GHI’s  staff is comprised of experienced professionals with diverse backgrounds, including earthquake science, engineering, medicine, law, communications, finance and international development. 

Dr. Hari Kumar is a civil engineer with more than 39 years of experience in safe shelter, disaster risk management, and climate change adaptation. He currently serves as the Regional Coordinator for South Asia at Geohazards International (GHI), where he oversees programs in India, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Myanmar. His work encompasses strengthening disaster-resilient construction practices, supporting policymakers in risk-reduction strategies, ensuring health facilities remain functional during emergencies, training healthcare staff in mass-casualty management, safeguarding schools, and engaging communities to understand risk science and its reduction better.

Dr. Kumar has led several pioneering initiatives in disaster risk reduction. He coordinated India’s pilot seismic retrofitting project for Lifeline Buildings, the Delhi Earthquake Safety Initiative, which advanced engineers’ skills to evaluate and retrofit complex structures. In Mizoram, he spearheaded a comprehensive landslide and earthquake risk reduction program in Aizawl, now institutionalized by the Government. In Nepal, he promoted evidence-based disaster planning using realistic scenarios, bringing together diverse stakeholders to identify and prioritize actions for safer communities. He has also been involved in the safety assessment of critical infrastructure, especially health facilities, and in reviewing building regulatory capacities across diverse geographies, including Mizoram, Kerala, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Kumar conceptualized and managed key programs for the Government of India and UNDP, such as the Urban Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Programme (UEVRP) and the National Capacity-Building Programs for Engineers (NPCBEERM) and Architects (NPCBAERM). He has also developed widely used training manuals and conducted large-scale training for engineers and masons on earthquake-, cyclone-, and flood-resistant construction.

He has served on multiple National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) expert groups, including the Task Force for the National Landslide Risk Management Strategy, the technical committee on the Earthquake Disaster Risk Index for seismic Zones IV and V, as well as core groups drafting the National School Safety Guidelines and National Hospital Safety Guidelines. His fieldwork includes participation in high-profile reconnaissance and recovery missions—as part of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute’s team after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake, NDMA missions following the 2013 Doda earthquake, and Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) teams after the 2018 Kerala floods and the 2024 Wayanad debris flow.

Dr. Kumar holds a Ph.D. in Risk Mitigation Planning from the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Kolkata; an M.B.A. in Disaster Management from GGSIP University, Delhi; and a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology.