Design for Resilient Performance: Principles and Applicability Across Multiple Domains
Tracks
Room 1
| Monday, November 30, 2026 |
| 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM |
| Plenary Room - Grand Central |
Overview
Prof Tarcisio Abreu Saurin
Details
This keynote explores Resilience Engineering and its foundations in complexity thinking and Human Factors and Ergonomics, with a focus on how sociotechnical systems can be designed to support resilient performance.
Tarcisio will introduce a framework for Designing for Resilient Performance, centred around seven design principles, and demonstrate their practical application through examples from healthcare, construction, aviation and critical infrastructure. The session will also consider how these principles can inform the design of systems capable of responding to emerging challenges, including digitalisation and climate change, and highlight opportunities for future research and practice.
Speaker
Tarcisio Abreu Saurin
Prof
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Brazil
Design for Resilient Performance: Principles and Applicability Across Multiple Domains
Abstract
The keynote begins by introducing Resilience Engineering and its foundations in complexity thinking and Human Factors and Ergonomics. It then presents a framework for Designing for Resilient Performance, whose core comprises seven design principles. The theoretical implications and applicability of these principles are illustrated through examples across several sectors, including healthcare, construction, aviation, and critical infrastructure. The keynote concludes by outlining opportunities for research on the design of sociotechnical systems that are resilient to contemporary challenges such as digitalisation and climate change.
Biography
Tarcisio Saurin is a Full Professor in the Industrial Engineering Department at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering, and has been a visiting professor at Griffith University, Macquarie University, and the University of Salford.
His main research interests include resilience engineering, work system design, safety management, and lean production. He has conducted research and consulting projects on these topics in healthcare, construction, electricity distribution, aviation, and manufacturing. He also serves as an associate editor of the Safety Science journal, and as a member of the executive committee of the Resilient Health Care Society.
Since 2019, he has been listed annually among the top 2% most cited authors in human factors and ergonomics. He is the recipient of the 2025 International Ergonomics and Human Factors Association/Elsevier John Wilson Triennial Award for contributions to complexity management and designing for resilient performance.
Session Chair
Melissa Baysari
Professor Of Human Factors
The University Of Sydney
