Wayne & Gayle Laufer
Founder, Laufer Energy Symposium, USA
Wayne Laufer is a retired CEO of an independent oil and natural gas exploration company in the Gulf of Mexico. Wayne spent 40 years in the oil business, starting as a “grunt engineer” at Shell Oil in New Orleans. After a decade with Shell, he struck out on his own as an independent oil and gas producer. In 1977, he co-founded S.A. Holditch & Associates, which is now a part of Schlumberger. In 1984, he co-founded Bois d’Arc Energy Corporation, initiated a NYSE IPO in 2005, and retired after the company was sold in 2008. Wayne was a registered professional engineer in the state of Texas and is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Louisiana Independent Oil and Gas Association. At Missouri S&T, he is a member of the Academy of Civil Engineers and received a professional degree from the Civil Engineering Department in 2009. Wayne and his wife Gayle reside in Sanibel, Florida, and Friday Harbor, Washington, and are actively engaged in managing their investment portfolio. They are members of Missouri S&T’s Order of the Golden Shillelagh.
Joseph Smith
AIChE President, USA Professor, Former LAUFER Endowed Chair in Energy, Missouri S&T, USA
Title: Hybrid Energy and Microgrid
Joseph D. Smith was trained at the Advanced Combustion Engineering Research Center at Brigham Young University, where he received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in 1990. He has over 25 years of experience in the chemical and petrochemical industry, working for the Dow Chemical Company in the environmental research group, Cabot Corporation as global process development leader, and the John Zink Company as research director for flare technology and CFD. He has served on the faculties of Tennessee Technological University, University of Michigan, University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, and University of Tulsa. Since 2011, Smith has held the Wayne and Gayle Laufer Endowed Energy Chair at Missouri University of Science and Technology, where he conducts research on hybrid energy systems involving renewable energy technology. He co-founded Elevated Analytics Consulting, where he currently serves as Chief Technology Officer, focused on developing and applying advanced sensor technology to monitor and control gas flare emissions. Smith serves as an expert witness for flare performance and combustion technology and has published over 70 papers, has given more than 100 conference papers, and currently holds twelve patents. He contributed chapters to the John Zink Combustion Handbook, Industrial Burner Handbook, Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook (9th edition), and Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Recently he published a book on the application of CFD in the process industries.
Rizwan Uddin
Professor and Department Head, Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
Title: Workforce Development Challenges for Nuclear Power in Africa
Dr. Rizwan Uddin holds a courtesy appointment of Professor, Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment (iSEE), and serves on the steering committee of iSEE at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also the Director of the Master of Engineering in Energy Systems Program, as well as the Environment and Sustainability Engineering (EaSE) Program in the Grainger College of Engineering. In his spare time, he serves as professor and head of the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering. He received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Middle East Technical University in Ankara and his MS and Ph.D. degrees in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois. His research contributions are in the development and analysis of two-phase flow and BWR stability; advanced numerical methods for thermal hydraulics problems, CFD, and large-scale, high-performance computing for nuclear applications; analytical benchmarks for heat transfer problems; and new self-consistent turbulence models and associated closure laws for flow in porous media. He also dabbles in the development and use of 3D immersive, virtual reality systems and computer games for education and training in the nuclear field. Four of his Ph.D. advisees have been awarded the American Nuclear Society’s Mark Mills Award for the “best original technical paper contributing to the advancement of science and engineering related to the atomic nucleus.” He is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society.
Paul Roege
Partner, Creative Erg, LLC; Executive Director, Advanced Nuclear and Production Experts Group (ANPEG); retired senior leader from US Army and Department of Energy laboratories.
Title: Nuclear Energy in the Emerging Cellular Cellular Architecture
Paul E. Roege was educated in nuclear sciences and engineering at the United States Military Academy and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned the degree of Nuclear Engineer. For over 45 years, he has led technology-based research, engineering, and construction projects and organizations in government and private sectors. As a US Army officer, Paul managed construction programs in Europe, Asia, Africa and Central America, including reconstruction of Iraqi oil production systems in 2003. During his last mobilization, Colonel Roege developed the Army’s operational energy doctrine and catalyzed adoption of resilience as DoD’s risk management framework. While serving as a DARPA program manager, he initiated a project to develop a small transportable nuclear reactor for military use. In his civilian career, Mr. Roege led engineering and nuclear safety activities in nuclear fuel cycle, special nuclear material stabilization, waste management, and infrastructure systems on Department of Energy sites. He currently balances research and advocacy about energy transformation and resilience with direct engagement with innovative energy startups, especially involving next-generation energy architectures and nuclear technologies, on which he has published over 20 papers, articles, and book chapters.
Bassam Alameddine
President of Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST), Kuwait
Title: Designing Resilient Materials for CO₂ Capture, Iodine Adsorption, and Environmental Remediation Applications
Professor Bassam Alameddine is an accomplished professional whose unique blend of instruction, research, and executive program oversight experience has earned him a reputation as an academic leader who not only creates the vision and strategy but also drives the team through successful execution. He effectively builds and mentors talented teams while working to enhance programs, optimize curricula, and improve student success through overseeing academic and faculty affairs. Guiding academic organizations toward the attainment of goals and objectives is where Professor Alameddine excels. For more than a decade, Professor Alameddine has been a distinguished member of the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST), where he has progressed through numerous roles, starting out as the Director of Graduate Studies and Research and currently, Acting President and VP of Academic Affairs. Professor Alameddine held numerous administrative titles while also serving as a faculty member and visiting research professor for multiple global higher education institutions, including Columbia University in New York, various Lebanese universities, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne, and the University of Fribourg. He has been awarded numerous grants to support his research projects in areas such as organic and polymer materials for optoelectronics and gas storage and separation in addition to environmental remediation. Through building a cast network of partnerships with fellow scholars from global institutions and serving as a consultant across various industries, Professor Alameddine had supported the advancement of research efforts across the chemistry and materials science engineering field. Professor Alameddine earned a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Fribourg to compliment his Master of Science in Materials Science Engineering from the National Polytechnic Institute—ENSIACET. His well-rounded academic background and professional strengths have been the foundation of his career success to date.
Joseph W. Newkirk
Department Chair and Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, Missouri S&T
Title: Integrated Energy Systems for Future Smart Cities
Joseph W. Newkirk is the Founding Chair of the Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Department at Missouri S&T. He is a Fellow of ASM International and Alpha Sigma Mu. He has been inducted into Sigma Xi, Sigma Pi Sigma, and Keramos honor societies. His education includes a BS (1977) and MS (1979) in Physics from Miami University and a PhD (1983) in Materials Science from the University of Virginia. He holds research positions in the Center for Advanced Manufacturing Technology and the Graduate Center for Materials Research. Research interests include metal additive manufacturing, wear and corrosion resistant alloys, high temperature materials, and nuclear materials. Prior to joining Missouri S&T he was a Research Scientist in the Major Analytical Instrumentation Center at the University of Florida (1983-1987) and a Research Engineer at the Homer Research Laboratories of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation (1981-1983). He has over 200 technical papers and been awarded two US Patents. He edited six books and contributed eight chapters to other technical handbooks and publications.
Ma’moun Al-Rawashdeh
Assistant professor, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
Title: Two innovative technologies for low low-carbon methane conversion to fuels and chemicals
Bio will be added soon
Dr. Ma’moun Al-Rawashdeh is an Assistant Professor in the College of Science and Engineering at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. He received his MSc (CumLaude) and PhD degrees in chemical engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands in 2013. With 7 years of industrial experience working at Jordan’s Refinery, IMM Institute in Germany, and Albemarle Catalyst Company in the Netherlands. He helped commercialize three hydro-processing catalysts and led many R&D projects related to different types of reactor designs, heterogenous catalyst manufacturing, and testing. He joined Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) as an Assistant Professor in 2019. At TAMUQ, he established key industry partnerships, secured external research funding from industry and QNRF, built key experimental infrastructure in Qatar, published 23 peer-reviewed journal articles (37 in total), invented 3 US provisional patents, 45 scientific contributions, and has invited talks at national and international levels. His research focuses on developing novel reactors and process technologies related to making sustainable and circular fuels and chemicals. Dr. Al-Rawashdeh is chairing and co-chairing graduate doctoral and master students, and teaches courses in chemical reaction, reactor engineering, and applied catalysis. He serves as guest editor and peer reviewer for leading journals, chairing and co-organizing AICHE international sessions, and organizes various conferences and workshops involving industry-academic-government.
Ghassan Hodaifa Meri
Professor, Chemical Engineering Department, Pablo de Olavide University, Spain
Title: Microalgae for sustainable greenenergy production
Gassan Hodaifa (H-Index 26 in Web of Science and 29 in Scopus) is Food Engineer (University of Albaath, Syria), Chemical Engineer (University of Granada, Spain) and Ph.D. by the University of Jaén, Spain. His research work begins in 1997 with a predoctoral fellowship to be carried out in Spain, has joined the research group “Bioprocesses TEP-138 (Junta de Andalucía)” and work in the research lines of Microalgae, Treatment of Wastewaters, Chemical Oxidation, Membrane Technology, Adsorption, Pesticide Removal, Olive Oil Processing, Enzyme Biotechnology and Nematode Biotechnology. He participated in 27 research projects. He has signed 16 research contracts with companies (4 as IP). 2 Contract as Adviser with the Mega Japanese Company “Asahi Kasei Corporation”. As a result of his research work 65 articles published, 57 articles published in JCR (32 in Q1, 18 in Q2, and 7 in Q3. Of these articles, more than 10 articles have been published with collaboration with authors from different countries on all continents. 2 patents for water purification of olive mill wastewater, 2 books, 46 book chapters in prestigious publishers such as Academic Press (Elsevier), CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Springer International Publishing AG etc. He published as Editor in Chief two Special Issues in J. Chemistry and Catalysts both from JCR. He published a Topic entitled “Advanced Oxidation Process: Applications and Prospects” for 5 journals (Sci, Water, Catalysts, Processes and International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health), a Special Issue in Catalysts entitled “Industrial Applications of Advanced Oxidation Technologies Past and Future” in the MDPI publisher, and a Special Issue in Waste entitled “New Trends in Liquid and Solid Effluent Treatment”. Co-Editor in the Special Issue in Sustainability entitled “Waste Water Management and Treatment”. He has participated in 125 Congresses 110 of them have international character and 31 International Oral Conferences (5 as invite Keynote Speech). Currently, he is a member of 19 Editorial Boards of International Journals such as Catalysts and Heliyon, 8 as Member of the Organizing Committee in Congresses and International Conferences, and 25 as Member of Scientific-Technical Committee of International Congresses and Conferences. He has participated in the organization of 4 Congresses and 4 Conferences at International level. Has received several awards such as the Chemical Engineering Journal Award for the most cited article. He acts as Editor in Chief of ‘Laboratories’ journal from MDPI, Associate Editor in Heliyon (in Chemical Engineering section) from Elsevier, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (in Bioprocess Engineering section), Frontiers in Environmental Science (in Water and Wastewater Management section). He has extensive experience in the industrial sector, in addition to participating in the delivery of multiple training and postgraduate courses at the University of Jaén and Pablo de Olavide. He is a member of Spain National Association of Chemists, the Official School of Chemists of Murcia, and England Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). Currently, he works as a full professor at Pablo de Olavide University.
Sohail Murad
Professor & Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA
Title: Strategies for more efficient hydrogenstorage: Conversion of ortho to para H₂ onmaghemite surface—a computational study
Dr. Sohail Murad is Professor and Department Chair of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Prior to this he was Head of Chemical Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago, where he joined the faculty in 1979 after receiving a PhD from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. He spent 1981-82 at Exxon Research and Engineering Company at Florham Park, New Jersey, while on a leave of absence from the university. He was an ARO Research Fellow at the Ballistics Research Laboratory in 1985. He is the author of over 150 archival research publications and book chapters. He is/has been a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Computer Applications in Engineering Education, Scientific Journals International and Research Letters in Chemical Engineering. His research is focused on alternate energy and its efficient utilization, computational molecular modeling of fluids on membrane surfaces and pores and on heat and mass flows in nanosystems. It has been funded by the US National Science Foundation, US Department of Energy, US Army Research Office, American Chemical Society, IBM, Dow Chemical Company, Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, and other private and public funding agencies. He is an elected fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and member of several other professional societies. He holds honorary faculty positions at Nanjing University (China), Petra University (Jordan), and University of Karachi (Pakistan). He has given many keynote talks at national and international symposia, and has served on panels of the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, etc.
Tariq Shamim
Professor and Chair, Mechanical Engineering Department, Northern Illinois University, USA
Title: Advancing sustainable hydrogen production for clean energy
Dr. Tariq Shamim holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. He also earned degrees from the University of Windsor, Canada and N.E.D. University, Karachi, Pakistan. He previously held faculty positions at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Flint and Khalifa University (Masdar Institute) in Abu Dhabi. He has been a visiting faculty at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, National University of Singapore, American University of Sharjah, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Ford Motor Company. His research focuses on sustainability and clean energy technologies. He has over 160 peer reviewed publications and is listed among Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists. He has secured several funding from NSF, US Department of Defense, US Department of Energy, automotive and aerospace companies, and the government of Abu Dhabi. A Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI), he serves as an Associate Editor for Applied Energy and the ASME Journal of Thermal Science and Engineering Applications. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer in Michigan.
Othmane Anice
Senior Associate at URITI (independent law boutique), Morocco
Title: Energy policy
Othmane is Senior Associate at URITI, he specialises in energy, infrastructure, project development and finance with transactional experience in Africa. He also advises on M&A transactions. Othmane advises government entities, public enterprises, financial institutions, international as well as domestic corporations and developers in their industrial, energy, and infrastructure projects. He graduated with Distinction gaining the LL.M. International Energy Law & Policy from the prominent Centre for Energy, Petroleum, and Mineral Law & Policy (CEPMLP) at the University of Dundee, UK. Additionally, Othmane holds two Master degrees, one in Public Law and another in Economical and Business law from University Cote d’Azur, Nice, France. Othmane is admitted to the Casablanca Bar Association.
Abdelghafour Zaabout
Associate Professor, Applied Chemistry & Engineering Research Center of Excelence (ACER CoE), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Morocco
Title: Cost effective Hard-to-abate industrythrough CCUS value chains
Abdelghafour Zaabout is an associate professor at University Mohammed 6 Polytechnic with a decade of deep experience in CCUS technologies. His R&D activities covered development of various low-carbon technologies (e.g., blue and carbon-negative hydrogen production, decarbonization of hard-t-abate industries, Direct Air Capture, Power-to-X, etc.). Prof. Zaabout co-authored nearly 60 peer-reviewed journal papers & several patents. He participated as a panelist at key events (e.g., COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh in a UN official session on CCUS for Africa, World Power-to-X Summit), and he chaired key sessions in several international conferences. Prof. Zaabout coordinates executive industrial studies on CCUS and Chaired the first CCUS Forum Africa organized with key partners, GCCSI, IEAGHG, OCP & Innov’X.
Waleed Hussein Al-Bazzaz
Associate Research Scientist (retired),Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), and Consultant, Kuwait
Title: Unconventional Resources Risksand Opportunities in Fossil Fuels
Dr. Waleed Al-Bazzaz’s Ph.D. specialty is in extreme heavy oil, heterogeneity, and unconventional imaging solutions in carbonate reservoir characterization through integration. He has 32 years of practical working experience spread over his tenure in the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) in water injection, routine and special core analysis, solids and water chemistry, formation damage, and pore-level imaging technology. He is an author/ co-author of numerous papers at several petroleum scientific events. He has field experience with national and international oil companies and teaching experience with national and international universities.
Moreover, his current emphasis as a petroleum engineer and petrophysicist researcher in KISR is unconventional carbonate reservoir characterizations. His current research investigations include up-scaling reservoir characterizations from pore-level to field scales, natural fractures physical modeling, nano-pore reservoir characterization, and building national capability for chemical and radioactive inter-well tracers. Also, he is integrating carbonate geochemistry with reservoir potential recovery through pyrolysis technology and oil fingerprinting. Reservoir heterogeneity and wettability modeling is a concurrent reservoir task.
Amine Bennouna
Professor (retired) at Faculty of Sciences Semlalia Marrakech-Cadi Ayyad University, Morocco
Title: Morocco: Was mid-2022 to end-2024 just ‘another window of opportunity’ or a lasting transition to more renewable electricity
Amin Bennouna taught Physics from 1980 to 2022, won a Moroccan National Research Prize Distinction in 2009, led two energy companies (1996-2005 and 1999-2018) and held several positions in the Moroccan Solar Industry Association from 1996 until 2016. He led an ‘Innoproject’ solar energy research carried by all the Moroccan Universities with IRESEN funds (2014-2018) after having managed two multilateral European ‘Medcampus’ projects with EU funds (1990-1994). He signed more than 300 articles, conference communications, technical reports and other documents among which an energy scenario for Morocco’2030 (2007). He is presently updating his “Monograph of energy in Morocco” (first paper edition in 2011).
Shoaib Usman
Associate Professor, Nuclear Engineeringand Radiation Science, Missouri S&T, USA
Title: Status of SMR and Advanced Reactors Supply chain, Economic Impactand Licensing Requirement for Participation
Dr. Usman is currently leading a $ 2 million effort to help US Department of Energy in developing approach to secure consent of host communities for siting interim storage for spent nuclear fuel. His research interest includes radiological pathway analysis and licensing of nuclear facilities. Dr. Usman holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, a Masters in Nuclear Engineering, a second master’s in health physics with a Ph.D. in nuclear Engineering. For the last 20 years, Dr. Usman has been involved in teaching, research and development efforts covering various aspect of nuclear engineering. He maintains an active research program in radiation measurements, natural convection/circulation, radiological engineering, proliferation deterrence, licensing and site evaluation for nuclear facilities. Dr. Usman has published over 60 papers, has given more than 60 conference papers and presentations. He has contributed a chapter on “Uranium-Plutonium Nuclear Fuel Cycle”.
Said Laasiri
Assistant Professor, Chemical & Biochemical Sciences (CBS), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Morocco
Title: Alternative Catalytic Materials for Sustainable Ammonia Production : Key role of heterogenous catalysis
Dr. Said Laassiri is an Assistant Professor in Heterogeneous Catalysis at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. His research focuses on the development of innovative catalytic materials to address global challenges in sustainable energy and environmental depollution. Currently, Dr. Laassiri work focuses in designing novel catalysts for ammonia production as a green energy carrier and converting CO2 into high-value-added products. His expertise includes the development of alternative materials such as MXenes, nitrides, carbides, and electrides, with applications spanning from oxidation reactions, methanation, to ammonia synthesis and decomposition. Additionally, his research explores the valorisation of large-scale waste materials to develop sustainable catalytic materials. Dr. Laassiri has authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications in the field of catalysis and material sciences. He has secured multiple industrial funding projects, in relation to catalysis and material sciences.
Ismael Saadoune
Full Professor, Applied Chemistry & Engineering Research Center of Excelence (ACER CoE), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Morocco
Title: Lithium-Ion Batteries: The Bottleneck to Achieving an Efficient Energy Transition and the Role of African Mineral Resources
Dr. Ismael Saadoune, a Full Professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, completed his academic journey with a French PhD from the University of Bordeaux in 1992 and a Moroccan PhD from the University Cadi Ayyad UCA-Marrakech in 1996. His dual doctoral pursuits centered on advancing Active Materials for Lithium and Sodium-ion Batteries, offering promising solutions for energy storage challenges.
In 2002, Dr. Saadoune established the Laboratory of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, where he mentored over 100 graduate and 40 Master students. Guiding the research endeavors of 25 PhD candidates, all now active in industry or research laboratories, Dr. Saadoune has left an indelible mark on academic and industrial landscapes.
As the principal investigator, he spearheaded 19 national and 23 international research projects on Battery Materials, demonstrating his commitment to advancing energy storage technologies. His contributions extend beyond academia, as he played pivotal roles in two European Master ERASMUS MUNDUS programs: ‘Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion’ and ‘Functionalized Advanced Materials and Engineering’. Currently, Dr. Saadoune leads the ‘Electrochemical Energy Storage & Conversion’ unit within ACER/UM6P.
Meriem Chaanaoui
Assistant Professor, Hassan 1st University, Morocco
Title: Solar Heat for Industrial Processes: Regional Context & Insights from The Phosphate Solar Drying Research Project
Dr. Meriem Chaanaoui is an Assistant Professor at Hassan 1st University (Morocco), where she delivers lectures on various topics related to energy and process engineering. She earned her Ph.D. in Solar Thermal Energy Systems in 2021 from the Mohammadia School of Engineering (Rabat, Morocco). Her research focuses on CSP technologies, including the development of the world’s first bench-scale parabolic trough solar dryer for phosphate sludge, and she has published several reference and impactful articles in this field.
Previously, she was an Assistant Professor at Euromed University of Fez, leading a project on industry decarbonization through solar energy use. She is also part of the leadership team of the “Women+ in Concentrated Solar” initiative.
Dr. Chaanaoui has collaborated with international research institutions and enjoys volunteering through lectures, workshops, and event organization to share knowledge and support her community.
Shantanu Roy
Executive Director, Professor, Indian Institute ofTechnology Delhi—Abu Dhabi (IITD-AD), AbuDhabi, UAE
Title: Some aspects of the EnergyTransition in the developing world
Professor Shantanu Roy is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at IIT Delhi, India, and currently serving as the first Executive Director of IIT Delhi – Abu Dhabi, UAE. Prof. Roy has a B.Tech. from IIT Delhi and M. S. and Ph. D. from Washington University in St. Louis, USA. His research focuses on multiphase reactor modeling, non-invasive imaging, and process intensification, particularly using radiotracers, for which he has served as an IAEA Technical Expert. He has collaborated extensively with the oil and gas industry on process optimization and decarbonization. Prof. Roy has over 100 publications, 6 patents, and numerous conference presentations, including invited keynotes. He has held significant administrative roles at IIT Delhi as Associate Dean and Dean Academics and has served as Institute Chair Professor. He has received several recognitions and awards and is a distinguished alumnus of Washington University. As the first Executive Director of IIT Delhi – Abu Dhabi, he has playing a pivotal role in its establishment.
Dr. Edward KP Bam
Assistant Professor, International Water Research Institute . IWRI/ UM6P
Title: Water-Energy-Climate Nexus: The Role of Isotopes
Dr. Edward Bam is a hydrogeochemist and isotope hydrologist specializing in the Water-Energy-Climate Nexus, with a particular focus on retaining freshwater in dams/wetlands for energy generation and agricultural production under climate change. As an Assistant Professor at IWRI-UM6P, his research integrates isotope tracers and geochemical modeling to assess water storage dynamics, evaporation losses, and groundwater-surface water interactions in reservoir systems.
His postdoctoral work at the University of Alberta examined mine impacts on water quality, while his research at the University of Saskatchewan focused on hydrological flux modeling in prairie landscapes. Previously, as a Research Scientist at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Dr. Bam applied nuclear and geochemical techniques to study soil-water interactions and hydrological processes.
His research informs strategies to optimize dam water retention and mitigate climate-induced variability in hydropower and irrigation systems, providing solutions for sustainable water resource management in arid and semi-arid regions.
Muhammed Lameen Abdul-Malik
Title: Leveraging Nuclear Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in Africa
Mr. Muhammed Lameen Abdul-Malik is a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, with over 25 years of experience in international management working in the UK Government, United Nations in nuclear science and technology, the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute, an International Saudi Think Tank and an entrepreneur. During his tenure at these organizations, he helped establish Zambia’s first cancer hospital, which treats about 1,500 cancer patients annually; developed a regional strategy to help Africa use nuclear science and technology to address its development challenges in health, food security and radiation safety; launched a unique global infectious diseases index to inform governments about their prevailing infectious diseases and has written papers on Morocco’s green hydrogen potential and how to use deep tech to develop an African economy. He runs his own boutique consultancy in Dubai, UAE and is also a Senior Advisor at Roland Berger, a European Strategic Consultancy.
Hanane AIT OUSALEH
Assistant Professor, Laboratory of Inorganic Materials for Sustainable Energy Technologies (LIMSET) – UM6P, Morocco
Title: Unlocking HT Green Hydrogen production: SOEC, Thermochemical Water Splitting, and High Heat Storage Integration
Bio will be availabe soon
Benj Conway
CEO and Co-founder of Zap Technology for Fusion Energy
Title: Round table discussion on the fusion energy outlook and Zap technological advancement
Bio will be availabe soon