Fire After Fire: The Global Wildfire Challenge and the Hidden Risks of Recovery
Date: November 4th, 2026 Location: Online Only
The 2026 wildfire season once again tested cities and communities around the world from North America and the Mediterranean to Australia. But the story doesn’t end when the flames go out. When communities burn, the challenge extends beyond smoke and fire to toxic residues, contaminated water supplies, damaged infrastructure, and long-term public health consequences.
Join the International Science Reserve for a global conversation that moves beyond suppression to ask what cities can learn from this year’s wildfire season about recovery, adaptation, and preparedness. A geographically diverse panel of scientists and practitioners — spanning wildfire science, emergency management, environmental health, and Indigenous fire stewardship — will compare how different regions experienced and responded to this year’s fires, and what it will take to recover safely and rebuild resilience.
What You’ll Learn
- How the 2026 wildfire season unfolded across different regions of the world, and what set the most effective responses apart
- The hidden, longer-term risks of wildfire recovery from toxic chemical legacies to contaminated drinking water
- How early warning systems and predictive science are evolving
- What indigenous fire stewardship practices can teach modern wildfire management
- What it will take to build lasting resilience: from insurance and infrastructure to public health monitoring
Speakers
- Mike Flannigan, BSc, MS, PhD is the BC Innovation Research Chair for Predictive Services, Emergency Management and Fire Science at Thompson Rivers University and the Scientific Co-Director of the Institute for Wildfire Science, Adaptation and Resiliency. He received degrees in physics, atmospheric science, and plant sciences at the University of Manitoba, Colorado State University, and Cambridge University. Mike is the Principal Investigator of the NSERC Canada Wildfire S&T Network (2020-26) that mentored over 170 highly qualified personnel. Dr. Flannigan has been studying fire and weather-climate interactions for over 45 years. He has mentored over 60 graduate students and post-docs during his career. Dr. Flannigan has written over 400 journal papers, book chapters, and reports.
- Victor Steffensen is an author, filmmaker, musician and traditional knowledge practitioner. He is a descendant of the Tagalaka people from North Queensland and respectfully acknowledges the European connections within his family tree. He is the author of Fire Country, The Knowledge and the children’s books Looking After Country With Fire, The Trees and Animals On Country. Through his artistic label, Mulong, Victor has published music tracks for his children’s books such as Cool Burning, The Trees and The Animals.
- Marina Vance, PhD is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Associate Director for Graduate Education in the Environmental Engineering Program at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on experimental aerosol science, indoor air quality, and human exposure to airborne pollutants. Dr. Vance received her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Virginia Tech. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Environmental Engineering from the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (Brazil).
Moderator
- Nicholas B. Dirks, PhD is President and Chief Executive Officer of The New York Academy of Sciences and a distinguished historian and anthropologist. Previously, Dirks served as Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, where Dirks led major initiatives in education, research collaboration, and data science. Prior to Berkeley, Dirks held leadership and academic roles at Columbia University and taught at the University of Michigan and California Institute of Technology.
