Dr Richard Thornton is the Chief Executive Officer of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, a position he has held since the start of the CRC in 2013. He is responsible to the Board for the day-to-day management of the centre he has overall responsibility for its direction and performance.

He led a team to develop the CRC following the Prime Ministerial announcement in February 2013. Prior to that Richard was Deputy CEO and Research Director of the Bushfire CRC, a role he held since 2004 where his responsibilities included leadership and oversight of the research program.

Richard is a highly experienced research management executive with over 25 years in the field, previously with the Bushfire CRC and Telstra. Richard has a physics background and has worked in science fields including nuclear and semiconductor physics, computational fluid mechanics, IT and telecommunications engineering, and online services, primarily in the private sector. Richard has expertise in IP management, contract negotiation and development, and commercialisation of research.

Until January 2016 Richard was a member of the Board of the International Association of Wildland Fire and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Committee of the International Journal of Wildland Fire. Richard is currently a Board Member for the CRC Association.

Bushfire community Safety – what can research tell us

The Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC and its predecessor have been conducting research around factors impacting on community safety for the past 15 years. This talk will draw some conclusions from our work, and that of our partners. It will examine the issues around risk understanding and risk communication, particularly from the context of those who have gone through major bushfire events. The talk will stress the importance of preparation on the ensuring the safety of at-risk communities and residents.