Brooks MARMON

Brooks MARMON is an International affairs professional specializing in higher education and good governance. Braced with his excellent writing and project management skills, he is also an experienced event planner. He has extensive experience in West and Southern Africa and a passion for African affairs. Well-versed in USAID procurement regulations, he also founded the first blog on African affairs and culture in Washington DC. He is currently advancing accountability and integrity in Liberia and beyond.

Celso Monjane

Celso Marcos MONJANE from Instituto Superior de Administracão Pública. Celso Marcos Monjane is a lecturer at Higher Institute of Public Administration (ISAP). He received his Post Graduation in “Governance and Public Administration” from Eduardo Mondlane University. In addition to teaching, his experience at ISAP includes works in capacity building programs of high ranked government officials and bureaucrats at grass root level. Self-compromised in sharing his academic views, Celso has been engaged in publications of his theoretical and empirical claims. His recent publications include “Gender Equality: where does the rhetoric begins and when it turns into reality (2014)” and “Human Resource Management Book: A conceptual and Practical Approach” (2014).  Additionally, mostly working in the field of Political Economy, he has been engaged in research activities where the current research is on “distributive politics”, with a focus on extractive industry. He has also successfully collaborated with MAP Consulting, a respected Governance, Development and Management Consulting firm, where researches and consultancies activities has been undertaken.

Katherine HUDAK

Katherine HUDAK is currently a researcher for Kaiser Economic Development Partners, an economic research and strategy consultancy based in South Africa. At Kaiser, she has worked on a variety of projects, including a recent World Bank initiative to increase local procurement in the mining industry in West Africa. Prior to this, Hudak was an associate with The Tony Elumelu Foundation, where she worked with the newly formed National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria to devise a plan for a new sub-national competitiveness index. Hudak holds a bachelor’s degree in French and business from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a master’s of business administration in finance and healthcare management from The Johns Hopkins University.

Philippe DELLEUR

Philippe DELLEUR is Senior Vice President, Public Affairs in Alstom. Between 2011 and 2015 he was SVP, International Network and President of Alstom International. He joined Alstom in 2006 as Senior Vice President South Europe-Africa- Middle East, then SVP Latin America and President of Alstom Brazil. Before joining Alstom he worked in the French Ministry of Economy and Finances for 23 years, notably as Managing Director of the Public Procurement Agency, Deputy Secretary of Trade and member of staff of the Minister of Economy and Finance, Michel Sapin. He is a graduate of the ENA (French National School of Administration), Sciences Po Paris and holds a Law Degree.

Dominique LAFONT

Dominique LAFONT, born on March 29, 1961, is a French corporate leader. Dominique Lafont holds degrees from Paris’ IEP Institute of Political Science, the ESSEC Business School and a University degree in business law. In 2006, he became the Managing Director for Africa in the Bolloré Group. On January 1, 2012, he was named President of Bolloré Africa Logistics, the Group subsidiary combining all of the Group’s infrastructure and logistic activities both within Africa and outside the continent, across the major emerging countries trading with Africa. Mr. Lafont began his professional career in 1987 with the Arthur Andersen audit firm. In 1995, he worked as the Director of Industrial Participations of the Rivaud Group, before joining the Bolloré Group following its friendly takeover of the Rivaud Group in 1997. KKR, a leading global investment firm, announced in 2015, his appointment as a Senior Advisor to the firm.

Thierry DE MARGERIE

Thierry DE MARGERIE joined Alstom in 1995. Based in Paris, Hong-Kong, and Morocco, Thierry de Margerie is presently the Vice President of Alstom International for Africa. From 1980 to 1995, he was a part of LEROY-SOMER (EMERSON Electric Group) as the industrial plant and industrial division general manager, serving in the business of electric motors and generators. A Consultant at the “Délégation à l’Aménagement du Territoire” (France) from 1976 to 1980 he advised small and medium size companies willing to develop in rural regions. From 1974 to 1976, he was a part of the French Entrepreneurs Association (CNPF, Paris) as a junior advisor for housing and regional development policies. Thierry de Margerie is a graduate from Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, and from Paris University (Economics) (1967-1972). He also served in the French army (Cavalry) as a junior officer.

Bruno WEYMULLER

Bruno Weymuller has been Executive Vice President at Total, member of the Executive Committee (2000-2008) in charge of Strategy and Risk Assessment. After joining Elf Aquitaine group in 1981 he has held various management positions in the upstream division both in France and abroad, and has been Chief Financial Officer from 1994 to 2000. He has begun his career in the French civil service at the Ministry for Industry from 1972 to 1978. He joined the Prime Minister Raymond Barre’s cabinet from 1978 to 1981.

He is presently director in the board of the French Energy Council. He is a professor at « L’Institut Français du Pétrole et des Énergies Nouvelles. » and a member of Total Professors Associates. He works on the economics of energy and on the interactions between energy and environment. Bruno Weymuller is an alumnus from the École Polytechnique. He is also a graduate of the École des Mines in Paris. He holds a Master of Science of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Harkness Fellow).

Astria FATAKI

Astria FATAKI is franco-congolese graduate of Sciences Po Paris (2015). After 3 years of experience working on Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in the Energy sector in the Sahel region of Africa she founded her own consulting company called Isis development specialized in PPP projects in Energy, Education and Health in Africa.

Oum Kalthoum BEN HASSINE

Oum Kalthoum BEN HASSINE is a Professor of Biology at the University of Tunis, Founder and Director of the Research Unit of Biology, Ecology and Parasitology of Aquatic Organisms which consists of 55 researchers and PhD students. Oum Kalthoum holds a Scientific Baccalaureate, License in Natural Sciences, Advanced Studies Diploma in Marine Biology and Oceanography, Doctorat of specialty in Marine Biology and Oceanography and «Doctorat d’Etat ès Sciences». She is the author of many publications in international scientific journals and of many presentations at national, regional and international congresses. Oum Kalthoum has supervised many Masters and PhD students, is a member of numerous commissions on scientific research, agriculture, sustainable development & women in sciences. She is the Founder and coordinator of Masters in “Integrative Biology of Coastal Ecosystems, Founder and the first President of the Tunisian association “Women and Sciences”, member of several international research networks and training such as GRACE, OWSD and Network for the training of women trainers in the Mediterranean basin in the field of science and biotechnology. Oum Kalthoum received the “Mérite de l’Education et des Sciences” awards in 2000 and 2008, and the Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Volunteer Services by the United Nations in 2001. She is also a member of the European Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters and Awarded the «Emeritus Honor Diploma» of the Academy in 2013. In 2016, she received the Rammal Medal 2015.

Kiss Brian ABRAHAM

Kiss Brian ABRAHAM is a Zambian civil society social change activist. He is actively involved in the development of the Zambia Social Forum process. (The goal of the forum is to create a space for meaningful debate and alternative thinking). He is a member of the Media Institute of Southern Africa and sits on the Africa Social Forum Council. He is the project coordinator of GRACE. The GRACE Zambia Research on Mobile Cellular Phone Service Provision and the Advancement of Women in Zambia is a sub project of the overall Gender Research in Africa into ICT for Empowerment. The Zambia project explores the processes involved in the provision of Mobile cellular phone services, examines the roles of key players and explores the social, economic, and cultural effects of the service on the country with a specific focus on the status of women.

Arwa OWEIS

Arwa OWEIS is currently a WHO regional adviser for nursing and midwifery and allied health personal. Prof. Oweis earned a bachelor degree in nursing from the Yarmouk University in Jordan, in 1987 and joined the faculty of nursing at Jordan University of Science and Technology as a teaching assistant. In 1991 earned her master degree in nursing from University of Alabama in Birmingham, USA. In 2001 she earned the Doctorate degree in nursing science from Widener University, USA. In 2006 she was promoted to an associate professor and in 2013 she became a professor of nursing. Prof. Oweis has provided leadership in various areas in nursing and women’s health as well as in the professional development of nursing at the local, regional and international levels. She is a consultant for different national and international organizations including the WHO, the National Council for Family Affairs, the Jordanian Council, the Higher Population Council and the national women’s health center. Prof. Oweis has several locally, and internationally funded research projects among which is the research project entitled “Leadership among Jordanian Women in Administrative Positions”. As a member of the GRACE network (www.grace-network.net), she was one of the contributing authors of the 2nd GRACE book “Women and ICT in Africa and the Middle East: Changing Selves, Changing Societies” in which she published her research findings. On 7 October 2014, the GRACE Network was presented with the sixth Artful Integrators’ Award for outstanding achievement in the area of participatory design of information and communications technologies. Prof. Oweis participated as keynote speaker, presenter and attended numerous local, regional, and international workshops and conferences.

Riadh ZGHAL

Riadh ZGHAL née Chaabouni is a Professor Emeritus, currently working as a consultant. She holds a Doctorate of State in Management Sciences obtained at The Institute of Business Administration of Aix-En-Provence, specialized in human resources management  and a PhD in sociology from Aix-Marseille University, specialty sociology of work. Her State doctoral thesis was published in 1994 by the Tunis University Publications Center under the title “The culture of dignity and the blurring of organization, culture and organizational behavior, the Tunisian case”. Riadh Zghal published several books and scientific articles in Arabic, English and French. She led a study that was the subject of a book published in 2014 by CREDIF entitled “Economic empowerment of women: employment and entrepreneurship. Former elected Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management of Sfax from 1993 to 1996 and member of the National Committee for the Evaluation of Research Activities (CNEAR) from 2003 to 2011 she was a visiting professor in Germany, France and Finland. As a consultant she has led and contributed to several studies and actions driven by national and international organizations including the FAO, UNDP (Tunis), IFAD (Rome), IFPRI (Washington), AUPELF UREF ( Montreal), ALECSO (Tunis), the Arab Women Organization (Cairo), UNIDO (Tunis). She participated in public life as president of the cultural committee of Sfax, Chair of the Committee for Finance and Resource Development in the Municipality of Sfax, a member of the Economic and Social Council and member of the Chamber of Advisers. She co-founded associations including the Tunisian Association for Entrepreneurship and Positive Externalities (ATUPEE) which she chaired from 2006 to 2011. She is currently a member of the “wise people comittee” of the National Confederation of Citizen Enterprises of Tunisia (CONECT).

Alison PARKER

Alison PARKER has a large research activity in technologies for urban sanitation. She is leading Cranfield University’s response to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s challenge to “Reinvent the Toilet”, using novel membrane technology to treat human waste on-site. She is working at both ends of the technology development process – helping to develop a novel technology for Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and in testing “off the shelf” systems for Water and Sanitation for Urban Poor (WSUP). Supporting stakeholders to provide safe water supplies is another research focus through Alison’s work in WASHTech project, a European project aiming to help African decision makers decide which water and sanitation technologies to use in their projects and Community Water Plus, an AusAID funded project aiming to understand what support communities in India need to manage their water supplies. She also has research students working on Water Safety Plans in Malaysia, Nigeria, Jamaica, India and Uganda and on the transition of urban communities between informal supplies and piped systems in Kenya. She is the Course Tutor of the MSc in Community Water and Sanitation.

Asantewa GYAMFI TENKORANG

Asantewa GYAMFI TENKORANG is from the University of Cape Coast and Kwame Nkrumah’ University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. From a young age, Asantewa has been determined to do her part to solve the sanitation problems that affect her native country, Ghana. After her MSc in Water and Sanitation, she joined Clean Team as their first employee and under her stewardship the project grew into a successful fledgling business. Her goal is to ensure Clean Team transforms sanitation in Ghana, and the rest of the world.

Benedict TUFFUOR

Virignia GARDINER

Virginia GARDINER, is an MA graduate in Industrial Design Engineering, from the Royal College of Art. Virginia has worked in design, engineering, management, entrepreneurship, fundraising and journalism. After studying literature and engineering at Stanford University, and covering design for publications including The New York Times and Metropolis, she began to value the social importance of products and systems we live with, and to recognize certain everyday realities, such as the flush toilet, as wasteful. She founded Loowatt Ltd. during her masters’ degree in 2008.

Jean-Christophe DEBAR

Jean-Christophe DEBAR, trained as an agronomist, started his career as an agro-economist at the Embassy of the United States in France. He has been a consultant in international farm policy and agricultural economics, and the editor of Agri US Analyse, a monthly newsletter on US agriculture. Since 2011, he has been the director of the Foundation for World Agriculture and Rurality (FARM), based in Paris. FARM is a think tank devoted to the promotion of productive and sustainable agricultures and food value chains in developing countries. It also supports producer organizations in Africa. FARM’s entrepreneurial vision of agriculture focuses on the emergence of small and medium farms, and their ability to supply to local markets.

Albert SASSON

Albert SASSON is a founding member of the Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology. He has had a distinguished scientific career as a Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Sciences of Rabat and thereafter at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, Paris). He was Assistant Director-General of UNESCO and Special Adviser to UNESCO Director-General from 1993 to 1999. He has been a Senior Visiting Professor at the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (Yokohama, Japan) and is a senior consultant to United Nations specialized agencies, several governments, national and regional institutions, as well as to the European Commission. He is President of the Association BioEuroLatina that aims to promote cooperation between Europe and Latin America in biotechnology. Albert Sasson has been appointed by the King of Morocco as member of the Kingdom’s Human Rights Consultative Council (CCDH), the governing board of the Royal Institute of Strategic Studies (IRES), and the Economic and Social Council. His research and work have culminated in over 200 publications, including many books and reviews on biotechnology in developing countries over the last 38 years.

Lionel GBAGUIDI

Ed KELLEY

Edward KELLEY currently serves as the World Health Organization’s (WHO) director on Service Delivery. He is also WHO’s lead on Health System Recovery for the organization’s Ebola response efforts. Prior to joining WHO, Dr Kelley directed the US National Healthcare Reports for the US Department of Health and Human Services in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). He also directed the 28-country Health Care Quality Improvement (HCQI) Project of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. Formerly, Dr Kelley worked for 10 years in West and North Africa and Latin America, directing research on the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness in Niger as a Quality Assurance Advisor for the USAID-sponsored Quality Assurance Project (QAP) and Partnerships for Health Reform Project Plus (PHRPlus). Dr Kelley’s other experience includes his role as international division manager for the Advisory Board Company, a large health-care consulting firm based in Washington, DC. While at AHRQ, Dr Kelley also served as an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Dr Kelley’s research and project work has produced numerous publications in the areas.

Nana A. MENSAH-ABRAMPAH

Nana A. MENSAH-ABRAMPAH is a Technical Officer for Ebola Health Systems Recovery within the Service Delivery and Safety Department at the World Health Organization (WHO). In this role, she facilitates WHO’s work at the central and district level in driving the safe reactivation of essential health services and core health systems functions in the three Ebola-affected countries. Ms. Mensah Abrampah provides technical and strategic programmatic support on areas critical to the work on recovery: infection, prevention and control (IPC); surveillance; essential package of services and health workforce; as well as the cross-cutting action areas: people-centred services; institutional health partnerships; information, communication and technology; supply chain; health financing and knowledge harvesting. Prior to joining WHO, she worked as a consultant on quality improvement, health systems thinking and the spread of sustainable innovations in Tanzania. In Malawi, she worked at a tertiary referral hospital in Lilongwe where she researched health system barriers for rational use of antibiotics. For several years, she worked in numerous capacities under the auspices of the USAID Health Care Improvement project, a global mechanism for applying improvement approaches that enhance health care in more than 30 countries within Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Ms Mensah-Abrampah has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and holds a BSc in Economics and a MSc in International Health.

Isam KHAY

Isam KHAY is the head of Quality and Risk Management Department at the Directorate General of the Mohammed VI Marrakech University Hospital – Morocco. President of the Francophone Alliance for Quality and Safety of Care (AFQUARIS) and founding member of the Moroccan Society of Sterilization and Moroccan Society of Oncology Pharmacy.

Markos PAULOS

Markos PAULOS was born in Durame, Ethiopia, in 1982. He received his Bsc degree in Medical laboratory Technology from the Addis Ababa University, in 1999. In 2000, joined the St.Peter TB specialized Hospital as the Research and Quality Officer and in 2004 become the Department head. He participated in several researches conducted in department. He’s currently working in MOH in the Department of Medical Service directorate as an Assistant Director.

Miriam Balaban

Miriam BALABAN is a graduate in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, USA. She is the founder of Desalination, the international journal for desalting and purification of water, and was its Editor-in- Chief from 1966 to 2009. In 2009 she launched the monthly journal Desalination and Water Treatment to accommodate the growing flood of papers in the field and enable prompt publication. She is editor and publisher of the Desalination Directory, the international online database in desalination water reuse. She is the Secretary General of the European Desalination Society with its headquarters in Italy, where she organizes courses, conferences, and workshops in desalination. She is associated with the desalination program – Center for Clean Water and Energy – in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Desalination Association and Star of Honor from the President of Italy. She has been adviser to the African Academy of Science in establishing the journal “Discover” and establishing the African Association of Science Editors.

Abdelrahman TAMIMI

Abdelrahman TAMIMI has worked in the field of water resources in the Occupied Territories, since his graduation. During the last 25 years the activities were focused more on water resources conflict and planning on the regional and national levels. He was also a member in the Palestinian counterparts to the EC and the World Bank before the establishment of Palestinian authority. He shared an initiation of the priorities and planning of the strategic projects.  He also worked as a consultant for institutions working in developing water and environmental projects in the Occupied Territories (UNDP, GTZ, EU, World Bank etc.). He puts more emphasis on water governance, water policy, water institutions, social conflicts and water and environmental conflicts in the Middle East. Additional to that he has worked as a coordinator for many international research projects. He has recently been appointed as a member of National water council and the national reform committee, and the national committee for social agenda and poverty alleviation. He has also been the resource person for climate change adaptation national strategy and a member of water sector strategy. He is the co-author of the report prepared for EU: Mediterranean challenges 2030: he coordinated several multinational projects related to water policy, food security and climate change while working as part time lecturer in Alquds University-Sustainable Development Institute –Post Graduate Program and serving as the Director of Palestinian hydrology group. He is the author of the book “Water Privatization and Regional Political Agenda”. Recently he was elected as chairman of water group in UN-ESCWA.

Akram RABADI

Akram RABADI is a senior advisor to the Minister of Water and Irrigation and to Secretary General of the Water Authority of Jordan. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Yarmouk Water Company. He has experience in the water sector and infrastructure over 30 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Iraq, a Higher Diploma in Sanitary Engineering and Master in Water Engineering from the Netherlands. He has an advanced postgraduate certificate in water resources management from Mannheim, Germany. He has earned the Certificate of project management PM from Colin-Germany and  Professional Certificate PMP from Oxford-England. He serves as a member of the American Engineers Association and Jordan Engineers Association. He worked as a full time consultant with USAID in the Institutional support project and capacity building of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, and completed a comprehensive survey studies for water users associations in the Jordan Valley. Following which, he also worked with the USA Core Engineer for multibillion US dollars for reconstruction of the infrastructure program in Iraq, Kuwait and Kurdistan, and as a full-time director of projects for Syria, Yemen and Egypt with Dursch German Company. He has worked with the European Commission as director of $ 270 million investment program, and led a team to complete the rehabilitation of Amman networks, reservoirs and pumping stations. He has also served as director in several provinces, including the capital Amman, for business management, operation and maintenance of water networks, sanitation and implementation of water and sanitation projects networks. He has accomplished many projects for many donors and financiers such as WB, EIB, KfW, USAID, and worked with major international companies in the field of consulting engineering and contracting, like, Parsons, CH2mhill, Weston International, Stanley Baker Hill, NFC Chinese , Halcrow and Durcsh.

Oded FIXLER

Oded FIXLER is Deputy Director General (Engineering) of the Israel Water Authority since 2008 and was the acting Director General from March to August 2011.  As Deputy director of the Israel Water Authority, he is in charge of Sea Water Desalination and the development of Israel’s water sector. He is the head of tender committee and acts as the Co-Chairman in the Joint Water Committee of Jordan-Israel and Palestinian Authority-Israel.  From 2002 to 2008 he was the head of the Development Division at the Water Authority and was in charge of the development of water supply systems, including brackish water desalination facilities, and flat and deep drilling projects. Previously, he has been Senior Deputy General Manager (Property, Construction and Maintenance Division) at the Bank Leumi Ltd. and CEO and Director at Binyaney Bank Ltd., Lyn City Center Ltd and Nadlan Ltd.

Abdeslam HOUMMADA

Abdeslam HOUMMADA a obtenu son Doctorat d’état en physique des particules en 1985 à l’Université Joseph Fourier de Grenoble, où il a travaillé en tant que maître assistant de 1982 à 1985. Dès 1985, il a enseigné à l’Université HASSAN II Aïn Chock de Casablanca et est également devenu directeur scientifique. Spécialiste de la physique des neutrinos, il a principalement émis pour la première fois en 1995 l’anomalie neutrinos à 2.5 sigma des expériences neutrinos auprès des réacteurs. Il travaille depuis 1992 sur l’expérience ATLAS auprès du LHC au CERN, et il est depuis 1996 le responsable du groupe Marocain et le représentant du MAROC au CERN.

Monique PETITDIDIER

Monique PETITDIDIER, a senior scientist at the Laboratory LATMOS / IPSL, is a specialist of atmospheric physics. She has contributed to the development of a “high resolution” photometer intended to observe changes in the intensity of the green line emitted by atomic oxygen at around 100km of altitude and of a stratospheric-tropospheric radar to study the dynamics of the lower atmosphere. Currently she oversees a thesis of a colleague from Burkina Faso on the African Monsoon system. This work was the subject of a publication on the variability of the African monsoon at the pre-COP21 scientific conference in Paris in July 2015. She has coordinated since 2001 and until recently applications in earth science in the framework of European projects on grids and Cloud as well as applications from DataGrid to EGI. She has been a coordinator at the EGU as part of the division ESSI (Earth and Space Science Informatics) since 2008 leading a session on “Science on Earth Grid, HPC and Cloud”, and in 2009 she lead a session on cyber infrastructure in Africa. The following years this issue has been addressed in different sessions with a presentation of eGYAfrica. In 2011 she was awarded the medal “Ian McHarg” for ” her exemplar work in support of African scientists and her recognition of the importance of outreach and ‘science citizenship’”. In the context of schools on space metheorology organized by the GIRGEA (International Research Group in Geophysics Europe-Africa and Europe-Asia) – in Cairo, Kinshasa and Algiers – she has organized days on supercomputing to connect the heads of the network and computing resources with scientists and their needs, and foster collaborations. She also advises in collaboration with teachers in the DRC, 3 students from DRC, 2 in computer sciences at Masters level and one in astroparticle physics completing her Phd.

Ousmane Moussa TESSA

Ousmane Moussa TESSA is an Associate Professor of mathematics at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of University Abdou Moumouni,  Niger. He holds a Ph.D in mathematics from University of Rennes (France) and another in Educational Sciences from the University of Montreal (Canada). His researches focus on computer algebra, mathematical epidemiology and integration of ICT in education, specially developing support towards learning mathematics. For over a decade, he has played an important role in the development and the promotion of Research and Education Networks in his country, and West and Central Africa too. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of WACREN (West and Central Africa Research and Education Network) and the CEO of Niger-REN. He was the former director of scientific research at the Ministry of Higher Education and Research of Niger and he was also an associate member of Abdus Salam ICTP Center de Trieste from 1994 to 1998.

Ousmane Moussa TESSA

Ousmane Moussa TESSA is an Associate Professor of mathematics at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of University Abdou Moumouni,  Niger. He holds a Ph.D in mathematics from University of Rennes (France) and another in Educational Sciences from the University of Montreal (Canada). His researches focus on computer algebra, mathematical epidemiology and integration of ICT in education, specially developing support towards learning mathematics. For over a decade, he has played an important role in the development and the promotion of Research and Education Networks in his country, and West and Central Africa too. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of WACREN (West and Central Africa Research and Education Network) and the CEO of Niger-REN. He was the former director of scientific research at the Ministry of Higher Education and Research of Niger and he was also an associate member of Abdus Salam ICTP Center de Trieste from 1994 to 1998.

Claude LECOMTE

Claude LECOMTE is a professor of physics, specialized in condensed matter and crystallography at the University Henri Poincaré – Nancy 1 and directs the CNRS Mixed Research Unit “crystallography laboratory and modeling of mineral and organic materials”. His research at the intersection of physics, chemistry and biology, concern the methodology of high resolution X-ray diffraction and the modeling of electronic density; He applies these methods to materials, molecular crystals and proteins. He was president of the French association of crystallography from 1995 to 2000 and of the European Association from 2000 to 2003. He is currently a member of the executive committee of the International Union of Crystallography. He is the author of over 200 publications in international journals. He is or has been a member of numerous national and international (ESRF, SPRING8) and scientific committees (LURE, National Research Committee section 05, section CNU 28). He is a member of the board of directors of the Franco-German University since 2003 and is scientific delegate at the AERES since September 2008.

Driss BENCHEKROUN

Directeur du laboratoire de Physique des Hautes Energies et d’Informatique Scientifique (2011-2015). Coordonnateur du groupe marocain membre de la collaboration ATLAS au CERN. Coordonnateur du groupe marocain membre de la collaboration CALICE dans le cadre du projet ILC (International Linear Collider) depuis 2006. Coordonnateur national du Réseau Universitaire de Physique des Hautes Energies (RUPHE) depuis 2007. Coordonnateur du master Instrumentation et Informatique Scientifique en Physique des Hautes Energies (IISPHE).

Yasser ELSHAYEB

Yasser ELSHAYEB. Erasmus and Director of Embassies of Knowledge Bibliotheca Alexandrina. His interest in Multidisciplinary subjects led him to study Artificial Intelligence, Risk Assessment, Geotechnical Engineering, and many others. He has developed his background of Mining Engineering into Archaeology, while his PhD allowed him to define new tools for human / machine interactions and its application in Underground structures, including some of the tombs of ancient Egypt. In Egypt, starting 2002, he has started a career of management of Education and Research, where he directed a lot of programs aiming at enhancing research and Higher Education in Egypt, in relation with the EU and many EU member states. During that period, he continued to practice and manage research in various fields: Landslide Research and Risk Assessment, Data Mining Applications for Knowledge Discovery, and applications of Computer Simulation for Mining Engineering. In 2012, he joined the prestigious Bibliotheca Alexandrina, as the Director of the Center of Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage, where he enjoys a unique combination of Management, ICT technology, research for Development, Archaeology, and Heritage Research. Moving to another challenge, in May 2014, he was appointed as the Director of the Embassies of Knowledge Initiative within the BA, where he will be working on creating “embassies” for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina all over Egypt, and especially in Higher Education Institutions.

Patrick FASSNACHT

Patrick FASSNACHT started his career in Experimental Nuclear and Particle Physics at the University of Strasbourg in 1979. Later moving to the Centre de Physique des Particules in Marseille he also shifted his focus to High Energy Physics joining the CPLear (asymmetry matter/anti-matter) collaboration and finally to ATLAS (one of the four large LHC experiments at the LHC (Large Hadron Collider)). To the latter he contributed as Test Beam coordinator and later, for six years, as Technical Coordinator of the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter system. He was responsible for getting the calorimeters assembled, integrated into the cryostats and commissioned. From April 2004 onwards, for a period of more than six years, he was acting as CERN ATLAS Team leader, leading a group of close to 200 users. During that period he had numerous interactions with the many ATLAS Users coming to CERN; which lead him to become an Advisor to the DG for the MENA, 2012 onwards. Since 2018, Patrick is also the Vice President, Communications of SKF.

Robert KLAPISCH

Robert KLAPISCH entered the French CNRS after graduating from Ecole de Physique et Chimie de Paris. His PhD work, under René Bernas, a pioneer in Mass Spectrometry was about the nucleosynthesis of the rare light elements Lithium Beryllium and Boron and the puzzle of how they survive being burnt by fusion. This led him to using CERN accelerators and to participate in its advisory committees. He left CNRS in 1981as Herwig Schopper CERN DG asked him to become Director of Research (1981-1987). Carlo Rubbia the new DG (1989 to 1993) asked him to be his adviser and to boost the CERN Communication Policy. He organized the LEP Inauguration Ceremony in 1989 and directed a Pavilion at the 1992 Seville Expo. After the end of Rubbia’s mandate he co-authored the proposal for the Energy Amplifier, a new approach to nuclear energy (1993-1997). In 2002, he was appointed by President Chirac to the Committee preparing the “Charte de l’Environnement” which has since become a part of the French Constitution. As President of the French Association for the Advancement of Science (2000-2003), he advocated a North-South Scientific Dialogue between scientists from Europe and those from Less Developed countries, from the African Continent and the Middle East, as a privileged means to avoid the infamous “Clash of Civilisations”. This led him to set up in 2006 a dedicated “Sharing Knowledge Foundation” (SKF), which he chairs. President Sarkozy promoted him Officier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2007.

Robert Klapisch passed away on the 21 March 2020.

John ELLIS

John ELLIS is the Clerk Maxwell Professor of Theoretical Physics at King’s College in London. After his 1971 PhD from Cambridge University, he worked at SLAC, Caltech, and CERN (Geneva), where he was Theory Division Leader for six years. His research interests focus on the phenomenological aspects of elementary particle physics and its connections with astrophysics, cosmology and quantum gravity. Much of his work relates directly to interpreting results of searches for new particles. He was one of the first to study how the Higgs boson could be produced and discovered. He is currently very active in efforts to understand the Higgs particle discovered recently at CERN, as well as its implications for possible new physics such as dark matter and supersymmetry. He also studies possible future particle accelerators, such as the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) and future circular colliders, and is known for his relentless efforts to promote global collaboration in particle physics. John Ellis was awarded the Maxwell Medal (1982) and the Paul Dirac Prize (2005) by the Institute of Physics. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1985 and of the Institute of Physics in 1991, has several honorary doctorates and is an Honorary Fellow of King’s College Cambridge and of King’s College London. He was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2012.

Frédérick BORDRY

Frédérick BORDRY, has a degree in engineering and a PhD in energy conversion from the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse (INPT). After a two-year teaching post at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brazil), he took up a teaching and research post in Toulouse before joining the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in 1986. From 2009 to 2013, he was the Head of the CERN Technology Department. Since January 2014, he is the Director of Accelerators and Technology, responsible for the operation and exploitation of the whole CERN accelerator complex, with particular emphasis on the LHC and for the development of new projects and technologies. As a convinced advocate of international exchange in the cultural, political and scientific fields, he has devoted a considerable amount of time towards reflecting on issues relating to education, research, and multilingualism.

Rolf-Dieter HEUER

Professor Rolf-Dieter Heuer is an experimental particle physicist. He has been CERN Director-General from January 2009 to December 2015. His mandate is characterised by the start of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) 2009 as well as its energy increase 2015, the discovery of the H-Boson and the geographical enlargement of CERN Membership. He also actively engaged CERN in promoting the importance of science and STEM education for the sustainable development of the society. From 2004 to 2008, Prof. Heuer was research director for particle and astroparticle physics at the DESY laboratory, Germany, where he oriented the particle physics groups towards LHC by joining both large experiments, ATLAS and CMS. He has initiated restructuring and focusing of German HEP at the energy frontier with particular emphasis on LHC.

Since April 2016 he is President of the German Physical Society. He is designated President of the Council of SESAME (Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East). He is also one of the seven members of the High Level Group of scientific advisors to the European Commission’s new Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) which was launched in November 2015.

Prof. Heuer has published over 500 scientific papers and holds many Honorary Degrees from universities in Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada. He is Member of several Academies of Sciences in Europe, in particular of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and Honorary Member of the European Physical Society. In 2015 he received the Grand Cross 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2016 he was appointed a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by the French Republic.

Zehra SAYERS

Zehra SAYERS is a founder of Sabanci University and co-chair of SESAME’s Scientific Advisory Committee. Her interests include studying 3D structure to function relationship in biological macromolecules. Zehra Sayers is the the chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee for “an impossible project”: SESAME. Scientists from the Middle East, working together to establish a worldclass research laboratory using only the language of science.

Hadil ABDULAROB

Hadil ABUALROB grew up in Jenin, Palestine, and obtained her B.Sc degree in physics from An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. Her academic excellence paved way for her to be recruited in the physics department in the same university as a Teaching Assistant. Looking forward to completing her academic record, she obtained the French government scholarship to continue her higher studies in France. She obtained her M.Sc degree in Optics from Paris-Sud University, Orsay and the Institut d’Optique Graduate School, in France. She performed her doctoral research on constructing wigglers and studying their effects on the stored beam dynamics at SOLEIL Synchrotron in France. She has recently obtained her PhD degree in accelerator physics from Paris-Sud University. Hadil Abualrob will be back in her home university in Palestine to resume her duties as an Assistant Professor, employing her experience in performing magnetic measurements and studying accelerator physics to promote technology and knowledge transfer to create collaboration between SESAME and the Palestinian universities. She will be working to construct the first accelerator physics group in Palestine.  She will also, alongside this work, invest in the first synchrotron light source in the Middle East to train students by performing scientific research in collaboration with experts from SESAME and its member states.

Roy BECK- BARAI

Roy BECK completed his B.Sc. degree in physics and computer science and has a PhD in low-temperature solid-state physics from the Tel Aviv University, Israel. Seeking a way to combine physics with biology and medicine, he completed a four-year post-graduate fellowship in biophysics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  In 2010, Dr. Beck opened an experimental interdisciplinary laboratory for biophysics.  His research is focused on the biophysical understanding of the forces and interactions governing the self-assembly of biomolecules to functional nanoscopic structures including the organization principles of cytoskeleton proteins within the neuronal system, intrinsically disordered proteins, membranes and nano-complexes of lipids and proteins. The research combines various biochemical techniques to isolate and express desired products and advance microscopic and biophysical techniques. Along with his scientific achievements, Dr. Beck is promoting science and education amongst underprivileged youth, and to religious scholars. Since 2012, Dr. Beck has been serving as the Vice-Chair of the interim user executive committee of the SESAME project, a collaborative multinational venture that will make synchrotron radiation science available to the Middle East.

Christopher LLEWELLYN SMITH

Sir Christopher LLEWELLYN SMITH (born November 19, 1942) completed his D.Phil. in theoretical physics at New College, Oxford in 1967. Thereafter he worked at the Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow, CERN and then the SLAC before returning to Oxford in 1974. Llewellyn Smith was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1984. While Chairman of Oxford Physics (1987–92) he led the merger of five different departments into a single Physics Department. Smith was Director General of CERN from 1994 through 1998. Thereafter he served as Provost and President of University College London (1999–2002). Llewellyn Smith received the Glazebrook Medal and Prize of the Institute of Physics in 1999 and was knighted in 2001. In 2004 he became Chairman of the Consultative Committee for Euratom on Fusion (CCE-FU). Until 2009 he was Director of UKAEA Culham Division, which holds the responsibility for the United Kingdom’s fusion programme and operation of the Joint European Torus (JET). He is a member of the Advisory Council for the Campaign for Science and Engineering. In 2013, he joined the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, India as a Distinguished Professor. In 2015, he was awarded the Royal Medal of the Royal Society.

Sénamé Koffi AGBODJINOU

Sénamé Koffi AGBODJINOU is a Togolese architect, anthropologist and founder of the innovation lab “Wé-lab” in Lomé. He is also the co-creator of Wafate, the first African 3D printer project, and the first 3D printer made from electronic waste.