Davide Cotti is Senior Research Associate at UNU-EHS, where he shares his position between the VARMAP and the EVES divisions.
Currently, he is primarily involved in the EDORA project, where he works on the development of conceptual models of drought risks for Europe, and the CARICO SADC project, which looks at cascading and systemic risks connected to the COVID-19 crisis in the Southern African Development Community (with focus on Malawi and South Africa). Davide’s main research interest is the role of complexity in risk science, and especially its application to drought risks. At UNU-EHS, Davide has focused on the development of conceptual models of risk (e.g. impact chains, impact webs) and risk assessment methodologies (including index-based methods), with a strong participatory component. In his time with UNU-EHS, Davide contributed to several research projects in the field of risk assessment, with a particular focus on Northern Africa and Europe. He co-authored scientific publications and several reports, including the 2021 “Interconnected Disaster Risks” flagship report, and two reports on the preparedness for insurance solutions from the InsuRisk project. Prior to his work at UNU-EHS, Davide has gained experience in Remote Sensing and GIS analysis during several years of work in the private sector and during his internships at ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action) in Turin, Italy, where he focused on the environmental impacts of IDPs camps in Darfour, and BICC (Bonn International Center for Conversion) in Bonn, Germany, where he explored the connection between violent conflicts and food security through the monitoring of agricultural production in north-eastern Nigeria. Davide holds a MSc in Geography of Environmental Risks and Human Security offered by UNU-EHS and the University of Bonn, where he graduated with a thesis on the use of impact chains to assess risk in a multi-hazard context, with a case study in the Marrakech-Safi region (Morocco). He also holds a MA in Geography of territorial processes from the University of Bologna, Italy, where he graduated with a thesis in remote sensing and GIS, and a BA Cultural Sciences from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy, where he graduated with a thesis in Environmental Philosophy. He successfully completed study periods in Canada and France, including an internship at the journal Le Monde Diplomatique.