Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Vladimir M. Cvetković
vmc@fb.bg.ac.rs
Associate Professor in the courses Risk Management in Emergency Situations, Protection from Natural and Anthropogenic Disasters, Security Risks and Disasters, and Society and Disasters
Education
He earned his PhD at the Faculty of Security Studies, University of Belgrade, with the dissertation entitled “Citizens’ Preparedness to Respond to a Natural Disaster Caused by Flooding in the Republic of Serbia” (2016), thereby obtaining the academic title Doctor of Science – Security Sciences.
At the University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies in Belgrade, he defended his master’s thesis entitled “Management of Emergency Situations Caused by the Misuse of Weapons of Mass Destruction” (2012), thereby obtaining the title Master Criminalist. He graduated in 2010 as the valedictorian (GPA 10.00), obtaining the title Graduate Criminalist.
He completed the Secondary School of Internal Affairs for Police Officers (SSUP) in Sremska Kamenica in 2006 (one of the top students of his generation), as well as the “Sveti Sava” Primary School in Batočina in 2002 (recipient of the Vuk Diploma).
In addition to formal education, he completed numerous professional trainings and passed professional examinations in the fields of emergency situations, protection and rescue, risk assessment, and inspection supervision, including basic training for a firefighter-rescuer, professional examinations in fire protection, courses/trainings for inspection duties in civil protection and risk management, as well as examinations related to preparing risk assessments and protection and rescue plans in emergency situations and risk assessments in the protection of persons, property, and business operations.
Employment
Since 2017, he has been employed at the Faculty of Security Studies, University of Belgrade, at the Department of Emergency Management Studies and Environmental Security, holding the position of Associate Professor (narrow field: disaster risk management). He currently teaches the following courses: Risk Management in Emergency Situations, Protection from Natural and Anthropogenic Disasters, Security Risks and Disasters, and Society and Disasters.
From 2010 to 2017, he was engaged at the University/Academy of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies: from 2013 to 2017 as a teaching associate in the position of Assistant, engaged in courses Security in Emergency Situations, Risk Management in Emergency Situations, Prevention and Suppression of Fires, Explosions and Accidents, Information Systems in Emergency Situations, and Crisis Management; from 2011 to 2013 as a Teaching Associate; and in 2010 as a Demonstrator in the course Traffic Safety.
In 2006, he was employed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia as a police officer in the Police Directorate Kragujevac, where he performed general police duties as well as tasks related to the prevention and suppression of criminal offences and misdemeanors.
In 2025, he was appointed to the academic title of Adjunct Professor at Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria) within the master’s program Safety and Disaster Management (SDM) for a five-year term, and he is engaged in the following courses: Preventive Planning and Protective Measures in the Surroundings of Industrial Plants, Critical Infrastructure Protection, and Vulnerability, Stress and Resilience.
He is engaged as a lecturer at FH Campus Wien – University of Applied Sciences (Vienna) in the course “Integriertes Sicherheitsmanagement” within the program Integrated Safety and Security Management (ISM), combining theoretical instruction and practical work.
Since 2025, he has been engaged at the Academy of Applied Studies Belgrade in the course Contemporary Strategies and Systems of Civil Protection. In the summer semester of the academic year 2024/2025, he was appointed as a lecturer at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Belgrade, in the doctoral course Risk Management in E-Business (within the study program Software Engineering and E-Business).
During 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, he was selected as a lecturer in the program Advanced Security and Defence Studies (VSBO) within the School of National Defence “Vojvoda Radomir Putnik” (Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia and the University of Defence).
He is the President and Founder of the Scientific-Professional Society for Disaster Risk Management. He serves as Director of the International Institute for Disaster Research (IDR), as well as Director of the platform ProSafeNet – a global hub for professionals and scientists in the fields of safety, security, risk, and emergency management.
Scientific and Research Achievements
He is the author of more than 350 scientific papers and 30 books, has participated in over 150 scientific conferences, was engaged in more than 10 national and international projects, and has reviewed over 400 scientific manuscripts, with significant contributions to the organization of professional trainings in the field of protection and rescue. According to the academic citation database Google Scholar, he has over 6,000 citations, an h-index of 37, and an i10-index of 149, confirming a high impact and continuity of scientific work. According to ResearchGate, he achieved a Research Interest Score of 2,070 (top 4% of all members and top 2% of authors who started publishing in 2011), with 169,436 reads, 3,823 citations, an h-index of 30, and over 1,100 recommendations. According to the AD Scientific Index (World Scientist and University Rankings, 2025 edition), he is ranked 6th in Serbia in the field of social sciences and 7th at the University of Belgrade, is in the top 3% globally in social sciences, while in the narrower field of security, disasters, hazards, emergency situations, and disaster risk management, he is ranked first in Serbia and at the University of Belgrade.
As a mentor, he has supervised the preparation of more than 40 master’s theses and over 150 undergraduate theses in the field of disaster management. He has mentored and/or co-mentored, and also participated as a committee member, in the preparation and defense of five doctoral dissertations in disaster management at the University of Belgrade (Faculty of Security Studies, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Faculty of Geography, and Faculty of Sport and Physical Education).
He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the international journals International Journal of Disaster Risk Management (since 2018) and International Journal of Contemporary Security Studies (since 2025).
He has been engaged in multiple national and international projects in the areas of disaster risk management, strengthening community resilience, and capacity development of protection and rescue systems. Within project and international engagement, he participates in the COST Action “AlertHub: Warning Communication Knowledge Network” as a member and within management structures, aiming to develop a European network for knowledge exchange in warning communication and disaster management. He is also involved in regional initiatives connecting science and practice, including DPPI SEE and cross-border exchange within the Danube basin (DAREnet). He has a strong applied contribution through participation in the preparation of more than 15 risk assessments and protection and rescue plans for state authorities, local self-governments, and legal entities, as well as work on strategic documents, including the thematic unit on natural disasters within the Spatial Plan of the Republic of Serbia 2021–2035.
He was engaged as an expert within UNDP – EU for Civil Protection and Disaster Resilience Strengthening in the Republic of Serbia, working on the Ex-Ante analysis and the draft Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Management 2022–2027, including SWOT analysis, goals, measures, indicators, and an action plan, as well as consultations with relevant stakeholders.
Through an international call, he was selected as a local expert for Serbia within the program IPA Floods and Fires – EU Support to Flood Prevention and Forest Fires Risk Management in the Western Balkans and Turkey (DG ECHO). In the period 2023–2024, he worked as a lecturer/trainer and expert associate on a project aimed at strengthening preparedness and participation of civil society organizations and youth in DRR in Serbia, through lectures, exercises, and field activities. In the period May–November 2025, he was selected as a DRM expert to support local self-government units in preparing emergency preparedness and response plans in the field of public health, within the EU/UNDP/WHO program for strengthening Serbia’s health system.
As a researcher, he participated in national scientific projects: “Development of Institutional Capacities, Standards and Procedures for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism in the Context of International Integrations” (2012–2017), “Management of Police Organization in the Prevention and Suppression of Security Threats in the Republic of Serbia” (2015–2018), and “National Security of the Republic of Serbia and Security Integrations” (2014–2015). He was also involved in preparing an international application within Horizon 2020 (SOSP) as the national coordinator for Serbia, as well as in programs focused on school safety through improving knowledge and procedures.
He has received numerous national and international recognitions and awards, among which the Danubius Young Scientist Award (2017) stands out, awarded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy and the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe, for the best young scientist from Serbia. He was also selected as a “local expert” for Serbia in the field of disaster risk management by an international consortium and the CIMA Research Foundation.
References (selected)
See the page: https://vmcdrm.com/
