Abdulrazak Otaru | Modelling and Simulation | Best Researcher Award

Dr Abdulrazak Otaru | Modelling and Simulation | Best Researcher Award

Assistant Professor, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia 
Dr. Abdulrazak Jinadu Otaru is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. With extensive teaching experience, he has held academic roles at King Faisal University and the Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria. His expertise spans Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, Numerical Methods, and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Dr. Otaru’s research focuses on machine learning applications in modeling thermal degradation and porous material systems.

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Education 🎓

Dr. Otaru holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering, specializing in Modelling and Simulation. His education has equipped him with advanced knowledge in CFD, machine learning, and material sciences, allowing him to contribute significantly to his field.

Experience 💼

Dr. Otaru has served as an academic in both undergraduate and postgraduate settings. At King Faisal University, he teaches courses such as Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, Numerical Methods, and Engineering Computing. Previously, at the Federal University of Technology Minna, he taught subjects like Transport Phenomena, Chemical Reaction Engineering, and Chemical Engineering Design.

Research Interests 🔬

Dr. Otaru’s research revolves around Chemical Engineering, focusing on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), machine learning for material modeling, carbon capture technologies, and the thermo-kinetic analysis of bio-composites. His ongoing projects include studies on the thermal degradation of palm fronds, polyolefin bio-composites, and various zeolite synthesis processes.

Awards 🏆

Dr. Otaru has earned recognition for his contributions to chemical engineering and material sciences, particularly for his innovative use of machine learning techniques in chemical process modeling. His work in computational techniques for sustainable material processing has been highly regarded in both academic and industrial circles.

Publications 📚

Dr. Otaru has published numerous research papers in renowned journals. His recent works include:

Thermal Decomposition of Date Seed/Polypropylene Homopolymer: Machine Learning CDNN, Kinetics, and Thermodynamics published in Polymers, MDPI on 23rd January 2025. Link to the article.

Kinetics Study of the Thermal Decomposition of Date Seed Powder/HDPE Plastic Blends published in Bioresource Technology Reports, Elsevier on 13th January 2025. Link to the article.

Conclusion

Dr. Otaru stands out as a highly deserving candidate for the Best Researcher Award. His exceptional research output, interdisciplinary work, and continuous contributions to the scientific community make him a key figure in the field of Chemical Engineering. With a proven record of academic excellence and an innovative approach to solving complex engineering problems, Dr. Otaru exemplifies the qualities of a distinguished researcher.

 

Sarah Di Grande | Analytics | Best Researcher Award

Ms. Sarah Di Grande | Analytics | Best Researcher Award

PhD student, University of Catania, Italy

Sarah Di Grande is a driven researcher and data scientist currently pursuing a PhD in Systems, Energy, Computer, and Telecommunications Engineering at the University of Catania, Italy. With expertise in machine learning and a focus on sustainable water-energy optimization, she has contributed extensively to data science applications in renewable energy and smart city initiatives.

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Education 🎓

Sarah completed a Master’s in Data Science for Management at the University of Catania in 2022, graduating summa cum laude with a thesis on unsupervised machine learning for photovoltaic systems. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from the same institution and graduated from Liceo Megara with top honors in 2017. Her studies have centered on advanced machine learning, big data, and data security.

Experience 💼

Currently, Sarah is a PhD student and researcher at the University of Catania, working in collaboration with Darwin Technologies on machine learning-based water-energy optimization. She previously interned as a data scientist at BaxEnergy, where she applied predictive maintenance techniques for photovoltaic panels, gaining hands-on experience in industrial data science applications.

Research Interests 🔬

Her research is dedicated to leveraging artificial intelligence for sustainable energy systems, focusing on machine learning applications in hydropower forecasting, urban traffic prediction, and water distribution network optimization. Sarah’s work aims to enhance resource management and promote sustainability in smart cities.

Awards 🏆

Sarah has received recognition for her innovative contributions, winning the Start-Cup Sicilia 2023 for her work on the “Smart Knee Project,” a device aimed at diagnosing knee osteoarthritis. She also secured second place in the University of Catania’s Start-Cup competition for the same project.

Publications Top Notes📚

Sarah has contributed numerous papers to international conferences and journals, exploring AI in hydropower, water distribution, and urban traffic management. Some key publications include:

“A Proactive Approach for the Sustainable Management of Water Distribution Systems” (2023) in 12th International Conference on Data Science, Technology and Applications – DATA [cited by 10 articles].

“Detection and Prediction of Leakages in Water Distribution Networks” (2023) in DATA 2023 [cited by 7 articles]

“A Machine Learning Approach for Hydroelectric Power Forecasting” (2023) in 14th International Renewable Energy Congress – IREC [cited by 5 articles].

“Data Science for the Promotion of Sustainability in Smart Water Distribution Systems” (2024) in Communications in Computer and Information Science, Springer [cited by 12 articles].