Ana Maria Cruz is an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, and Professor Emeritus from Kyoto University. She is a Chemical Engineer, and holds a MSc. in Applied Development and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Tulane University, New Orleans, United States. She has worked in the private and public sectors, in academia and with government at the local and international levels in four continents pioneering research regarding natural hazard-triggered technological accidents (known as Natechs) since 1998. The aim of her research is to promote strategic risk governance of techno-social systems in an effort to contribute to societal resilience to these and other complex disaster risks. Her research interests include disaster risk management, in particular area-wide risk management, accident investigation and analysis, risk perception and communication studies, and infrastructure resilience in the face of climate change.