Speakers
Ahmed Ghoniem is the Ronald C. Crane Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Director of the Center for Energy and Propulsion Research and the Reacting Gas Dynamics Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree from Cairo University, and Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. His research covers computational engineering, turbulence and combustion, multiphase flow, clean energy technologies with focus on CO2 capture, renewable energy and fuels. He published more than 500 articles in leading journals and conferences; and consulted for the aerospace, automotive and energy industry. He is fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineer, the American Physical Society, the Combustion Institute, and associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He received several awards including the ASME James Harry Potter Award in Thermodynamics, the AIAA Propellant and Combustion Award, the KAUST Investigator Award and the “Committed to Caring Professor” at MIT.
Attab Haddad is an oud player and composer who has worked within music, theatre, dance, film and advertising. His work has aired on European, Arabic and Turkish channels and he has composed music for various mediums from advertising to theatre and dance productions. His playing has featured on independent cinema and Hollywood productions and he has performed in the UK, Europe, Middle East, USA, and India as bandleader and band member. He has collaborated with artists in many genres as composer, producer and performer, and continues to lead his band the Attab Haddad Ensemble which released its debut album, Days Distinctive to critical acclaim. YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/attabhaddad
An architect and engineer by training, Professor Carlo Ratti teaches at MIT, where he directs the Senseable City Laboratory, and is a founding partner of the international design and innovation practice Carlo Ratti Associati. A leading voice in the debate on new technologies’ impact on urban life, his work has been exhibited in several venues worldwide, including the Venice Biennale, New York’s MoMA, London’s Science Museum, and Barcelona’s Design Museum. Two of his projects – the Digital Water Pavilion and the Copenhagen Wheel – were hailed by Time Magazine as ‘Best Inventions of the Year’. He has been included in Wired Magazine’s ‘Smart List: 50 people who will change the world’. He is currently serving as co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cities and Urbanization, and as special advisor on Urban Innovation to the European Commission.
Prof. Derya Baran, originally from Turkey, received her BS and MS degrees from Chemistry Department at Middle East Technical University in 2008 and 2010, respectively and doctorate degree from Friedrich-Alexander Erlangen-Nürnberg University in Materials Science and Engineering in 2014. She then received the Helmholtz Association postdoc grant and pursued joint post-doctoral studies at Jülich Research Center (Germany) and Imperial Collage London (UK). Since January 2017, she is a faculty at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). As of 2021 she is an Associate professor in Material Science and Engineering Program. Her research group (OMEGALAB) focus on the engineering smart materials for printed energy harvesting applications and integrated electronics. She is selected for MIT Technology Review’s 2018 list of ‘35 Innovators under 35’ and selected as ‘Talented 12’ in Chemistry given by ACS C&EN. She is co-founder of two start-up companies on ‘advanced sustainable desert greenhouses’ and ‘antimicrobial additives’. She strives to be a role model with her research and research ethics to younger generations. She is a member of Global Young Academy since 2020.
Professor Husam N. Alshareef's research focuses on material science and engineering. His research interests are in Emerging Electronics, Energy Harvesting, and Energy Storage. Current projects include development of nanomaterials (particularly oxides) for supercapacitors and Li-ion batteries, thermoelectric power generation, flexible and transparent electronics.
Jeff Shamma is the Director of the new KAUST initiative “Center of Excellence for NEOM Research at KAUST." Professor Shamma joined KAUST in 2014 and is currently the program chair of Electrical Engineering in the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering Division at KAUST and the director of the Robotics, Intelligent Systems & Control lab (RISC). Shamma is the former Julian T. Hightower Chair in Systems & Control in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech, and he has held faculty positions at the University of Minnesota, The University of Texas at Austin, and the University of California, Los Angeles. Professor Shamma received a Ph.D. in systems science and engineering from MIT in 1988. He is the recipient of an NSF Young Investigator Award, the American Automatic Control Council Donald P. Eckman Award, and the Mohammed Dahleh Award.
Kamal Youcef-Toumi is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering Department at MIT. He is Co-Director of the Center for Complex Engineering Systems at KACST and MIT, and Director of the Ibn Khaldun Fellowship program for Saudi Women. His M.S. and Sc.D. degrees are from MIT. Youcef-Toumi's research focuses on design, modeling, simulation, instrumentation, and control theory with applications to manufacturing, robotics, automation, and metrology. He made significant contributions to MIT international research and education collaborations, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore. Professor Youcef-Toumi is the recipient of the National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator award from President Ronald Reagan. He served on many professional committees and as a consultant for multinationals. He is an IEEE member and an ASME Fellow. He served as Editor of several symposia/conference proceedings. He is author of over 320 publications, and about 50 registered/pending patents. He was invited to lecture at over 200 seminars worldwide.
Keith Martin is the Chief Development Officer at NEOM. He is responsible for planning and delivery of mega projects & regional development zones within NEOM. The NEOM regional developments will provide a significant catalyst for transformation with next generation Smart Cities. Keith is a highly motivated and dependable project leader and development advisor, with an extensive proven track record of successful project execution; investments, origination, delivery, infrastructure, major projects, public private partnerships, urbanisation, and real estate developments.
Khaled Alrashed is President & CEO at Saudi Electricity Company for Projects Development. He is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the utilitiesindustry. Strong business development professional skilled in Energy, Power Generation,Engineering, Project Engineering, and Commissioning.
Marie-Laure Boulot is the Enrichment Office director at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). She sets strategies, oversees program development and positions KAUST's enrichment programs in Saudi Arabia and in the international landscape. She graduated from Paris Dauphine University where she studied finances and marketing. Marie-Laure joined KAUST as a founding staff member in 2009. Starting with the inaugural 2010 Winter Enrichment Program, Marie-Laure has successfully spearheaded the development and expansion of the University's enrichment programs that expand the minds of not only students but also faculty, staff and community members and in-Kingdom guests.
Muna has over 17 years of international experience in mechanical engineering, sustainability, energy management and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) projects in UAE, Jordan and Canada. Muna joined KAUST three years ago after working at Associated Engineering in Vancouver, BC. In addition to her role as a Head of Sustainability programs in water, energy, waste management and community engagement, she is a member of KAUST Sustainability Committee and the Green House Gases (GHG) Sub-Committee. Both are advisory committees to the University Executive Vice President of Administration for setting KAUST sustainability targets and action plans.
Myraida Rivera, AIA is a licensed architect, civil engineer, project manager, and design consultant. Prior to co-founding d.heritage2tech she worked in pharmaceutical, commercial, residential, and product design projects. At KAUST, she co-founded its Makerspace (currently ProtoLab) and recently instructed KAUST’s first FabAcademy. Myraida received an undergraduate degree in Environmental Design and graduate degrees in Architecture from the University of Puerto Rico and Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering and Management from Stanford University.
Omar Knio is a Professor in the Applied Mathematics and Computational Science Department at KAUST. He is also the Deputy Director of Strategic Research Initiative, Uncertainty Quantification Center. Professor Knio obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Beirut in 1984 and his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, as well, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1990. Professor Knio is a member of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics and the American Physical Society and was awarded the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Award, Humboldt Foundation in 2003.
Tarek A. Fadaak is a member of the Shura Council since 2009 and Adjunct Associate Professor of urban planning at King Abdul Aziz University. He is a Board Member at Okaz Establishment for press and publications, former visiting scholar and research fellow at Harvard University. Professor Fadaak is a school of design graduate and he is a perennial science student, pilot, and writer.
