Dr Simon Allen is a senior Research Associate at the Universities of Geneva, Switzerland, where his research focuses on climate impacts and disaster risk, particularly in mountain regions. Over the past decade he has been working alongside various local partners to undertake integrated climate risk assessments as a basis for adaptation planning and sustainable development in the Andes, South and central Asia, and Tibet. His research activities range from the modelling and assessment of drought, flood and landslide risk, through to participatory studies engaging with local communities to understand adaptation needs. Recent and ongoing project partners have included the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, UNESCO, GIZ, SDC, and UK Aid. In addition, Dr Allen has been involved in various roles with the IPCC since 2009, including as an editor and contributing author the 2012 Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX), and as a contributing author to the 6th Assessment Report. Dr Allen obtained his PhD in Geography from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand in 2009.