Commission (resilience, social capacity building, economic policy instruments). Simon has been the social scientist in a Halcrow / Jacobs / Environment Agency consultation Lower Thames Strategy Study (LTSS) projects Phase 3/4 exploring residents' engagement with flood risk and opinions towards community based flood risk reduction measure plans in the lower Thames. Simon has co-authored flood risk communication guidance for local authorities in the UK (CIRIA) and building flood risk resilience with local aurhorities (Pathfinder). He has a wider water management research interest, for example, exploring broader land use utility for stakeholders than currently used in economics to encourage land use change such as well-being (EPI Water).
Simon has recently been involved in research encouraging stakeholder engagement with new technologies (ICT's) such as social media and smart phones (WeSenseIt) to strengthen local resilience and governance with cases in the UK, Italy and the Netherlands. He is currently involved in NatRisk project with Western Balkan partners, is a PhD supervisor which includes the EC 2020 System-Risk project and teaches on undergraduate and Masters degree modules.
CPD Manager:
Simon is course co-ordinator and teaches on the Centre's Continuing Professional Development course for Government, Environment Agency, Local Authority and Consultancy staff. He has also been a training examiner for the Visual Asset Condition Grading Program for flood asset inspectors in England and Wales.
Postgraduate Supervision
Supervision requests at Masters and Doctorate levels on relevant research topics are welcomed.
An interest focused on the interaction between people and their environment (social and physical contexts) has developed from a Masters level in applied psychological research into the cognitive coping processes employed by those affected by flooding. At a doctorate level Simon adopted a sociological perspective in the form of a social construction approach to investigate the issues informing flood experts' and the publics' experiences of flooding in the UK.
Qualifications:
BSc (Hons) Biology and Chemistry
PGDip (Marketing),
MRS Dip (Market Research Society, Market and social research practice),
MSc (Environmental Psychology),
PhD (ESRC/Environment Agency funding)
PGCertHE
Current & Recent Research:
Understanding effective flood risk governance. (Environment Agency, UK)
FLORIS. Innovative tools for improving Flood risk reduction strategies. (EU Civil Protection Mechanism).
NatRisk: Development of master curricula for natural disasters risk management in Western Balkan countries (Erasmus +)
Impacts in Warnings and Forecasts R&D project (Environment Agency, UK)
System-Risk: A large-scale systems approach to flood risk assessment and management. (EC 2020)
NatRisk: Development of master curricula for natural disasters risk management in Western Balkan countries (Erasmus +)
WeSenseIt: Citizen Observatory of Water (EC FP7)
Pathfinder: Innovative flood resilience building. (Defra)
EPI-Water: Evaluating economic instruments for sustainable water management in Europe (EC FP7)
CIRIA - Guidance on communicating local flood risk
Teaching
MSc Module Leader: Factors affecting risk and strategic risk intervention (PRS4434) and Social Research Methods (PRS4399).
Teaching risk communication & stakeholder engagement and flood asset management on Flood Risk Management (PRS4435)
Social research methods for modules:
Research methods and project (PRS3999)
Principles of health stressors (BIO1655)
Research methods and project planning (BIO2005)
Approaches to experimental research (BIO2003)
Research methods and professional practice (BMS2007)
Factors shaping health and safety at work (PRS4210)
Doctorate Supervision:
2019- current: PhD candidate Nkechi Ndudirim. Flood recovery (working title).
2016-current: PhD candidate Marlies Barendrecht. Socio-hydrological modelling of the human flood system. Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resource Management, Vienna.
PhD 2018: Director of Studies. PhD (Awarded): Ali Alahmari 'The role of knowledge and institutional challenges to the adoption of sustainable drainage in Saudi Arabia: Implications for sustainable environmental development'.
PhD 2016 (Awarded): Simrat Riyait 'I'm big your small I'm right your wrong. The influence of gender and generation on migrant response to flood risk in England'.
Blazey, Neil and McCarthy, Simon (2020) Communicating impacts in flood warnings and forecasting. Project Report. Environment Agency, Bristol, UK.
Blazey, Neil and McCarthy, Simon (2020) Communicating impacts in flood warning and forecasting [project summary SC150013/S]. Environment Agency, Bristol, UK.
Hartmann, Thomas and Slavíková, Lenka and McCarthy, Simon (2019) Nature-based solutions in flood risk management. In: Nature-Based Flood Risk Management on Private Land. Hartmann, Thomas and Slavíková, Lenka and McCarthy, Simon , eds. Springer, Cham, pp. 3-8. ISBN 9783030238414
Hartmann, Thomas and Slavíková, Lenka and McCarthy, Simon , eds. (2019) Nature-based flood risk management on private land: disciplinary perspectives on a multidisciplinary challenge. Springer, Cham, Switzerland. ISBN 9783030238414
Hartmann, Thomas and Slavíková, Lenka and McCarthy, Simon (2019) Conclusion: Nature-Based Solutions in Flood Risk Management. In: Nature-Based Flood Risk Management on Private Land. Hartmann, Thomas and Slavíková, Lenka and McCarthy, Simon , eds. Springer, Cham, pp. 221-228. ISBN 9783030238414
Invited consultee
2014 ongoing. Appointed member of the Thematic Advisory Group on flood and coastal erosion risk management research and development for England and Wales. Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales.
Invited (2020) Civil Society Advisory Board for project PReparedness against CBRNE threats through cOmmon Approaches between security praCTItioners and the VulnerablE civil society
Invited (2019) Consultant for the project 'Knolwedge creation on ecological hazards in Russian and European local communities' CGES
Invited Chair (2018): Reducing the Risk and Impacts of flooding 2018. Inside Government 25th April 2018 London.
Presentation: Social vulnerability to natural hazards. Association Francaise pour la prevention des catastrophes naturelles (AFPCN). MACIF Paris 24th September 2010.
International editorial board 2011 of Acta geographica Slovenica – Geografski zbornik (ISSN: 1581-6613)
Environmental Research Funders' Forum consultation on future UK flooding research. London 2009.
Welsh Assembly Government (Resilience), Pan Wales Framework for Evacuation and In-Migration. ECC(W) Cardiff 2009.
Defra Expert group workshop on property-level flood resistance and resilience. Defra London 2008.
National media: TV, radio and print in response to national UK flooding July 2007.
European Co-Operation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Research Concerted Research Action 731: 'Propagation of Uncertainty in Advanced Meteo-Hydrological Forecast Systems'seminar. WSL Zurich2007.
Police National Mobilisation Plan working group in relation to disruptive events, Central Police Training and Development Authority (Centrex) and police Covert & Intelligence Doctrine Team 2006.
World Meterological Organisation working group on the APFM Technical Document No. 4 (2006) 'Social aspects and stakeholder involvement in integrated flood management' ISBN: 92-63-11008-5. Geneva, 2005.
