David F. Merrick, II

I am the Director of the Center for Disaster Risk Management and the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program at Florida State University. In those roles, I teach and research disaster and emergency management, with an emphasis on technology. My specific interests include remote sensing and disaster intelligence, social media and emergency management, crisis mapping, disaster logistics, maintaining my sanity, and integrating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into public safety and disaster response.

I manage many of our research projects and programs, including the Disaster Incident Research Team (FSU DIRT), our social media and disaster intelligence team (FSU.DISINT), and our efforts to further UAS operations in emergency management. I serve as the UAS Coordinator in the State of Florida Air Operations Branch - helping to manage small UAS during disasters and critical incidents. Our faculty, staff, and students stay involved in every level of EM, which matches our philosophy of focusing on "pracademics".

I currently teach 'Disaster Systems', 'Emergency Management Planning and Policy', ‘Foundations of Emergency Management’, ‘Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Emergency Management’, and routinely lecture on logistics, technology, and terrorism in some of our other courses.

FSU DIRT is part of Florida UAS 1 - the first multidisciplinary all hazards UAS team in the state. This team is a template for other regions, states, and localities to build cooperative UAS resources to manage all kinds of events.

I am happily married and live in Tallahassee, Florida with my lovely wife. We have two kids in college (which explains the grey hair) though they both wander home from time to time.