Humanitarian sheltering: analysing global structures of aid
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Department Name: Engineering
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Planned Impact
Our CDT will build on Cambridge Civil Engineering research strengths and capitalise on established and new high level collaborations with leading UK companies. In partnership with Industry we will shape new directions for the training of Civil Engineering researchers to meet current and future societal needs and aspirations. Specific impacts include:
- Highly skilled researchers with core technical skills: These future engineering leaders will have direct and significant technical, economic and social impacts for UK Civil Engineering and associated stakeholders. The requirement for 'New skills, and different applications of existing skills' (BIS, 2010) will be personified in our CDT graduates and these graduates will have immediate and wide ranging roles to play.
- A transformation in Civil Engineering Graduate Engineering at Cambridge: The new CDT MRes/PhD will offer a broad education as well as deliver world-class PhD research supervised by Academic experts.
- New forms of Industry/University partnerships: Industry co-creation of the training curriculum and the shaping of research needs will lead to new forms of two-way engagement and partnerships.
- Availability of skilled personnel for UK employers: UK employers will derive significant benefit from employing PhD graduates from the Centre to act as catalysts for enterprise, knowledge exchange and innovation thereby leading to new business growth opportunities.
- Enhanced global competitiveness for industrial partners: The strength of our industrial support is evidence of the strong user pull for the Centre. CDT Industrial partners will be in a strong position to embrace the research innovations that emerge from the PhD projects.
- National and local government: The CDT will support policy makers with the mission for energy demand reduction, reduced whole life costs and the efficient management and maintenance of infrastructure and the built environment. The CDT research outcomes and PhD graduates with multi-disciplinary awareness will contribute to an evidence-based foundation for improved decision making. Some of our CDT Engineers will go on to roles in national and local government and hence will influence government decisions at the highest level.
- World-class research outcomes: Direct engagement and involvement with our key industrial partners will lead to research innovations that address industrially relevant national needs. Other academic institutions and research organisations will benefit from working with the Centre to collectively advance knowledge. The CDT will thereby strengthen the University of Cambridge's reputation for Civil Engineering research excellence.
- Professional Engineering institutions: Institutions will leverage the raised profile of UK Civil Engineering with decision makers and across allied research fields and industrial sectors.
- Wider professional engagement: Creation of powerful informal professional networks between researchers, practitioners, CDT alumni and a stream of CDT students, working internationally and supported with social media.
- Future generations of Civil Engineers: Through the Centre's outreach activity, school pupils, their teachers and parents will gain insight into the importance of Civil Engineering thereby enthusing future generations of engineers.
- Raising the profile of Civil Engineering: Public engagement will lead to a better appreciation of the Civil Engineering challenges associated with sustainable infrastructure and built environment. This will promote trust and raise the profile of Civil Engineers in the service of society.
- Highly skilled researchers with core technical skills: These future engineering leaders will have direct and significant technical, economic and social impacts for UK Civil Engineering and associated stakeholders. The requirement for 'New skills, and different applications of existing skills' (BIS, 2010) will be personified in our CDT graduates and these graduates will have immediate and wide ranging roles to play.
- A transformation in Civil Engineering Graduate Engineering at Cambridge: The new CDT MRes/PhD will offer a broad education as well as deliver world-class PhD research supervised by Academic experts.
- New forms of Industry/University partnerships: Industry co-creation of the training curriculum and the shaping of research needs will lead to new forms of two-way engagement and partnerships.
- Availability of skilled personnel for UK employers: UK employers will derive significant benefit from employing PhD graduates from the Centre to act as catalysts for enterprise, knowledge exchange and innovation thereby leading to new business growth opportunities.
- Enhanced global competitiveness for industrial partners: The strength of our industrial support is evidence of the strong user pull for the Centre. CDT Industrial partners will be in a strong position to embrace the research innovations that emerge from the PhD projects.
- National and local government: The CDT will support policy makers with the mission for energy demand reduction, reduced whole life costs and the efficient management and maintenance of infrastructure and the built environment. The CDT research outcomes and PhD graduates with multi-disciplinary awareness will contribute to an evidence-based foundation for improved decision making. Some of our CDT Engineers will go on to roles in national and local government and hence will influence government decisions at the highest level.
- World-class research outcomes: Direct engagement and involvement with our key industrial partners will lead to research innovations that address industrially relevant national needs. Other academic institutions and research organisations will benefit from working with the Centre to collectively advance knowledge. The CDT will thereby strengthen the University of Cambridge's reputation for Civil Engineering research excellence.
- Professional Engineering institutions: Institutions will leverage the raised profile of UK Civil Engineering with decision makers and across allied research fields and industrial sectors.
- Wider professional engagement: Creation of powerful informal professional networks between researchers, practitioners, CDT alumni and a stream of CDT students, working internationally and supported with social media.
- Future generations of Civil Engineers: Through the Centre's outreach activity, school pupils, their teachers and parents will gain insight into the importance of Civil Engineering thereby enthusing future generations of engineers.
- Raising the profile of Civil Engineering: Public engagement will lead to a better appreciation of the Civil Engineering challenges associated with sustainable infrastructure and built environment. This will promote trust and raise the profile of Civil Engineers in the service of society.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
John Orr (Primary Supervisor) | |
Jennifer George (Student) |
Publications

George J
(2023)
Humanitarian Sheltering: Analysing Global Structures of Aid

George JW
(2020)
Invisibility and virality in urban shelter response
in Forced Migration Review
Studentship Projects
Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NE/W503204/1 | 31/03/2021 | 30/03/2022 | |||
1946850 | Studentship | NE/W503204/1 | 30/09/2017 | 29/04/2022 | Jennifer George |
Description | Design Fellow |
Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 12/2018 |
End | 12/2020 |
Description | International Research Award for Young Constructors |
Amount | £8,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | BRE Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2021 |
End | 12/2022 |
Description | "Shelter without Shelter" at the Festival of Ideas |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Through an exclusive preview of the documentary 'Shelter Without Shelter' this interdisciplinary panel discussed some of the latest research and issues in refugee shelter to create a more nuanced and detailed understanding of refugee sheltering, helping understand the impact of shelter policies on the lives of refugees. The panel explored the roles of architecture, engineering, anthropology. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/newsandawards/news-folder/festivalofideasglobalhumanmovement |
Description | Alumni Talk at Peterhouse |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk given to alumni of Peterhouse, University of Cambridge on current research at the college. This disseminated the research to members of the general public and allowed for detailed discussion of the topic of shelter. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Centre for Geopolitics Panel Discussion |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The number of people globally displaced currently sits at around 1 in every 110 persons worldwide. And, in the face of a global pandemic, populations everywhere are being asked to #shelterinplace. This shines a spotlight on the often cramped and basic conditions that these +70m displaced people have long endured. This is not necessarily a technical problem, solutions do exist, but as the world becomes more aware of the failings of a one-size-fits-all solution, this panel seeks to discuss why finding solutions to shelter problems for globally displaced communities is a complex challenge for policymakers. Panel: Mark Breeze, Director of Studies in Architecture, St. John's College, University of Cambridge and Founding Chair of Sustainable Shelter Group Jennifer Ward George, Design Fellow for the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and PhD Researcher, University of Cambridge Tom Newby, Associate Director at BuroHappold Engineering, former Head of Humanitarian and Policy Director, CARE International UK Sanj Srikanthan, CEO of ShelterBox, former Senior Vice President, Europe and Executive Director, UK of International Rescue Committee (IRC) Moderator: Thomas Peak, Centre for Geopolitics |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.cfg.polis.cam.ac.uk/events/politics-emergency-shelter |
Description | Global Shelter Forum |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Part of the Roadmap for Research Launch at the Global Shelter Forum |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Graduate Symposium Peterhouse |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Talk on the topic of shelter and my current research to the other graduate students at Peterhouse. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
Description | New and Visiting Scholars Talk |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | 70 new and visiting scholars at the University of Cambridge attended a talk on the topic of decision-making in shelter projects which sparked questions and discussion afterwards. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Structures Group Presentation |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Talk given to the Structures Group in the Engineering Department at the University of Cambridge on the topic of shelter. This sparked discussion and debate about the role of engineering in shelter. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | UK Shelter Forum |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The UK Shelter Forum is a bi-annual event which brings together members of the shelter sector to engage in discussion and debate around the topic of shelter. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020 |