Professor Walter Leal Filho (BSc, PhD, DSc, DPhil, DTech, DL, DLitt, FSB, FLS, FRGS) holds the Chairs of Climate Change Management at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany), and Environment and Technology at Manchester Metropolitan University (UK). He directs the European School of Sustainability Science and Research (ESSSR) and the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme, the largest network of universities specifically focusing on research on matters related to sustainable development. Professor Walter Leal Filho has over 30 years experience on sustainable development research and in excess of 700 publications to his credit.
Professor Ismaila Rimi Abubakar (Ph.D, M.CRP, M.Sc, B.URP) is a professor of urban sustainability with 20 years of experience in teaching, research and professional consultancy. He earned his Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University, Master of City andRegional Planning from KFUPM, Saudi Arabia, and Master of Science in Computing from The Robert Gordon University, UK. His research centers on urban sustainability, cities and climate change, sustainable urbanization, and basic urban services. He is a fellow of Population Reference Bureau (Washington DC), and member of Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme, and Nigerian Institute of Town Planners. His works appear in journals such as the Journal of Cleaner Production, Science of the Total Environment, Cities, Land Use Policy, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Sustainability, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Water, Utilities Policy, and Water International.
Professor Izael Pereira Da Silva is a renewable energy specialist with over 20 years of experience in research and academic leadership. He is a Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Strathmore University where he also spearheads the UNESCO/UNITWIN chair on climate change resilience and sustainability.
He holds a Ph.D. and a Master of Science (MSc) in Electrical Engineering, with a specialisation in Power Systems, from the University of Sao Paulo, as well as a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Electrical Engineering, with a specialisation in Power Systems and Telecommunications, from the Federal University of Parana.
A qualified engineer, he is a member of several engineering societies within and outside Africa such as the Council of Engineers in Energy Transition (CEET). He is also an Accredited Energy Auditor with Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), and a Certified Energy Manager with the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Over the years, he has worked with government ministries, development agencies (like GIZ, Sida, the World Bank, etc.), and industry stakeholders (within and outside Africa) in research and research-related projects, intending to deepen the linkage between industry and academia.
His research interests are renewable energy, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), energy efficiency, climate change mitigation and adaptation, demand-side management, energy conversion, energy utilization and conservation, renewable energy technologies, and renewable energy policies. He has written and published extensively in these areas.
Professor Rudi Pretorius (MBL, MSc, PhD, M.Akad.SA) is Associate Professor of Geography at the University of South Africa (Unisa). His research interests cover education for sustainability, sustainability in higher education, teaching and learning in geography and environmental studies, and open, distance and e-learning. He authored a number of publications in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Springers’ World Sustainability Series and recently co-edited the books “Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development” and “Sustainable Development in Africa:Fostering Sustainability in one the World´s Most Promising Continents”. Professor Pretorius is deputy editor for Discover Sustainability.
Professor Khaled Tarabieh is an associate professor at AUC and the associate chair of the architecture department. He is a graduate of Alexandria University, a holder of a Masters and Ph.D. in city and regional planning from the University of Pennsylvania, with a specialization in the planning of energy-efficient urban environments, high-performance building design, and assessment. Prior to joining AUC, he worked as an assistant professor the Arab Academy for Science and Technology, as well as an adjunct professor at Drexel University and as a professional architect in the US and a Director of the off-campus real estate at the University of Pennsylvania. Tarabieh is a LEED-accredited professional and initiator of the LEED lab at AUC in collaboration with the United States Green Building Council. At AUC, he teaches sustainability in the architectural design core studio, and a core course on Professional Practice, Design Management and Codes and a core course with the Progreen Online diploma taught to students at AUB, AUC and LAU. He is the Director of the Building Sciences Lab and the head of the Sustainable Design Group, where he conducts research on the thermal performance of building materials, carbon footprint and the impact of building materials on human health. He is an active member in the campus-wide AUC energy and carbon committees and adviser for AUC student led organizations.