American University of Sharjah establishes “The Petrofac Research Chair in renewable energy”

Petrofac, the international oil & gas facilities service provider and American University of Sharjah (AUS) are pleased to announce the establishment of ‘The Petrofac Research Chair in renewable energy’.

Petrofac has provided a Dhs15 million endowed donation to fund the position from which AUS will establish a progressive research programme in renewable energy bringing together its most talented resources.

AUS chancellor, Dr. Peter Heath, commented: “The Renewable Energy Research Programme will bring physicists and chemists from the College of Arts and Sciences together with engineers from the College of Engineering to design and build alternative power facilities. The holder of the Petrofac Research Chair will contribute to the necessary critical mass of researchers and resources to enable the private sector in the Northern Emirates to become a leader in 'green' energy technologies."

Maroun Semaan, Petrofac’s group chief operating officer and AUS trustee, said: “This is a significant next step towards developing alternative energy technologies. The inaugural holder of the chair will be crucial to the direction we follow and, as such, securing the right candidate will be vital. Funding a dedicated resource will enable pioneering renewable energy research to be undertaken in the region and will undoubtedly facilitate progress alongside the already well established oil & gas sector. The United Nations’ International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), recently announced that its headquarters would be based in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar city (the world’s first carbon-neutral, zero-waste city) and AUS has already developed an active research agenda to harness the technological and industrial needs of the region so I look forward to future developments with great anticipation.”

"Students wishing to have a practical education in renewable energy will come to AUS to become part of this exciting new industry,” commented Dr. Nada Mourtada-Sabbah, vice chancellor of development and alumni affairs, AUS. “The scientist soon to hold the Petrofac Research Chair will be an internationally renowned innovator in this field, an area which gathers greater importance with each passing year”, added Mourtada-Sabbah.