Engineering & Social Capital - An Innovative Look at Building Disaster Resilience

Invited Speakers: Dr Arif Sadri, Associate Professor, School of Civil Engineering & Environmental Sciences, University of Oklahoma and Dr Jeff Donaldson, Board Director, International Social Capital Association In an era where weather extremes, geopolitical shocks, and pandemics test the limits of human ingenuity, how can we forge societies that not only endure but thrive amid chaos? Join Dr. Arif Sadri, a pioneering civil engineer and resilience strategist, and Dr. Jeff Donaldson, Board Director of the International Social Capital Association, for an exclusive January webinar previewing the groundbreaking Social Capital 2026 conference. This session unveils a provocative fusion: engineering not as isolated blueprints, but as a dynamic interplay with the invisible threads of trust, networks, and shared purpose that define social capital. This webinar is a call to action for professional and academic leaders. Register now and secure your place where engineering meets empathy, and social capital becomes the ultimate structural strength. This event is organized by the Disaster Resilience Special Interest Group of the International Social Capital Association. It is a free event, and everyone is welcome to attend. About the presenters: Dr. Arif Sadri, whose expertise spans evacuation modelling, urban flood mitigation, and AI-driven interdependent infrastructure design, will dissect how traditional engineering paradigms fall short without the “social glue” of community bonds. Drawing on case studies from tornado-ravaged regions to flood-vulnerable megacities, he’ll reveal how social capital amplifies resilience, transforming vulnerable populations into proactive guardians of their built environments. Dr. Jeff Donaldson will bridge these insights to the broader Social Capital 2026 agenda, set for March 26–28 at Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus, the world’s first global summit dedicated to social capital. This landmark event convenes scholars, policymakers, and innovators to reimagine resilience beyond steel and silicon, toward human-centered systems that heal divides and harness collective power.