Abdul-Akeem Sadiq, a professor at the University of Central Florida’s School of Public Administration, is leading the sixth cohort of a mentorship program designed for early-career researchers in hazards and disaster studies. The initiative, called the Enabling the Next Generation of Hazards and Disasters Researchers program, is funded by a two-year, $433,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).
Sadiq was previously a fellow in the program’s fourth cohort and has served as a mentor in its fifth round. Reflecting on his experience, Sadiq said, “A major goal of the program is to help people write career grants and elevate the trajectory of your career, and my experience reflected that. The positive impact that will have on your career is incredible. I had lots of opportunities to collaborate, work alongside, publish, and present with students at both national and international levels.”
The current team also includes co-principal investigators Michelle Meyer from Texas A&M University, Henry Burton from UCLA, and Jill Trepanier from Louisiana State University, all of whom are former fellows or mentors with the program.
Sadiq described his reaction to receiving NSF funding: “To be able to get funding for such a key program that focuses on helping extraordinary individuals and faculty to excel was unbelievable. We were all ecstatic, and I’m really honored to be the one leading the sixth round. We had our first planning meeting recently, and people were just saying how grateful they are to the program for helping them get to where they are today. I think the biggest challenge we’re going to have is saying no to a lot of excellent applicants.”
The program uses a community-driven mentorship model, allowing participants to act both as fellows in one area of disaster research and as mentors in another. This structure emphasizes teaching, mentorship, and research while providing resources such as case studies and datasets.
For the first time, eligibility has been expanded to include postdoctoral scholars and non-tenure-track research scholars from the physical sciences, social sciences, and engineering. Up to 20 fellows will be selected based on their disciplinary backgrounds and matched with appropriate mentors.
Mentorship is tailored to individual goals—covering areas like grant writing, manuscript review, work-life balance, pre-tenure preparation, and teaching philosophy. Participants will also take part in an NSF mock panel where they draft proposals for review by experienced mentors.
Sadiq noted the long-term impact of the program: “Without this program, I don’t think I’d be where I am today,” he said. “It gave me many opportunities to connect with people who are well-versed and knowledgeable in the field of hazards, disasters and risk. I was exposed to opportunities inherent in working with other people from other universities as well as publishing in journals I never thought I could. This program has so much to offer.”
Findings from this round will be evaluated by a third party and shared through publications and academic conferences.
Sadiq holds a joint doctorate in public policy from Georgia State University and Georgia Institute of Technology. He is also the program director for UCF’s Master of Public Policy program.
The project is supported by NSF award No. 2526640. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.
