Rabat – The installation ceremony for seven new members of the Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology (AHST), whose candidacies for the dignity of Academy members had been approved by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, took place on Monday at the AHST headquarters in Rabat.
These include two resident members, Professors Lalla Btissam Drissi and Omar El Fallah; three corresponding members, Professors Nadia Yousfi, Abdelkrim El Kadib, and Salim Tayou; and two honorary corresponding members, Professors Abdelkrim Filali-Maltouf and Redouane Taouil.
On this occasion, the new members of the AHST expressed their gratitude and pride for the trust placed in them by His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
The installation ceremony is an opportunity to present each of the new members by a resident member of the Academy, in addition to a presentation by the new member in which they present their work and the state of the art in their discipline, as well as the perspectives they envisage developing in the service of science in the Kingdom, emphasised the Perpetual Secretary of the Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology, Omar Fassi-Fehri.
In a statement to the press, he noted that the Royal Approval for the appointment of these seven new members to the AHST is “a source of great pride” for each of them.
Professor at the Faculty of Sciences of Rabat, Abdelkarim Filali-Maltouf, appointed in 2013 as a corresponding member of the AHST, holds a State Doctorate in molecular biology from the University of Paris XI-Orsay. He is the author of 128 publications in the WOS (Web of Science) database and 154 publications in the SCOPUS database.
Mr. Filali-Maltouf presented, during this ceremony, his main research work focusing essentially on the theme “Research into microbial treasures and molecular investigations to enrich soils and protect Morocco's plants”, reviewing his main projects, notably “ArganBiogen” and “Rhizolive”, co-financed by the Academy, with the aim of effectively responding to the challenges affecting the argan and olive trees, with a view to strengthening their resistance.
For his part, Redouane Taouil, appointed in 2014 as a corresponding member, holds a State Doctorate in Economic Sciences and is a Professor at the Faculty of Grenoble. He is the author of several articles in prestigious international journals and has organised an academic school on “Modelling and Foresight” every year since 2009, intended for doctoral students in economic sciences and focusing on the links between theory, models, and econometrics.
In his presentation, Mr. Taouil reviewed the limits of econometrics and the importance of theory in economics, emphasising that the latter “can contribute to the shaping of society”, notably to explain the dynamics of supply and demand, affirm or contest certain received ideas, or deepen knowledge on specific subjects.
Doctor of Mathematics, Salim Tayou, was a recipient of the excellence scholarship granted by the Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology and a laureate in mathematics of the General Competition for Science and Technology. Currently, he is a professor of mathematics at Dartmouth College-Hanover-USA, one of the 10 oldest American universities, and was a recipient of the Benjamin Pierce Fellowship, granted by Harvard University and considered the most prestigious postdoctoral fellowship in mathematics in the United States.
Exposing various mathematical theorems and theories, Mr. Tayou explained the interconnection that exists between arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, presenting the tangible applications of mathematics as well as the current contribution of this scientific field to cybersecurity efforts.
Nadia Yousfi holds a Doctorate in Engineering Sciences and holds the position of university professor on delegation at the International University of Rabat (UIR) in charge of the hydrogen programme. She is also a laureate of the Hydrogen Trophy (2022) and a member of HER (Hydrogen Europe Research) for calls for projects with European funding.
In her presentation, Ms. Yousfi highlighted the challenges linked to the development and deployment of systems based on green hydrogen, the existing gaps between laboratory tests and reality, as well as the models to be used in order to manage the expected and the unexpected, insisting on the importance of Research and Development to better understand operations and possible degradation with a view to optimising systems while reducing costs.
The ceremony continued with the presentations “Nanomaterials for sustainable development”, “Advanced modelling and simulation: challenges and applications of the infinitely large and the infinitely small”, and “A walk in spectral analysis”, respectively presented by Abdelkrim El Kadib (corresponding member), Lalla Btissam Drissi (resident member), and Omar El-Fallah (resident member).
Mr. El Kadib holds a Doctorate in chemistry from the Paul Sabatier University of Toulouse and holds the position of professor at the Euro-Med University of Fez. Ranked among the top 2% of researchers in the world in the Stanford ranking, he is the author of more than 120 articles and 12 patents, having participated in the creation of the MAScIR Foundation (Moroccan Foundation for Advanced Science, Innovation and Research).
Ms. Drissi, for her part, holds a State Doctorate in physical sciences. She holds the position of professor at the Faculty of Sciences of Rabat and Head of the “Moroccan Falling Walls Laboratory”. Recipient of the Georg Forster research award, she is president of the African Network for Advanced Two-Dimensional Materials for Nanotechnology and author of 140 articles in international journals as well as two specialised books and 4 specialised book chapters.
Holder of a State Doctorate in mathematics, Mr. El Fallah is director of the “Analysis and Applications Laboratory”, expert of the High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (France), and reviewer for several international mathematics journals, as well as the author of 42 articles in international journals.
The Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology has forty resident members who are citizens of the Kingdom, forty personalities of foreign nationality who have the status of associate members, thirty corresponding members chosen from among scientific personalities and representatives of economic sectors, appointed for a four-year term renewable once, and honorary corresponding members proposed from among corresponding members who have completed their term of office.
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