Thermofluids in Sustainable Energy Systems

Dr. Zafar Said is currently working as a Distinguished Associate Professor in the
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the United Arab Emirates
University, UAE. He received his doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering from
the University of Malaya, Malaysia, and completed his postdoctoral research at
Khalifa University, UAE. Dr. Said is a recognized leader in energy technology,
nanofluids, and sustainable energy. His major areas of interest include heat
transfer, solar energy systems, and advanced thermofluids. His research focuses on
battery thermal management, enhancement of solar collectors using nanofluids
and turbulators, and the development of stable nanorefrigerants and
nanolubricants. He also applies artificial intelligence and machine learning to
predict thermophysical properties and optimize energy systems. He is the recipient
of several prestigious awards, including the Khalifa Award for Education as
Distinguished University Professor (2025), the Future Pioneer Award in
Sustainability (2025), and Best Academic Research at the 13th Dubai Award for
Sustainable Transport (2024). He has also received the Research and Innovation
Award from the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (2022) and First Place in
Scientific Research at the Excellence and Creative Engineering Award (2023) by the
Society of Engineers, UAE. In recognition of his contributions, he has been
consistently ranked among the world's top 2% of scientists in the field of energy by
Elsevier BV and Stanford University. In addition to his academic duties, he actively
serves in editorial roles for several international journals and is a frequent keynote
speaker at global conferences. Dr. Essam M. Abo-Zahhad is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Aswan University, Egypt, currently on leave serving as Assistant Professor at Liwa University, UAE. He earned his Ph.D. in Thermofluids Science from the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), in collaboration with the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.

With over 12 years of academic and research experience, Dr. Abo-Zahhad specializes in thermofluids, computational fluid dynamics, and energy systems engineering. His research spans advanced thermal management, solar energy technologies, high-concentration photovoltaic systems, microchannel heat sinks, and energy-efficient solutions for harsh, arid environments, areas of critical importance to global energy sustainability and climate resilience.

He has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed articles in high-impact international journals, as well as book chapters, conference contributions, and a U.S. patent. He has secured and contributed to multiple internationally funded research projects, with aggregate funding exceeding several hundred thousand dollars, through collaborations with leading institutions and industrial partners across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Dr. Abo-Zahhad serves as a Guest Editor and Topical Collection Editor for several peer-reviewed journals and is actively engaged in editorial and peer-review activities across the thermofluids and energy engineering communities. He is the co-editor of Thermofluids in Sustainable Energy Systems: Fundamentals and Applications (Elsevier), an interdisciplinary reference that bridges thermofluids principles, renewable energy, and sustainability engineering to address global energy challenges.