BANDA ACEH – The Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation Research Center of Universitas Syiah Kuala (TDMRC USK) held its 2026 Working Meeting under the theme “Sustaining Disaster Resilience Across Generations” on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, at the Dr. Ir. M. Ridha, M.Eng. Auditorium, TDMRC USK, Banda Aceh.
The working meeting served as a shared forum for TDMRC leaders, division coordinators, researchers, and management teams to review ongoing programmes and formulate future priorities. Through this forum, each division was encouraged not to work in isolation but to build stronger connections to produce research, innovation, training programmes, and policy recommendations that can be used directly by communities.
The theme “Passing the Baton of Disaster Resilience” reflects the understanding that resilience cannot be built by one individual or within a single generation. Knowledge, experience, and lessons learned from past disasters must continuously be passed on, developed, and translated into better action.
Director of TDMRC USK (Prof. Muksin)
Director of TDMRC USK, Prof. Dr. Muksin, S.Si., M.Si., M.Phil., said that the working meeting should not merely become an occasion to present a list of activities. Instead, it should serve as an important moment to clarify TDMRC’s future direction and bring together the various fields of expertise within the centre.
“Aceh’s long experience in dealing with disasters must continue to be transformed into useful knowledge. Research findings should not stop at publication, but must be developed into solutions, technologies, policy recommendations, educational initiatives, and programmes whose benefits can be directly felt by communities,” Prof. Muksin said.
He also highlighted the importance of collaboration among divisions. Research on disaster hazards, for example, should be connected with infrastructure preparedness, public education, health services, risk communication, emergency food availability, training, and policy governance.
Through this approach, TDMRC is expected to maintain continuity among lessons from the past, the current needs of communities, and potential future disaster threats.
The 2026 TDMRC USK Working Meeting was officially opened by the USK Vice-Rector for Planning, Partnership, and Business, Dr. Ramzi Adriman. In his remarks, Dr. Ramzi emphasized that the establishment of TDMRC was closely tied to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. The disaster became an important turning point that led to the establishment of a research centre dedicated to advancing knowledge, technology, and community capacity in disaster preparedness and mitigation.
Vice-Rector for Planning, Partnership, and Business, Dr. Ramzi Adriman
He noted that Aceh is vulnerable to various types of disasters. However, disaster-related challenges are not limited to Aceh, as they are also faced by many regions across Indonesia and around the world. The occurrence of Cyclone Senyar several months earlier was another reminder that disaster risks continue to evolve and require broader and more adaptive approaches.
“TDMRC was established out of the experience of the 2004 tsunami. Aceh is located in an area that is highly vulnerable to disasters, but this issue is certainly not limited to Aceh. We also recently experienced the impacts of Cyclone Senyar. This means that research centres such as TDMRC must continue to strengthen their capacity and broaden their areas of expertise,” Dr. Ramzi said.
According to him, Indonesia already has several strong disaster research centres, including those developed by Universitas Gadjah Mada. With Aceh’s extensive experience, TDMRC’s broad network, and the support of various disciplines at USK, TDMRC should be able to grow into one of Indonesia’s leading disaster research centres.
He also referred to USK’s ambition to become one of Indonesia’s top ten universities. However, he emphasised that such an achievement should not be measured solely by rankings.
“Being one of the best universities should also be reflected in the university’s ability to help address Indonesia’s challenges. Universities must create social and economic impact. Scientific work must be translated into something that can be used by government, businesses, and communities,” he added.
For this reason, Dr. Ramzi encouraged TDMRC to expand both the number and disciplinary backgrounds of its researchers. In addition to engineering and earth sciences, disaster research also requires contributions from health, education, communication, economics, food science, governance, psychology, information technology, and the social sciences.
Following the opening session, the programme continued with discussions among divisions. Participants explored opportunities for collaboration, joint programme development, funding needs, partnership plans, and expected outputs.
After the discussion and a shared lunch, the meeting continued with programme presentations from 13 divisions and scientific units within TDMRC USK:
- Tsunami Division, coordinated by Prof. Syamsidik, S.T., M.Sc.
- Geohazards Division, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Muksin, S.Si., M.Si., M.Phil.
- Disaster Education Division, coordinated by Ibnu Rusydy, S.Si., M.Sc.
- Disaster Resilient Infrastructure Division, coordinated by Dr. Yunita Idris, S.T., M.Eng.Structure.
- Hydrometeorological Disaster and Climate Change Division, coordinated by Dr. Yopi Ilhamsyah, S.Si., M.Si.
- Water Disaster Management Division, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Ir. Ella Meilianda, S.T., M.T.
- Health Crisis, Pandemic and Community Preparedness Division, coordinated by Dr. dr. Ichsan, M.Sc., SpKKLP., Subsp.FOMC.
- Knowledge Management and Disaster Communication Division, coordinated by Rizanna Rosemary, S.Sos., M.Si., MHC., Ph.D.
- Disaster Training and Development Division, coordinated by Khairunnisa, S.Pi., M.Si.
- Strategic Risk Governance Division, coordinated by Dr. Syafruddin, S.E., MBA., CDMP.
- Disaster Emergency Food Division, coordinated by Dr. Satriana, S.TP., M.T.
- International Journal of Disaster Management, led by Alfi Rahman, S.I.Kom., M.Si., Ph.D., as Chief Editor.
- Disaster Emergency Response Division, coordinated by Dr. Syahrul Ridha, S.Pd., M.Pd.
The presentations demonstrated the broad scope of TDMRC’s work. Its research addresses not only tsunamis, earthquakes, and geological hazards but also extreme weather, climate change, water-related disasters, resilient infrastructure, education, health, communication, emergency food, training, risk governance, and disaster emergency response.
The Disaster Emergency Response Division, for example, focuses its research on the critical first 72 hours following a disaster. Its priorities include rapid assessment, logistics distribution, cross-sector coordination, the use of digital technology, and the evaluation of emergency response operations.
The Water Disaster Management Division develops integrated approaches to water-related disaster risk, from upstream river basins to coastal areas. Its research covers river, urban, and tidal flooding; shoreline change; sedimentation; infrastructure vulnerability; and nature-based solutions.
In the field of education, planned programmes include installing evacuation signs and assembly points across the USK campus, producing safety induction videos, revitalising the Safe School Programme, and developing a Disaster Corner as a disaster education space.
Meanwhile, the Health Crisis, Pandemic and Community Preparedness Division is preparing basic life support training, health crisis preparedness programmes, psychosocial support for disaster-affected communities, and health research supported by digital technology and telemedicine.
Emergency food development is also among TDMRC’s key areas of attention. The programme aims to provide food that is safe, nutritious, durable, ready-to-eat, easy to transport, and suitable for the needs of disaster-affected communities. Its development also includes product testing, facility preparation, partnerships with volunteers and disaster management institutions, and coordination with the Aceh Office of the National Agency of Drug and Food Control regarding licensing.
The Disaster Training and Development Division is preparing practical disaster training programmes based on scientific evidence. Its target groups include students, the academic community, government personnel, volunteers, and the general public.
In the area of governance, the Strategic Risk Governance Division promotes data-driven approaches and collaboration among government, academia, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, and communities. This approach covers the pre-disaster phase, emergency response, and post-disaster recovery.
The 2026 TDMRC USK Working Meeting also highlighted the importance of strengthening partnerships with government agencies, disaster management institutions, universities, communities, media organisations, and international partners. Such collaboration is essential to ensure that research findings can be applied on a wider scale.
TDMRC’s future programmes will focus on strengthening collaborative research, community engagement, training and conference development, and institutional capacity. Several programmes are also being designed in partnership with the Aceh Disaster Management Agency, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, local governments, universities, humanitarian organisations, and international institutions.
Through the theme “Sustaining Disaster Resilience Across Generations”, TDMRC USK seeks to ensure that knowledge does not remain confined to research spaces. Every finding must continue to move forward from researchers to policymakers, from universities to communities, and from past disaster experiences towards safer and more resilient lives.
The working meeting also reaffirmed that resilience cannot be built in a single day. It grows through a long process, collective effort, and a willingness to continue learning. It is through this process that the baton of resilience is passed on, ensuring that knowledge truly serves to protect lives and helps communities become better prepared for disasters.
