Dr. Mohamed Azzam | Wastewater reuse | Young Scientist Award

National Water Research Center, Egypt.

Dr. Mohamed Azzam is a microbiologist with over ten years of experience, specializing in bioinformatics and metagenomics. He is dedicated to spreading knowledge and innovative approaches in the biological field. Dr. Azzam has developed a rapid and reliable method for directly detecting microbial pathogens in aquatic environments without the need for isolating pure bacterial cultures, using international databases and computational tools.

Professional Profiles:

Education

Dr. Azzam holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Microbiology from the Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, awarded in 2015. He also earned a Master’s Degree (M.Sc.) in Microbiology from the same institution in 2010 and a Bachelor’s Degree (B.Sc.) in Microbiology in 2003, both with Very Good with Honor Degrees. Additionally, he holds an International Computer Driving License (ICDL) from UNESCO, obtained in 2012, and scored 550 in the TOEFL® test at Ain Shams University’s Center of Public Service and Social Development.

Professional Experience

Dr. Azzam currently serves as an Analyst of Microbiology in the Microbiology Department at the National Water Research Center in ElKanater, CLEQM, Cairo, Egypt, a position he has held since 2005. He also works as a Lecturer in the Biotechnology Department at HIAC, Ministry of Higher Education, Shubra El Kheima, Cairo, Egypt, since 2009. Additionally, he is a Trainer at the Egyptian Society of Virology (ESV), Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, where he has been involved in teaching courses on Bioinformatics, Metagenomics, and Venomics since 2014.

Research Interest

Dr. Azzam’s research interests include water quality, wastewater treatment, biodegradation, and the detection of microbial pathogens in water environments. He is particularly interested in developing novel biological treatments for industrial wastewater and improving wastewater treatment using natural materials and bacteriophages.

Award and Honors

Dr. Azzam has received several awards for his contributions to microbiology and related fields. He was awarded the Perfect Attendance Award by the European Molecular Biology Lab. (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, in November 2016. He also received the Best Paper Award from the Egyptian Society of Virology at the 5th ICV in Hurghada, Egypt, in December 2014.

Research Skills

Dr. Azzam is proficient in a range of research skills, including statistical analysis, bioinformatics, and molecular biology techniques. He is skilled in using software such as Stata, SPSS, R, and various bioinformatics tools for data analysis and interpretation.

Publications

Antibiotics resistance phenomenon and virulence ability in bacteria from water environment
MI Azzam, SM Ezzat, BA Othman, KA El-Dougdoug
Water Science 31 (2), 109-121, 2017

Optimization of fibrinolytic enzyme production by newly isolated Bacillus subtilis Egy using central composite design
ME Moharam, MA El-Bendary, F El-Beih, SMH Easa, MMA Elsoud, …
Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology 17, 43-50, 2019

Newly isolated coliphages for bio-controlling multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli strains
MA Elbahnasawy, ESE ElSayed, MI Azzam
Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management 16, 100542, 2021

An approach using a novel phage mix for detecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa in water
SM Ezzat, MI Azzam
Water and Environment Journal, 2019

Improving wastewater treatment using dried banana leaves and bacteriophage cocktail
N El-Dougdoug, M Nasr-Eldin, M Azzam, A Mohamed, M Hazaa
Egyptian Journal of Botany 60 (1), 199-212, 2020

Dr. Mohammad Hossein Kadkhodaei | Mining and Tunnel Engineering Award | Best Researcher Award

PhD candidate at Isfahan University of Technology, Iran

Mohammad Hossein Kadkhodaei is a Ph.D. student in Mining Exploitation at Isfahan University of Technology, Iran. He holds a Master of Science in Mining Exploitation and a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering from the same university. His research focuses on mechanical rock excavation, optimization of excavating operations, tunneling and support systems, cutting tool wear, drilling engineering, vibration analysis and signal processing, dust control and stabilization, and Mining 4.0. He has professional experience as a mining consultant for Madan Mohit Company and Isfahan cement factory, specializing in mine road design, mine planning, and blast design. He has also worked as a technical officer at a quarry mine and interned at the Isfahan Metro Project. Mohammad has skills in specialized software such as Easyfit, @Risk, ICDL, O-pit blast, Civil3D, Autocad, Rocsupport, and more. He is proficient in laboratory techniques for rock mechanics and rock cutting tests, as well as data mining algorithms like ANN, SVM, Decision Trees, and Genetic Algorithm. Mohammad has published several papers in journals such as Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, Arabian Journal of Geosciences, and Geotechnical and Geological Engineering. He is a member of the Iranian Mining Engineering Organization and Iran’s National Elites Foundation, and has received distinctions in both his master’s and Ph.D. exams.

Professional Profiles:

Experience:

He has worked as a mining consultant for Madan Mohit Company and Isfahan cement factory, focusing on mine road design, mine planning, and blast design. He also served as a technical officer at a quarry mine and interned at the Isfahan Metro Project.

Research Interest:

His research interests include mechanical rock excavation, optimization of excavating operations, tunneling and support systems, cutting tool wear, drilling engineering, vibration analysis and signal processing, dust control and stabilization, and Mining 4.0.

Skills:

Mohammad is proficient in specialized software such as Easyfit, @Risk, ICDL, O-pit blast, Civil3D, Autocad, Rocsupport, as well as data mining algorithms like ANN, SVM, Decision Trees, and Genetic Algorithm. He is also skilled in laboratory techniques for rock mechanics and rock cutting tests.

Publications:

Development of a semi-quantitative framework to assess rockburst risk using risk matrix and logistic model tree” in Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 2022.

“Stochastic assessment of rockburst potential in underground spaces using Monte Carlo simulation” in Environmental Earth Sciences, 2022.

“Development of a GEP model to assess CERCHAR abrasivity index of rocks based on geomechanical properties” in the Journal of Mining and Environment, 2019.

“Analysing the life index of diamond cutting tools for marble building stones based on laboratory and field investigations” in the Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, 2021.

“Evaluation of hard rock tunnel boring machine (TBM) performance using stochastic modeling” in Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 2023.