Research Lead Ahmed is a research lead in the Utilities and Renewables program at KAPSARC. He is an electrical engineer and holds… Ahmed is a research lead in the Utilities and Renewables program at KAPSARC. He is an electrical engineer and holds an M.Sc. degree in renewable energy systems from Loughborough University. Prior to joining KAPSARC he worked as an R&D engineer at the Saudi Electricity Company for over five years, heading the company’s research on renewables and energy storage, and working on a wide range of projects including solar power, EV charging, sorption cooling, and energy storage solutions. Ahmed’s current research focuses on power system modeling to help shape the future of the energy mix and the technologies that can contribute to achieving Saudi Arabia’s green targets.

Expertise

• Renewable Energy
• Power System Modeling
• Energy Storage and Emerging Technologies

Fellow I Nora is a fellow at KAPSARC specializing in transport economics research and energy consumption in the transport sector. Her areas… Nora is a fellow at KAPSARC specializing in transport economics research and energy consumption in the transport sector. Her areas of interest include energy and transport economics, policy analysis, energy transitions, and sustainable transport. She holds an M.Sc. in Maritime and Air Transport Management, focusing on maritime transport economics research, from the University of Antwerp in Belgium and a B.S.B.A. in Business Administration and International Relations from The American University in Washington D.C.

Expertise

• Energy Economics
• Policy Analysis
• Sustainable Transport
• Energy Transitions
• Energy in Transport and Freight Transport

Visiting Researcher Frank is an engineer, energy policy analyst, and a visiting researcher at KAPSARC. Prior to joining KAPSARC, Frank was a… Frank is an engineer, energy policy analyst, and a visiting researcher at KAPSARC. Prior to joining KAPSARC, Frank was a Research Professor at the School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, Director of the Rutgers Energy Institute, and Director of the Center for Energy, Economics and Environmental Policy. In those roles, he conducted original and applied research in the areas of electric power system modeling, clean energy policies, and climate change for academic foundations, government agencies, and energy utilities. He has also worked as an economic consultant and nuclear engineer.

Expertise

• Energy Policy
• Electricity Restructuring and Energy Modeling

Senior Fellow Abdel is a geospatial leader, certified in GIS (GISP), with over 18 years of experience in GIS and spatial data… Abdel is a geospatial leader, certified in GIS (GISP), with over 18 years of experience in GIS and spatial data management. He has a proven track record of leading and delivering enterprise GIS projects for international corporations in North America and the Middle East. His work focuses on spatial economic modeling to better understand and forecast the interactions between economic activities, energy demand, land use, and transportation in urban areas. Before KAPSARC, Abdel worked for world-renowned, global companies, such as Accenture and ESRI, in North America and the Middle East. He served as a technical leader and a senior consultant, guiding clients in the energy sector on how to extract value out of geospatial data assets and GIS investments. Abdel holds an M.Sc. in geomatics engineering from the University of Calgary, Canada.

Expertise

• GIS
• Sustainability
• Urban Analytics
• Location Intelligence
• Spatial Data Science
• Earth Observation and Remote Sensing

Acting Program Director Dr. Elshurafa is a Fellow in King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and possesses 20+…

Dr. Elshurafa is a Fellow in King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and possesses 20+ years of experience in energy and technology garnered on three continents. His research interests lie in renewable energy policy, power systems modeling, and hybrid microgrid design and optimization. He has led and executed several national modeling initiatives both at the distributed and utility scales, and he is listed among the top 2% of scientists globally as per Elsevier. Some aspects of his research have been adopted by BP in creating their seminal annual statistical review. Credited with 50+ papers and patents, Dr. Elshurafa holds a PhD in electrical engineering complemented thereafter with an MBA in finance.

Expertise

• Power sector modeling
• Electricity markets
• Renewable energy policy
• Hybrid microgrid optimization