Harris Ali holds a degree in Materials Engineering (McMaster, 1991) and a doctorate in Sociology (McMaster 1997) with a specialization in Environmental Risk and Environmental Health. He currently teaches courses on: Environmental Disasters, Environment and Health, Research Methods and Environment, Technology and Sustainable Society. Prof Ali's research focuses on the analyses of 'disaster incubation': how normally unnoticed social and ecological processes converge to create a disaster. He has completed studies on the social dimensions of several large-scale disasters, including: a large chemical fire in Hamilton, Ontario; the outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in Walkerton, Ontario; and currently the spread of SARS in Toronto and globally. He has also recently completed a study researching the problems faced by municipal officials in implementing the Hazards Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) protocol now required under the Ontario Emergency Management Act of 2003. He has published in such journals as: Social Science and Medicine; the Canadian Journal of Sociology and Social Problems.