Our Team

Dr. Miwako Kitamura

Senior Fellow (Non-Resident)

Dr. Kitamura is a specially appointed associate professor at Tohoku University’s Startup Incubation Center and played a key role in orchestrating immersive field visits to Tohoku and Noto during the Sasakawa USA Emerging Experts Delegation (SEED) on Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction through Women, Peace and Security in July 2024. These experiences provided delegates with unparalleled access to community leaders at the forefront of recovery efforts in the regions impacted by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. Sasakawa USA is grateful for her continued work to support vulnerable communities in Japan’s disaster-stricken areas.

Dr. Kitamura’s career was profoundly shaped by her volunteer experience during the Great East Japan Earthquake. This pivotal event led her to transition from professional photography to academia, where she now works on critical issues related to social infrastructures in disasters.

Her research centers on gender issues, disability, and socially vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on gender and disaster management. Dr. Kitamura’s work emphasizes community-driven approaches and women’s empowerment in disaster risk reduction (DRR). Drawing from personal experiences with health challenges and eldercare, she has become a passionate advocate for those facing difficult circumstances, as well as those caring for their families.

Dr. Kitamura also serves as the deputy director of the Centre for Gender and Disaster Research at Tohoku University’s International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS). This center is a collaborative effort between University College London (UCL) and IRIDeS, focusing on gender and disaster research.