Document Type

Article

Abstract

This commentary highlights the role of “grandmothers of invention”: women in the United States who were the first to enter the field of hazards and disasters as core researchers and who played key roles in advancing the science and practice of hazards/disasters research since 1975. We examine the evolution and transformation of the field from the perspective of the women who were initially entering a male-dominated field. The innovations in theory, concepts, tools, topics, and mentoring the next generation of scholars and practitioners are highlighted. Notably, emphasis on these women's singular and collective influence on practice and policy highlights the significance of introducing sociodemographic diversity and fresh intellectual perspectives in ways that transformed the field. Our approach is qualitative and narrative. Our intent is to introduce readers of the journal, especially those new to the field, to the contributions of leading US women researchers, both with respect to the topics they brought to light and with respect to their contributions to practice.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2026.100525

Rights

/© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ).

APA Citation

Cutter, S. L., & Tierney, K. (2026). Grandmothers of invention: A commentary on fifty years of hazards and disasters research and practice in the United States. Progress in Disaster Science, 29, 100525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2026.100525

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