UCF Professor Abdul-Akeem Sadiq Wins 2026 Luminary Award for Disaster Management Work

Dr. Abdul-Akeem Sadiq, a professor in the University of Central Florida’s School of Public Administration and a Faculty Fellow with the College of Graduate Studies, will receive the 2026 Luminary Award on Oct. 20. This annual recognition honors faculty whose work brings national and international recognition to UCF while expanding the university’s influence across disciplines and communities.

Sadiq and seven other faculty members will be celebrated during the 10th annual Luminary Awards ceremony. The award acknowledges his work in disaster management and public policy, particularly his focus on helping governments and communities prepare for complex threats and strengthen their resilience.

His interdisciplinary research spans floods, infrastructure failures, human trafficking, and other emerging crises. Sadiq’s work emphasizes disaster preparedness, emergency communication, organizational mitigation, and equitable disaster response.

Sadiq’s research has included studying mass-fatality management following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and examining ways communities can strengthen resilience to floods. He also leads a National Science Foundation (NSF) initiative focused on developing the next generation of hazards and disaster researchers, recently bringing scholars from across the country to UCF to strengthen collaboration and workforce development in disaster science. Sadiq is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.