Professor Stow is a leading sedimentologist, geologist and oceanographer of international standing with an extensive record of scientific publications, including over 200 scientific papers and reports, numerous books and edited volumes. He specialises in the deep sea and on deep-sea deposits now thrown up onto land. In pursuing this scientific quest he has sailed on all the world's major oceans, visited or worked in more than 50 countries and lectured extensively throughout the world. He has worked in and with the oil industry, particularly in their ongoing quest for deep-sea oil and gas and on new and tight reservoir targets; led a major international mission for scientific drilling into the deep Indian Ocean seafloor; and is currently co-chief scientist for IODP Leg 339 on Mediterranean Outflow research. He also maintains strong interest in the field of geoscience and development, with recent visits to Indian Kashmir, Assam and Sri Lanka, concerning hazard mitigation, geoscience education and marine management. His enthusiasm for the popularisation of ocean and earth sciences is expressed through lectures, writing and broadcast, including his recent books Oceans: An Illustrated Reference (2004) and Vanished Ocean (OUP, 2010). He is currently Director of Research and Professor of Petroleum Geoscience at the Institute of Petroleum Engineering, Heriot Watt University, and Director of the Edinburgh Collaborative of Subsurface Science and Engineering (ECOSSE). Employment 2008-present: ECOSSE Chair & Professor, Heriot-Watt University; Director of Research, Institute of Petroleum Engineering 1989-2008: Professor Ocean & Earth Science (from 2000), previously Reader, and Head of Academic Studies, School of Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton University 2006: Visiting Professor, Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia, Malaga, Spain; Spanish Misitry of Education and Science, Mobility Award. 1998-2000: Royal Society Industrial Research Fellow, BP, Sunbury; working within the Deepwater Research team 1984-1989: Lecturer then Reader, Nottingham University 1984: Associate Professor, Bordeaux University, France 1980-1984: Royal Society of Edinburgh Research Fellow (1982-84); NERC Research Fellow (1980-82), Edinburgh University 1977-1980: Exploration Geologist then Senior Sedimentologist, British National Oil Corporation (Britoil), Glasgow Education and awards 1977: PhD Marine Geology, Dalhousie University, Canada 1976: MA Cambridge University, UK 1974: BA Natural Science Tripos, Cambridge University, UK Royal Society Industrial Research Fellowship National Teaching Fellowship Geological Society William Smith Award Royal Society of Edinburgh Research Fellowship Natural Environmental Research Council Research Fellowship Royal Society John Murray Travelling Fellowship Dalhousie Postgraduate Fellowship Commonwealth Scholarship Exhibition, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Royal Institution Australian Science Scholarship.
Professor Dr Ahmad Zuhairi Abdullah is currently the Deputy Dean (Research, Postgraduate & Network) at School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia. He received his PhD from Universiti Sains Malaysia in PhD (2004) in the field of chemical engineering. His research works mostly encompass the use of novel functionalized nanoporous materials as catalysts in oleochemical conversions, waste treatment, green technology and production of renewable energy sources. He is among the pioneer researchers in the world to focus on the use of ultrasound to accelerate heterogeneous catalytic processes. He is the recipient of several innovation and publication awards based on his research works. His research expertise is often sought after for the assessment of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports on proposed strategic commercial projects such as oil refinery, petrochemical complex, sanitary landfill, smelting plant, used acid lead battery, paper mill etc. Various industrial problems have been successfully solved through his consultancy projects. He has been involved in the propagation of science and technology through more than 200 refereed publications in journals and book chapters mainly as the main author, and also involves as a technical committee member to nearly 100 international scientific conferences held across the globe. Many invitations on various roles have also been received to share his research experience with government officers, research scientists, junior researchers and school children. The objectives of the events vary from the latest development in nanoporous materials research, critical research skills, understanding science, promotion of sustainability, community awareness, carrier development to the understanding of policy and regulatory aspects. He is an academic external assessor to UniMAP and UniKL-MICET for their undergraduate and doctoral program, respectively. He also acts as an article reviewer to more than 100 different leading international journals in his area of expertise. In addition, he is an evaluator to research proposals received from the university, local ministries as well as international scientific associations in the USA, Oman, Qatar and Chile. He is one of the recipients of the Top Research Scientist Malaysia 2014 award. His h-index (Scopus) currently stands at 39..
Prof. Fawzi Banat, The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Dr. Fawzi Banat is currently the Chair of Chemical Engineering Department and Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Petroleum Institute (PI) in Abu Dhabi. During his profession, Dr. Banat served as a Department Chair and Dean of Research at Jordan University of Science and Technology, Dean of Graduate Studies and Acting Dean of Natural Resources Engineering & Management at the German-Jordanian University.
His main research interest is in the area of Membrane Desalination, Water Treatment, Gas Treatment and Foaming. Much of his research in membrane distillation emphasized the development and evolution of the process. He also conducts general research in the area of thermodynamics, multicomponent mass transfer, and renewable energy.
Dr. Banat reported his research in numerous publications and received support for research projects from different sources. In recognition of his research, he received several awards. Lately, he was awarded Khalifa Award for Education, Higher Education within the UAE and the Arab world, Distinguished University Professor in the Field of Scientific Research 2013/2014 edition.
Dr. Banat taught a wide variety of courses, which include mass transfer, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, transport phenomena, thermodynamics, water and wastewater treatment, air pollution, reaction engineering, and process dynamics and control.
Dr. Banat is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE). He has been active on many university committees and external boards. Furthermore, he was involved in scientific committees of many international conferences.
His main research interest is in the area of Membrane Desalination, Water Treatment, Gas Treatment and Foaming. Much of his research in membrane distillation emphasized the development and evolution of the process. He also conducts general research in the area of thermodynamics, multicomponent mass transfer, and renewable energy.
Prof. Hamid A. Al-Megren, Institute at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Saudi Arabia
Prof. Hamid A. Al-Megren obtained his BSc in Chemistry in 1987 and an MSc in Physical Chemistry in 1992 from the King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and his D.Phil. in Inorganic Chemistry in 2002 from the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, UK. Since 2008 he has been Director of the Petrochemical Research Institute at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He has more than 25 years of research experience in the petrochemical and catalysis reaction. Prof. Al-Megren started his career as a Scientific Researcher at KACST in 1987, then a researcher at the Saudi Arabian Basic Industry Company (SABIC, R&D), moving his way up to become the Manager of Refining and Petrochemicals Division at KACST, then Director of Petrochemical Research Institute, then Coordinator of the Materials and Nanotechnology Sector, ultimately attaining his current role of Assistant Director for Scientific Affairs in Material Research Institute (Sector). His research interests have included hydrotreatment reactions, isomerisation reactions, new mesoporous materials preparation, carbide, nitride, and sulfide catalysts. Prof. Al-Megren has authored and co-authored more than 52 publications in his research field. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Applied Petrochemical Research and Editor of the book Advances in Natural Gas Technology.