Mohamed Obaid Awad

Research Scientists

Research Scientist

CURRENT MEMBER

Location:

4254-WS14, Water Desalination and Reuse Center Al Jazri (building 4), Level 4, Seaside, Left side​

Social Profile:

Biography

Dr. M. Obaid's academic excellence began at Minia University in Egypt, where he earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering. His pursuit of knowledge led him to Chonbuk National University in South Korea, where he achieved his Ph.D. with a focus on membrane fabrication. Starting as a postdoctoral researcher at the Global Desalination Research Center in South Korea, Obaid quickly established himself in the field. His journey took a significant leap forward in 2019 at KAUST's Water Desalination and Reuse Center, where his pioneering research ended in a Research Scientist position by 2022. Obaid has dedicated ten years to developing cutting-edge materials and membranes for water treatment and environmental care. Recognized for his work, he has published over 70 scientific papers and holds several patents.

Research Interests

  • Membrane Technology Development: Focused on the fabrication and characterization of advanced polymeric and inorganic membranes for microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO) applications.
  • Sustainable Water Treatment: Spearheading membrane-based processes aimed at energy-efficient desalination and the promotion of wastewater reuse for sustainable water management.
  • Nanomaterials Synthesis: Innovating in the synthesis of nanofibers and nanoparticles tailored for environmental management and renewable energy applications, enhancing efficiency and reducing environmental footprints.
  • Desalination Technologies: Advancing capacitive deionization (CDI) technology for the desalination of brackish water, contributing to the development of cost-effective and energy-efficient water purification methods.

Selected Publications

  • M Obaid, Norah Alsadun, Osama Shekhah, Sarah Almahfoodh, Sheng Zhou, Noreddine Ghaffour, Mohamed Eddaoudi. "Deployment of Superhydrophilic and Super-antifouling Cr-soc-MOF-1-Based Membrane for Ultrafast Separation of Stabilized Oil-in-Water Emulsions". ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 15, 2023, 31067–31076.
  • M. Obaid, Hend Omar Mohamed, Abayomi Babatunde Alayande, Yesol Kang, Noreddine Ghaffour, In S. Kim “Facile fabrication of superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic nanofiber membranes for highly efficient separation of oil-in-water emulsion” Separation and Purification Technology, 272, 2021, p118954.
  • M. Obaid, Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem, Seungho Kook, Hak-Yong Kim, Nidal Hilal, Noreddine Ghaffour, In S Kim “Breakthroughs in the fabrication of electrospun-nanofiber-supported thin film composite/nanocomposite membranes for the forward osmosis process: A review” Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2020, 50, p1727. 
  • Mohammed Rasool Qtaishat, M. Obaid, Takeshi Matsuura, Areej Al-Samhouri, Jung-Gil Lee, Sofiane Soukane, Noreddine Ghaffou “Desalination at ambient temperature and pressure by a novel class of biporous anisotropic membrane” Scientific Reports, 12, 2022, 13564. 
  • Ihsanullah Ihsanullah, Jawad Mustafa, Abdul Mannan Zafar, M. Obaid, Muataz A Atieh, Noreddine Ghaffour “Waste to wealth: A critical analysis of resource recovery from desalination brine” Desalination, 543, 2022, 116093. 
  • M. Obaid, Noreddine Ghaffour, Sungrok Wang, Myung-Han Yoon, In S Kim “Zirconia nanofibers incorporated polysulfone nanocomposite membrane: Towards overcoming the permeance-selectivity trade-off” Separation and Purification Technology, 236, 2020, p116236. 
  • Mustakeem Mustakeem, Jehad K El-Demellawi, M. Obaid, Fangwang Ming, Husam N Alshareef, Noreddine Ghaffour“MXene-Coated Membranes for Autonomous Solar-Driven Desalination” ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2022, 14, 4, p5265–5274. 
  • Enas Taha Sayed, M Obaid, AG Olabi, Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem, Muaz Al Radi, Amer Al-Dawoud, Sameer Al-Asheh, Noreddine Ghaffour. " Recent progress on the application of capacitive deionization for wastewater treatment". Journal of Water Process Engineering, 56, 2023, p104379.
  • Abdullah H Alshahri, M Obaid, Abdullah HA Dehwah, Thomas M Missimer, Muhammad Ali, Noreddine Ghaffour.  "Combination of advanced coagulation Fe (VI) and UF membrane to effectively remove organic compounds and mitigate biofouling during harmful algal blooms". Desalination, 565, 2023, 116882.
  • M. Obaid, Yesol Kang, Sungrok Wang, Myung-Han Yoon, Chang-Min Kim, Jun-ho Song, In S Kim “Fabrication of highly permeable thin-film nanocomposite forward osmosis membranes via the design of novel freestanding robust nanofiber substrates” J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018, 6, p11700-11713. 
  • Ahmad Bamasag, Eydhah Almatrafi, Talal Alqahtani, Patrick Phelan, Misbah Ullah, Mustakeem Mustakeem, M Obaid, Noreddine Ghaffour. "Recent advances and future prospects in direct solar desalination systems using membrane distillation technology". Journal of Cleaner Production, 385, 2023, 135737.
  • Talal Alamoudi, Muhammad Saqib Nawaz, M. Obaid, Yong Jin, Sofiane Soukane, Hyuk Soo Son, Veerabhadraiah Gudideni, Ali Al-Qahtani, Noreddine Ghaffour “Optimization of osmotic backwashing cleaning protocol for produced water fouled forward osmosis membranes” Journal of Membrane Science, 663, 2022, 121013. 
  • Sofiane Soukane, Hyuk Soo Son, Mustakeem Mustakeem, M. Obaid, Alla Alpatova, Adnan Qamar, Yong Jin, Noreddine Ghaffour “Materials for energy conversion in membrane distillation localized heating: Review, analysis and future perspectives of a paradigm shift” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 167, 2022, 112702. 
  • Abdullah H Alshahri, Mattia Giagnorio, Abdullah HA Dehwah, M. Obaid, Thomas M Missimer, TorOve Leiknes, Noreddine Ghaffour, Luca Fortunato “Advanced coagulation with liquid ferrate as SWRO desalination pretreatment during severe algal bloom. Process performance, environmental impact, and cost analysis” Desalination, 537, 2022, 115864. 
  • Yuna Bang, M. Obaid, Mihee Jang, Jangho Lee, Joohwan Lim, In S Kim “Influence of bore fluid composition on the physiochemical properties and performance of hollow fiber membranes for ultrafiltration” Chemosphere, 259, 2020, p127467. 
  • Abayomi Babatunde Alayande, M. Obaid, In S Kim “Antimicrobial mechanism of reduced graphene oxide-copper oxide (rGO-CuO) nanocomposite films: The case of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1” Materials Science and Engineering: C, 109, 2020, p110596.
  • Mohammad Abdelkareem, Enas Taha Sayed, Hend Omar Mohamed, M. Obaid*, Hegazy Rezk, Kyu-Jung Chae “ Nonprecious anodic catalysts for low-molecular-hydrocarbon fuel cells: Theoretical consideration and current progress” Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, 77, 2020, p100805.
  • Yesol Kang, M. Obaid, Jaewon Jang, In S Kim “Sulfonated graphene oxide incorporated thin film nanocomposite nanofiltration membrane to enhance permeation and antifouling properties” Desalination, 470, 2019, p114125.
  • Abayomi Babatunde Alayande, M. Obaid, Hye-WeonYu, In S. Kim “High-flux ultrafiltration membrane with open porous hydrophilic structure using dual pore formers” Chemosphere, 227, 2019, p662-669.
  • M. Obaid, Euntae Yang, Dong-Hee Kang, Myung-Han Yoon, In S Kim “Underwater superoleophobic modified polysulfone electrospun membrane with efficient antifouling for ultrafast gravitational oil-water separation”. Separation and Purification Technology, 200, 2018, p284-293.

Education

  • 2014.3 ~ 2017.2 PhD in Organic and Nanofiber Engineering, Chonbuk National University (CBNU), Jeonju, South Korea. Thesis: “Preparation, characterization, and water treatment performance of PSF and PVDF nanofiber membranes”. GPA 4/4
  • 2009.9 ~ 2011.7 Master in Chemical Engineering Dept., Minia University, Egypt. Thesis: “ New Trends in Treatment of Industrial Effluents”
  • 2001.9 ~ 2006.5 BSc in Chemical Engineering Dept., Minia University, Egypt. Held the highest rank in the class, consistently achieving 1st in class over four consecutive academic years.

Professional Profile

  • May 2022 to present: Research scientist, Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia.

Main research focus:

1. Fabrication and characterization of polymeric and inorganic membranes for various applications (i.e., MF, UF, NF, and RO).

2. Membrane-based processes for energy-efficient desalination and wastewater reuse

3. Synthesis of nanofibers and nanoparticles for environmental and renewable energy applications.

  • 2019 - 2022: Postdoctoral fellow at Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), KAUST, Saudi Arabia
  • March 2017 to April 2019: Post-doctor, Global Desalination Research Center (GDRC), School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, GIST, South Korea.

KAUST Affiliations

  • Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC)
  • Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE)

Non-KAUST Affiliations

  • Chemical Engineering, Minia University, Egypt

Research Interests Keywords

Membrane Fabrication Nanofibers, Electrospinning Desalination Wastewater Treatment Oily Wastewater Treatment