Hadlos Awarded PhD Degree!

Arvin Hadlos has been awarded his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree for his thesis, Local and Indigenous Knowledge in Disaster Risk Reduction: Analysing Multi-Hazard Housing Reconstruction Strategies in the Philippines. His research examined how the place-based and cultural knowledge of Ivatan communities in Batanes shapes safer housing reconstruction across multiple hazards.

Arvin’s doctoral work combined a systematic review of local and Indigenous knowledge in disaster risk reduction with fieldwork in Itbayat, Batanes, where the 2019 earthquakes reshaped typhoon-resilient construction practices. He derived expert-driven seismic and wind fragility functions for the island’s non-engineered housing typologies and traced how households’ rebuilding choices led to new housing forms that displaced vernacular architecture – work that was recognised by the Itbayat local government for its contribution to keeping the municipality’s heritage. Arvin has taken up a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Queensland. Congratulations Dr Hadlos!