Presentation of The Speakers

Join leading experts to explore energy, water sustainability and new technologies amidst global challenges and advancements.

SALAH ER-RAKI holds a PhD in agricultural water management from the Cadi Ayyad University. He is actually Professor at the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Cadi Ayyad University. His main research interests include the application of remotely sensed data in land-surface atmosphere models especially in arid semi-arid regions. He worked in several Funded European research projects (SUDMED, WATERMED, IRRIMED, PLEIADES, REC). He is an author and co-author of more than 40 per review publications and more than 100 papers in conferences and workshops. He serves also as an editorial board member and reviewer of several international scientific journals. He won the price of the Best Moroccan Researcher by the CLARIVATES (Web of Science)-CNRST in 2021.

BRENT CLOTHIER is a Principal Scientist with Plant & Food Research in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Brent was President of the New Zealand Royal Society Te Apārangi between 2021-2024. Brent has a BSc (Hons) from Canterbury University, and a PhD and DSc from Massey University. Brent is a Fellow of New Zealand Royal Society Te Apārangi. He is also a Fellow of four foreign science academies: the Soil Science Society of America; American Agronomy Society; American Geophysical Union, and Brent is an Academician (International) of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Brent was awarded a 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award. Brent has published scientific papers on the movement and fate of water, carbon and chemicals in the root–zones of primary production systems, irrigation allocation and water management, plus sustainable vineyard and orchard practices, including adaptation strategies in the face of climate change. He also published on life-cycle assessment, carbon and water footprinting, environmental policy, investment into ecological infrastructure, plus natural capital quantification and the valuation of ecosystem services. Brent is Editor-in-Chief of the highly-ranked international journal Agricultural Water Management. Brent has been or is still involved in water-related aid and development projects in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as in the Middle East, China, and Africa.

FATIMA-ZAHRA SEMLALI is an Assistant Professor in the Materials Science, Energy, and Nanoengineering (MSN) Department at UM6P University. She serves as the Scientific Manager of the Moroccan National Energy Transition Consortium (MNETC) and is the CEO of Enpact, a startup specializing in high-performance paper and packaging production. Her expertise lies in polymeric materials for multifunctional applications, with a strong focus on composite materials, lignocellulosic fibers, Industrial by-product valorization, materials characterization, and mechanical modeling. She earned her PhD in Mechanics and Materials Science, where she focused on developing innovative (bio)polymeric materials tailored for energy-related applications, particularly in hydrogen production and utilization. With a multidisciplinary background in polymer science, she addresses challenges in membrane development for clean energy technologies, including fuel cells and water electrolyzers. Throughout her scientific career, she has authored more than 40 scientific papers, contributed to 35 book chapters, and secured five patents. She has also played a key role in over 15 scientific projects.

KHALID NOUNEH is a Professor of Physical Sciences and the Head of the ENERGY Platform at the Innovation City of the University of Kénitra. He is affiliated to the Physics Department of the Faculty of Sciences at Ibn Tofail University Kénitra and leads the Nanomaterials and Application MANA team. He has extensive experience in renewable energy, having worked as a permanent researcher at MASCIR and a postdoctoral researcher at Kyoto University (Japan). He holds a Doctorate in Engineering Sciences from the University of Perpignan (France) and has published 110 articles in international journals. In addition to his academic roles, Khalid NOUNEH coordinates the specialized Master's program in Renewable Energies and Green Hydrogen and serves as the President of the Moroccan Association of Advanced Materials (A2MA). He has organized several international conferences, including AFMOLPHA’2022 and ICOIPRE 2018, and has participated in various research projects such as the PHC Toubkal 21/145 and APPHOS TRT-NAJ/20171. Khalid NOUNEH is also actively involved in teaching and mentoring. He teaches courses and supervises projects in Optics, Photovoltaic Systems, and Nanomaterials at the Faculty of Sciences in Kénitra. His contributions to the field of renewable energy and nanomaterials have earned him recognition, including the gold medal in Physics at UIT Kénitra and being listed among the top 3% of scientists in the AD Scientific Index1.

FOUAD ERCHIQUI is a full professor at the School of Engineering at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT). He obtained his degree in physics at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and a doctorate in mechanical engineering at Laval University (1996), with a specialization in fluid-structure interaction modeling. From 1996 to 2000, he acquired industrial experience in plastics processing at the Institute of Industrial Materials of the National Research Council of Canada. He is the initiator of two laboratories at UQAT: Biomaterials and Bio-plastics. His main areas of research are related to bio-composites, bio-plastics and multiphysical modeling. He has more than 350 scientific contributions to his credit. His research experience has resulted in several applied research grants. He has received several national and international invitations for conferences or as a visiting professor (Brazil, USA, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Morocco, France, Tunisia, Algeria, Senegal, etc.). He has contributed to the training of more than 18 doctoral students (graduates), 30 master’s degrees (graduates) and supervised more than 30 interns (national and international).