Committee

Dr Nazmi Sellami is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Edinburgh Napier University. His research is rooted in renewable energy systems, with a special focus on solar energy, including the characterisation and design of thermal and photovoltaic solar devices for various types of applications, especially for building integration. Dr Sellami has worked on various multidisciplinary projects, including quantifying and monitoring potential ecosystem impacts of geological carbon storage and scalable solar thermoelectric and photovoltaics. 

Dr Firdaus Muhammad Sukki (PhD, CEng, MIET, ACGI) is a lecturer at the School of Engineering and Built Environment, Edinburgh Napier University. His research interest is in the area of renewable energy technology and policies and sustainable resources. He has secured multiple grants from the UK and international funding agencies such as Innovate UK, Scottish Institute for Remanufacturing (SIR), Scottish Funding Council, British Council – Newton Fund, Chilean Research Council (CONICYT), Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia etc. He also carried out a number of non-technical research including market trend and financial analysis related to renewable technologies for various countries. He has published numerous articles in high impact factor journals (e.g. Nature, Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, Applied Energy, etc.), as well as presenting in various conferences related to his area. Prior to joining the academia, he was a communication engineer in Malaysia’s largest telecommunication company.

Dr Pablo Jaen Sola is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering in the School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment at Edinburgh Napier University. Pablo received his PhD in 2017 from the UK EPSRC Wind and Marine Doctoral Training Centre and worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Wind Energy Research Group of the University of Strathclyde for two years before joining Napier. His research is centred on wind and marine energy engineering with a focus on powertrain optimisation and design. Other areas of interest include sustainable ocean engineering and the use of advanced materials and manufacturing techniques in the design of renewable energy applications

Dr Mehdi Nazarinia is a Professor of Fluid Mechanics and Renewable Energy at Heriot-Watt University (HWU), Dubai. He is specialised in experimental fluid dynamics and aerodynamics of vehicles such as ground transportation systems, vehicles, airplane wing and winglets, and wind turbines. He finished his PhD in Fluid Mechanics in 2010. He is a Fellow of IMechE (FIMechE) and Chartered Engineer (CEng) and has SFHEA. He is the Director of Academic Quality for the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences and has already served as Associate Director of Learning and Teaching, Mechanical Engineering Programme Director of Studies, and IMechE Student Chapter Academic Liaison Officer. He has published in more than 70 reputable journals and peer reviewed conferences.

Professor Nazarinia’s renewable research expands over a wider range of topics, he has for example worked on design of solar tracking control mechanism, design of solar concentrated photovoltaic receiver, wind turbine siting over a forward-facing step, design of a solar waste compactor, design of solar pumping for irrigation lines and swimming pools, and helical coil solar thermal receiver for low-cost solar collection rig. He also has supervised master and undergraduate research students in projects in HVAC and building services in collaboration with Industrial companies such as Daikin, Trox, Burohappold, Desert Group, Wilo, Green Solutions and many more. Some of the project titles are: Effective U-value of wall assemblies, Experimental investigation of building air tightness, Post construction testing of building envelope: Significance of in-situ U-value measurements for wall assemblies, Indoor/Outdoor Air Exchange – Balancing Energy, Building Comfort and Health Issues in Extreme Climate, Sustainable Master Planning of Communities, Zero Energy Villa, District Cooling Studies, Earth based Construction, and recently assessing the power consumption data of inverter and non-inverter air conditioners.

Dr Elham Tolouei obtained a PhD in Mechanical Engineering–Biomechanics, from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia on 2012. She received Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Aerodynamics and Aerospace Engineering, respectively, from Tehran Polytechnique University.

Dr Elham has worked in the Faculty of Engineering in Emirates Aviation University (EAU) since 2015 as an assistant Professor. She is programme coordinator of Bachelor and Master programmes. Prior joining to EAU, Dr Elham worked as a teaching assistant and a laboratory demonstrator in Fluids Laboratory for Aeronautical and Industrial Research (FLAIR) groups, Monash University. She worked as a supervisor in Bio and Wind Tunnel labs to manage and supervise all laboratory activities to assist faculties and teaching subjects and to perform experimental research. She also worked as a Senior Wind Engineer in MEL Consultants Pty Ltd (MEL). MEL was located at Monash university and using Aerospace and Mechanical department’s wind tunnel to investigate the flow around highrise buildings for industrial projects.

Dr Elham also worked as a senior research engineer in Aerospace Research Institute on multiple research projects in Aerodynamics and Simulation areas. Such as developing a method to convert a twin-engine aircraft into a flying research laboratory.

Dr Elham is currently an Associate Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE).

Dr Mehreen Gul is an Assistant Professor in Architectural Engineering in the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society at HWU. Her key expertise is in solar radiation modelling, energy yield enhancement and characterisation of photovoltaics (PV) and stakeholder engagement. She is the principal Investigator of the recent UKERC WSNF phase 4 funded project, PI- ETP studentship co-funded by Industry (Wood Group) and was the PI on Bifacial PV characterisation, Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellowship (IF\192065). This led her to develop the first Scottish state-of-the-art solar radiation monitoring station and bifacial PV characterisation facility at HWU. Gul has significant experience as a Co-Investigator on projects funded through GCRF Scottish Funding Council, Climate Exchange and EPSRC. She is a contributor of Chartered Institution of Building services and Engineers (CIBSE) Guides J and A and the lead guest editor for MDPI Energies journal Special Issues and has led three to successful completion on renewable technologies, sustainable energy and transport. She was awarded the CIBSE Napier Shaw Bronze Medal for best paper on a new approach for estimating solar diffuse irradiance. 

Leonardo Micheli is an Assistant Professor in Sustainable Energy at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. He earned his Ph.D. in Renewable Energy from the University of Exeter (UK) in 2015. His primary research revolves around the analysis, modeling, and optimization of photovoltaic (PV) systems, with a specific focus on mitigating PV losses, particularly those caused by soiling. In recent years, he has delved into the techno-economic aspects of floating PV installations. He also serves as an expert in the IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) Task 13 on Reliability and Performance. Currently, he leads the “Sole4PV” project, funded by the Italian Ministry for University and Research as part of the 2019 “Rita Levi Montalcini” program. 

Dr Sendhil Kumar Natarajan, is working as an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Dean (Research and Consultancy), NIT Puducherry. He did B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering and M.Tech., in Energy Technology in Pondicherry Engineering College in the year of 2001 and 2003. Later, he joined as a Research scholar, at IIT Madras, under Half Time Teaching and Research Assistantship (HTRA Scheme – Full time), MHRD scholarship and obtained his Ph.D in area of solar energy in the year of 2008. After his Ph.D., he joined as Senior R&D Engineer, at CSEM-UAE, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. Later, he joined as a Post Doctoral Research Fellowship at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom under European Union Project. He got young faculty award and outstanding researcher award in the field of Solar Thermal. He received Best Researcher Award from NIT Puducherry for the year of 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021 and 2021- 2022. He established Department of Mechanical Engineering at NIT Puducherry and served as Head of the Department, for Department of Mechanical Engineering from 2016 to 2021. He was listed as a top 2% scientists in the world – released by Elsevier / Stanford University, USA, on October 2023. 

Dr. Kamyab Givaki is an Associate HVDC Engineer who started his career as a researcher at the Centre for Doctoral Training in Power Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, where he researched the integration of large HVDC-connected offshore wind farms to weak networks. He then joined Glasgow Caledonian University as a Lecturer in Electrical Power Engineering, focusing on teaching and research in various power engineering topics. Kamyab then joined the University of Strathclyde as a Research Fellow to research wind energy integration. He then moved to Edinburgh Napier University as a Lecturer in Power Engineering, where he was responsible for research on HVDC, wind energy, and grid integration. Kamyab has supervised several undergraduate and postgraduate (MSc and PhD) students.

Dr. Givaki joined SSE Networks Transmission as an HVDC Project and Operation Engineer to work on the Shetland HVDC project, which is the first multi-terminal HVDC system in Europe. He was involved in many aspects of the project, including but not limited to design reviews, factory and site acceptance testing, factory system testing, development of OIT and ANM systems, and commissioning coordination. He was also involved in the development of ITT documentation for a portfolio of HVDC projects within the SSEN license area.

Kamyab then joined SSE Renewables as the HVDC Specialist for Offshore Wind Projects. He was responsible for leading the development of HVDC Specifications for a portfolio of HVDC projects for offshore wind farms and the HVDC Package across SSER’s portfolio of offshore wind farms. Dr. Givaki then joined WSP as an Associate HVDC Engineer to work on various offshore wind and HVDC projects.

Dr Sheikh Islam is the Associate Dean for Academic Development and Student Experience in the School of Engineering, RGU with over 10 years’ experience in academia and industry. Dr Islam gained his PhD from Robert Gordon University through research on computational fluid dynamics modelling of Proton exchange membrane fuel cell. His research interests include PEM fuel cell modelling, Vertical axis wind turbines design, multi-phase flow and heat transfer analysis for industrial applications. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). He has authored/co-authored over 50 peer reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings. 

Dr Romans Kazacocks has 10 years of experience with wind turbines. He is currently working as a Senior Engineer at a Renewable Energy Certification Department in DNV, in Hamburgh (Germany).

Previously he worked as a load engineer in Vestas and as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Wind Energy Research Group at Strathclyde University. He holds a Ph.D. in Wind Energy Systems from the UK EPSRC DTC in Wind and Marine Energy Systems. Additionally, he completed a Bachelor and a Masters degree in the Universities of Bradford and Swansea, respectively.

Dr Nurfadzilah Ahmad, Head of Strategic and Corporate at Solar Research Institute (SRI), Universiti Technology MARA (UiTM), specializes in nanomaterial and solar technology, collaborating on advancing Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) and Graphene Anti-Reflective Coating Solar Cell technology for a significant project in Gambang, Pahang. She actively engages in renewable energy and climate change projects, securing a UNESCO grant for women empowerment in Renewable Energy and leading the Climate Smart and Disaster Resilient ASEAN (CSDRA) Conference. Additionally, she spearheads initiatives merging science and diplomacy for climate-resilient capacities, organizing conferences like ASEAN Science Diplomats Assembly (SDA) with key partnerships. Dr. Ahmad’s commitment to engineering education involves leadership roles in IEEE conferences and collaborations developing innovative energy systems. She co-led the 2022 Pacific Energy Summit (PES), addressing climate change and contributing to diverse programs focusing on Energy Resilience Assessment in Asia. Her research interests cover Nanotechnology Solar Cell, Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Power System Engineering, supported by an extensive publication record.

Dr Nurul Aini Bani is a senior lecturer in the Razak Faculty of Technology and Informatics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Kuala Lumpur. She received her M.Eng degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Southampton, UK in 2006 where she received two academic awards for outstanding academic performance. She received her PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). Her research interests include polymeric insulation material, space charge measurement, high voltage cable, renewable energy, rural technology and rehabilitation engineering. Her current work concentrates on developing low cost renewable energy system for rural and remote area, namely solar concentrator and saltwater battery. She also currently works on the development of an IoT system for monitoring health status especially for post stroke and post brain injury patient. She has authored and co-authored several papers in various technical and high impact factor journals as well as conference proceedings. She is also actively involves in many community programs.

Dr Wan Abd Al Qadr Imad Wan-Mohtar is a senior lecturer and fermentation technologist at the University of Malaya’s Functional Omics and Bioprocess Development Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Institute of Biological Sciences. Prof Brian McNeil, a fungal fermentation expert, and Prof Linda Harvey, the author of Practical Fermentation Technology (John Wiley & Sons), supervised him at Glasgow’s Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences. Dr Wan-Mohtar’s research focuses on extended liquid fermentation and mushroom microbiology, and his qualifications include a BSc in Microbiology (Local Basidiomycetes), and an MSc in Food Biotechnology (Bioprocessing), and a PhD in Fermentation Technology (Ganoderma lucidum). He uses his experience in mushroom liquid growing to increase the availability of the natural therapeutic component G. lucidum, hence boosting health and well-being. His improvement of extended batch fermentation and sulfated glucan from G. lucidum mycelium opens up possibilities for using ‘’quad-functional” sulfated glucan to replace single-function synthetic medicines. After years of experience in research, assessment, teaching, and administration in both laboratories and educational institutions, he came up with this concept. In Morocco 2019 ‘’Innovative, sustainable, and circular agricultural systems for the future” employing mushrooms, he represented Malaysia among nineteen world scientists on food security post-2050. At the age of 36, he has 87 high-quality research articles and has been recruited as a Visiting Research Fellow at Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest in Ireland till 2024. He also has been selected as a member of the Young Scientist Network (YSN)-Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) till 2024, Asian Federation of Biotechnology Malaysia (2023-2024), Fellow for Solar Research Institute (SRI) UiTM,  and Research Fellow for CESPRO UKM (2021-2023). He has recently written a chapter in a book on Cultivation Strategies of Medicinal Mushrooms in Submerged-liquid Fermentation (SLF) under Taylor and Francis.