Workshop | 2022 SEWA and AUS: Current and Future Challenges and Research Direction (November 2022)

The American University of Sharjah (AUS) Department of Electrical Engineering, in collaboration with the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA), invites you to participate in the workshop  "Current and Future Challenges and Research Direction." In this workshop, AUS and SEWA will present the current challenges and the future of advanced technologies in the fields of generation, transmission and distribution for electricity, water and gas networks.

About the speakers

Engr. Mayyada Al Bardan (SEWA)

Mayyada Al Bardan is the Manager of the Research and Study Department at Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority with responsibility for initiating research plans/cross department studies, through applying innovative technologies and performing proof of concept projects that improve SEWA departments’ performance and overall achievements.

Prior to joining the Research and Studies Department, she held several job roles  in her 29 years with SEWA, starting from an assistant engineer working as a lab technician at the water department, to the head of the pumping stations, to manager of water production and desalination plants, to the deputy director of the General Directorate of Water, to the current position heading new department for SEWA.

Mayyada Al Bardan received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, University of Jordan (1991); a Master of Science in Engineering Systems and Management, AUS (2005); and special training on hydraulic modeling, quality control, GIS and remote sensing for ground water aquifers, Boston University (2004). She is a certified auditor for ISO 9001.

Her professional interests focus on developing business strategies and roadmaps concerning management of water resources, smart cities, AMR / AMI, and her current projects include leak detection and smart water network, smart metering, data analysis and business intelligence project, water from air, and renewables in water desalination. In addition, she represents SEWA in several external committees and many internal teams, including the National Commission for Standard Census 2020, Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority; UAE Water Security Strategy, Ministry of Energy; Management of Wastewater Discharge from Desalination Plants to the Sea, Ministry of Environment and Water; and Sharjah Healthy City Program.

Engr. Maya Ayoub (SEWA)

A mechanical engineer with 16 years of experience working in the field of HVAC, building automation, and total metering solutions in the Middle East, Maya Ayoub worked as a Technical Sales and Business Development Manager in a leading Mechanical Engineering Company in Lebanon for 15 years, where her focus has been innovative and energy efficient solutions in the field of HVAC, BMS, and Smart Metering Solutions. She is a member of the Lebanese Order of Engineers since 2007, and a member of ASHRAE since 2010.

After moving to the UAE in 2021, she became responsible for supporting water utilities in the aim of achieving advanced metering infrastructure, by providing them with a complete solution tailored to their needs. These solutions allow utilities in the region to monitor and control the use of natural resources helping utilities achieve their goals of a sustainable future.

Engr. Jairo Rojas (SEWA)

A UK national with 25 years’ experience working within the United Kingdom, Latin America and the Middle East utility industry, Jairo Rojas is equipped with a thorough understanding of revenue management, metering, service delivery and customer service.

In the early years of his career, Mr. Rojas involved in multiple projects introducing AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) Technology in Mexico City. After moving to the UK to work for United Utilities, Mr. Rojas implemented and delivered large billing systems into utility operations whilst achieving customer service excellence, income targets and ensuring business continuity.

After moving to the UAE and for more than a decade, Mr. Rojas was responsible for delivering state- of-the-art advanced metering infrastructure providing utilities a complete solution tailored to their needs. These solutions allowed utilities in the region to monitor and control the use of natural resources helping utilities achieve their goals of a sustainable future.

Dr. Mostafa F. Shaaban (AUS)

Dr. Mostafa F. Shaaban (SMIEEE) received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, in 2014. Currently, he is an associate professor and department head in the AUS Department of Electrical Engineering, and adjunct with University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada. Dr. Shaaban worked for Opus one Energy Solutions (GE Digital) as a clean energy consultant and for the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) as a technical officer. Dr. Shaaban has several publications in international journals and conferences and serves as an associate editor for IET smart grid and a reviewer for several refereed journals. His research interests include smart grid, renewable DG, distribution system planning, electric vehicles, storage systems and power system resilience.

Dr. Akmal Abdelfatah (AUS)

Professor Akmal received his PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, United States. He worked as a teaching/graduate research assistant at Cairo University, American University in Cairo, and UT-Austin. Dr. Akmal has taught several graduate and undergraduate courses in civil engineering, engineering systems management and urban planning. His areas of research and teaching interest areas are Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), traffic operations, transportation planning and operations research. In addition to his academic experience, he has worked as a part-time transportation planning and traffic expert for companies in the UAE.

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