10 Years of the Dhanani School of Science & Engineering at Habib

Ten years ago, an act of generosity travelled thousands of miles, from a family in Houston to a young university in Karachi. On Monday, October 5, 2026, Habib University celebrated that journey with Algorithm of Generosity, an afternoon at HORIZON celebrating a decade of the Dhanani School of Science and Engineering (DSSE).

The event honoured the naming gift and vision of Mr. Shoukat Dhanani. It asked what happens when someone bets on an idea before there is anything to show for it. For the first time in ten years, DSSE’s faculty, students, alumni, and Mohsineen shared one room with Mr. Shaoukat Dhanani.

A Bet Placed Before the Proof

In his welcome note, President Wasif Rizvi reflected on how unusual the Dhanani endowment was. Named schools usually grow out of some association, such as alumni ties or a direct benefit. DSSE has no such history. The Dhanani family sat in another part of the world, with only a loose connection to Karachi, and were moved by the vision itself.

That vision was rooted in the value of opportunity. President Rizvi spoke of the bottleneck that kept talented young women out of STEM, where cost was often a barrier, and of DSSE’s effort to remove it. President Rizvi shared the results that are continuing to create ripples of positive impact, stating, “We have admitted 1,700 students and about 1,450 of them were supported. That takes it to about 85 percent of support. A very significant portion of fully funded programs is invested in the Dhanani School, because that’s where students who are traditionally coming from some economically modest background are wishing to pursue these programs. So, the impact is ceaseless, continuous.”

The President highlighted that a gift of this nature gives educators confidence in the institution. In the ten years since its foundation stone was set, DSSE has attracted exceptional faculty, 74 percent of whom hold international degrees from leading institutions across eleven countries.

The impact has reached industry as well. President Rizvi shared a tribute from a CEO on LinkedIn, who described hiring Habib graduates as getting ‘Twice the talent and 100 percent less attitude’. Faculty have felt it too, President Rizvi reflected, adding “With the help of and mentoring and influence of faculty, we have been fortunate to have these wonderful students and alumni, and the quiet impact they continue to make on their society and wherever they go. So, thank you.”

From a Gas Station to a Gift That Will Keep Giving

The afternoon’s centrepiece was a one-on-one conversation with Mr. Dhanani, led by DSSE alumnus Arhum Ishtiaq, Co-Founder of ConnectHear.

Sharing his own story with the students, alumni, faculty, and University leadership present, including members of the Board of Governors, Dr. Lynn Stein (Olin College of Engineering) and Dr. Alexander Key (Stanford University), Mr. Dhanani recalled leaving for the United States at sixteen. Upon finishing matriculation, he had found his options at home disappointing and resolved to study abroad, applying across the U.S., U.K., and Lebanon. The first admission offer came from the U.S. He arrived excited, though not without hardship. He could read and write English fluently from his Catholic schooling, but could not yet speak it confidently. While pursuing his studies full-time he also worked full-time to support himself.

With his older brother, he started his first business in 1976, a gas station, at a time when they were working in one and decided to run their own. The plan was to pause their studies, get the business going, and return to finish. “Which I’m still trying to go back to,” he quipped.

When he heard the Habib University vision, what affected him most was the chance it offered to deserving students deprived of access and opportunity. Mr. Dhanani emphasized, “I always felt that there is so much talent, there are so many smart students, but they don’t have the opportunity.”

His relationship with President Rizvi, he said, has grown well beyond the institution. “We are brothers,” Mr. Dhanani said.

To graduating students, his advice was direct, “The students who are graduating, or are close to graduating- nobody is going to hand you a silver platter. So, expect that, and be ready for that. But, be honest, be diligent, and then after doing that, obviously with the right education, I’m sure you will find your way, like lots of others have.” When asked what excites him most, he pointed to the University’s plans for a bigger campus, which he believes “is going to be something else.”

Ripples Made Visible

Two alumni stories were highlighted at the celebration to showcase what that opportunity has meant in practice.

Furqan Karim, Class of 2020, studied computer science at Habib and remarked,“When someone takes a bet like this on you, something interesting happens. You start taking bigger bets on yourself. I studied computer science at Habib University. My education allowed me to pursue entrepreneurship, and even music. That interdisciplinary education helped me to get out of my comfort zone, comfortably.”
After joining Deloitte, he took a leap of his own, co-founding Plouton AI, which received a nod in the Finance & Venture Capital category of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2026. He spoke of Mr. Dhanani’s decision to invest without seeing results, and pointed to fellow alumni doing the same, including the founders of TrashIt, which turns organic waste into compost to improve soil health and support sustainable agriculture in Pakistan.

Fatima Faisal, DSSE Class of 2026 and now a full-stack engineer, described a different path. She moved from pre-medical to pre-engineering before arriving at computer science, where coding did not come naturally. She stayed, she said, because Habib offered room to make mistakes and learn from them, though its education “is not easy.” For women from modest backgrounds, she noted, education may be the only privilege available, and there is little margin for error.

She and her team of three women built a Burushaski translation AI model for the language spoken in Gilgit-Baltistan, giving back to the community that shaped them. Her story sits alongside other DSSE projects. ConnectHear, South Asia’s largest tech startup for the deaf community, helped reach more than 10,000 people with no access to information during COVID. A batchmate team built an app using AI-powered vision to help blind people recognise objects through voice input.

Dr. Shahid Shaikh, Interim Vice President Academic Affairs and Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering at DSSE, who is also a member of the University’s founding faculty, noted that if the celebration’s title included the word ‘algorithm’ then the alumni are its output, and Mr. Dhanani’s generosity was the input.

A New Standard for Engineering Education

Beyond individual journeys, the decade of DSSE has shifted how engineering education is practised in Pakistan. Interim Vice President Dr. Shahid Shaikh reflected upon the impact of DSSE in introducing the idea of the “thoughtful engineer,” a term industry leaders have begun to acknowledge. DSSE has also set a new benchmark for women in STEM, a historically underrepresented group. Women made up 59 percent of the DSSE graduating class of 2025, compared with 41 percent men.

The celebration also featured a video titled, Ripples in Space Time: The Legacy of Dhanani School of Science and Engineering.

Ten Years of Impact, Set Down in Ink

The celebration came to a close with the presentation of a memoir book, also titled Algorithm of Generosity.

Mr. Muhammad Habib, Chancellor Habib University extended his gratitude to Mr. Dhanani, “Thank you for your belief in this institution and this school. [The memoir we are presenting] captures Habib University’s institutional memory and preserves this history for future generations.”

Prepared by the Office of University Advancement with teams across the University, the memoir gathers a decade of stories of transformation, achievement, and impact from across the school. It is Habib University’s tribute to Mr. Dhanani and the Dhanani family, and every page was crafted for that purpose. The Chancellor and the President joined Mr. Dhanani at the front for the presentation, which came to a close with a final gift of the Ajrak, Sindh’s emblem of respect and honour. Guests then gathered for photographs and refreshments at Nest Café.

Ten years on, the Dhanani School of Science and Engineering stands as proof that generosity, when extended without condition, compounds. A single gift has become graduates who found companies, build technology for the deaf and the blind, preserve a language, and lead. Every one of them is a ripple of much needed positive impact.

Become a part of our mission, donate to Habib University.