Osmosis Engineering

Dr. Nidal Hilal is a Professor of Engineering and Director of NYU Abu Dhabi Water Research Center. He is a Chartered Engineer in the United Kingdom (CEng), a registered European Engineer (Euro Ing), an elected Fellow of both the Institution of Chemical Engineers (FIChemE), and the Learned Society of Wales (FLSW). He received his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1981 followed by a master's degree in advanced chemical engineering from Swansea University in 1986. He received his PhD degree from Swansea University in 1988. In 2005 he was awarded a Senior Doctorate, Doctor of Science degree (DSc), from the University of Wales in recognition of an outstanding research contribution in the fields Water Processing including Desalination and Membrane Science and Technology. He was also awarded, by the Emir of Kuwait, the prestigious Kuwait Prize (Kuwait Medal) of Applied Science for the year 2005 and Menelaus Medal 2020, by the Learned Society of Wales, for excellence in engineering and technology. His research interests lie broadly in the identification of innovative and cost-effective solutions within the fields of nano-water, membrane technology, and water treatment, including desalination, colloid engineering and the nano-engineering applications of AFM. He has published 8 handbooks, 82 invited book chapters, and around 500 articles in the refereed scientific literature. He has chaired and delivered lectures at numerous international conferences and prestigious organizations around the world. Nidal sits on the editorial boards of a number of international journals, is an advisory board member of several multinational organizations, and has served on/consulted for industry, government departments, research councils, and universities on an international basis.

Dr. A.F. Ismail is a Professor at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), where he is the Founding Director of the Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC). He has also served as Dean of Research for the Materials and Manufacturing Alliance at UTM and was the 7th Vice Chancellor of UTM from 2021 to 2024. Dr. Ismail’s research interests encompass membrane formation, membranes for wastewaster treatment and gas separation, and nanofibers and nanostructured materials for energy applications. Dr. Ismail has received several awards, including the ASEAN Young Scientist and Technologist Award in 2001 (the first Malaysian to receive this award), the Malaysian Young Scientist Award in 2000, the Malaysian Intellectual Property Award in the Patent Category, the Merdeka Award for Scholastic Achievements in 2014, and the highly coveted Mustafa Prize (2023) — often referred to as the “Muslim Nobel Prize. A highly cited researcher in "Separation and Purification Technology" (Elsevier), Professor Fauzi has made several contributions to membrane science, particularly in polymeric, inorganic, and mixed matrix membranes for applications such as water treatment, desalination, gas separation, hemodialysis, fuel cells, and palm oil refining. With an impressive Scopus h-index of 120 and more than 71,000 citations (as of June 2025), he has authored more than 1,500 refereed journal articles, more than 50 book chapters, 6 authored books, and 20 edited volumes. Dr. Ismail also plays active roles in the scientific community, serving as Chairman of the Malaysia Membrane Society (MyMembrane) and Vice President of the Aseanian Membrane Society (AMS).

Professor Mohamed Khayett is a world leading expert on membrane science and technology (membrane design and fabrication, membrane processes, emerging technologies), renewable energy applications (solar thermal and photovoltaic energy), nanocomposites, nanofibres and nanofluids among others. He is a co-editor of Journal Desalination.

Dr. Daniel Johnson is a researcher in the characterisation and development of membranes for water treatment, surface forces, osmometry and water treatment using membrane osmosis based processes.