Najat A. Amin

Ph.D. Students

Ph.D. Candidate

TEAM MEMBER

Location:

WDRC, BESE, KAUST Building 4, Level 4, West side, 4254-WS17

Social Profile:

Biography

Najat A.Amin is a Ph.D. candidate working on membrane filtration technologies for water treatment and desalination. Her work integrates artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) with membrane processes to develop data-driven methods for fouling detection and management. Her research develops innovative approaches for the early detection and proactive control of (bio)fouling in membrane systems, bridging water treatment engineering with digital technologies to enable smarter and more resilient treatment solutions. Through this work, she aims to help transform conventional membrane technologies into intelligent, adaptive, and high-performance water treatment platforms. She is committed to advancing sustainable water treatment technologies that support global water security while reducing operational costs and environmental impact. Her research vision combines engineering innovation, advanced analytics, and digital transformation to improve the efficiency and reliability of future water treatment technologies.

Research Interests

  • Membrane filtration technologies for water treatment and desalination.
  • Prevention/control of (bio)fouling developed in Membrane processes.
  • Application of machine learning in membrane filtration technology, with a particular emphasis on (bio)fouling control and detection.

Selected Publications

  • Amin NA, Qamar A, Tanudjaja HJ, Kerdi S, Shon HK, Ghaffour N. Double filament feed spacers for enhanced performance in reverse osmosis modules. Water Research. 2025 Sep 29:124696.
  • Tanudjaja HJ, Amin NA, Qamar A, Kerdi S, Basamh H, Altmann T, Das R, Ghaffour N. Precise biofilm thickness prediction in SWRO desalination from planar camera images by DNN models. npj Clean Water. 2025 Mar 23;8(1):22.
  • Lee J, Obaid M, Amin NA, Yang W, Kim J, Park T, Lee S, Woo S, Kim Y, Zhan M, Ghaffour N. In-situ heat-activated peroxymonosulfate pretreatment for effective biofouling mitigation strategies in seawater membrane distillation. Desalination. 2025 Nov 1;614:119148.
  • Amin NA, Elcik H, Alpatova A, Gonzalez-Gil G, Blankert B, Farhat N, Vrouwenvelder JS, Ghaffour N. Selected physical and chemical cleanings remove biofilm in seawater membrane distillation without causing pore wetting. NPJ Clean Water. 2023 Sep 5;6(1):61.
  • Qamar A, Kerdi S, Amin N, Zhang X, Vrouwenvelder J, Ghaffour N. A deep neural networks framework for in-situ biofilm thickness detection and hydrodynamics tracing for filtration systems. Separation and Purification Technology. 2022 Nov 15;301:121959.
  • Elcik H, Alpatova A, Gonzalez-Gil G, Blankert B, Farhat N, Amin NA, Vrouwenvelder JS, Ghaffour N. Elucidating biofouling over thermal and spatial gradients in seawater membrane distillation in hot climatic conditions. Water research. 2022 Sep 1;223:118983.
  • Alpatova A, Qamar A, Alhaddad M, Kerdi S, Son HS, Amin N, Ghaffour N. In situ conductive spacers for early pore wetting detection in membrane distillation. Separation and Purification Technology. 2022 Aug 1;294:121162.


Education

  • M.Sc., Environmental Science and Engineering, KAUST, Saudi Arabia

Awards

  • Best Poster Award at the 6th International Conference on Desalination using Membrane Technology (MEMDES2023).

KAUST Affiliations

  • Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE)
  • Water Desalination and Reuse Research Platform (WDRP)

Research Interests Keywords

Membrane Filtration Membrane (bio)fouling Machine Learning Membrane Cleaning Desalination Water Treatment