The Centre for Disaster Studies is a multi disciplinary research unit presently housed in the School of Tropical Environment Studies and Geography of James Cook University. The Centre has acted as the university's face to the public and the professionals in the Emergency Management and Meteorology fields, city councils and other researchers since its establishment in 1979.

The Centre for Disaster Studies was formally established a few years after James Cook University opened. The catalysts for the development of a research centre dedicated to study of the impact of disaster were two major cyclones; Althea which devastated Townsville in 1971 and Tracy in which destroyed Darwin in 1974. These events generated strong research interest in cyclones and natural hazards.

The Centre receives an annual grant from the Queensland Department of Emergency Services to continue its function as Queensland's only Disaster research unit. Presently Associate Professor David King (Director) provides direction for the Centre through his leadership and guidance of our multidisciplinary research team.