Europe's Royal Society of Chemistry to Host Symposium at Masdar Institute

Nearly 150 Delegates Expected to Attend One-Day Event Focusing on ‘New Energy Technologies'

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 09 December, 2013 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), the largest organization in Europe for advancing the chemical sciences, will gather nearly 150 delegates for a symposium in Abu Dhabi.

Titled ‘Materials and Chemistry for New Energy Technologies', the one-day symposium will be held on 11 December at Masdar Institute campus. Six academic presentations and a round table discussion are scheduled for the symposium that will see three international speakers and an equal number from Masdar Institute addressing the gathering. The topics will range from ‘Photochemistry of Solar Energy Conversion and Electron Transfer' to ‘Energy Storage and Conversion Materials' and ‘Future Technologies, Industrial CCS and An Assessment of CO2 Utilization and Mineralization'.

The delegates will include students, post-docs and professors from Masdar Institute as well as from other academic institutions, industrial collaborators and companies in the UAE.

Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said: “The hosting of the symposium by Royal Society of Chemistry reflects the stature of Masdar Institute among professional international organizations academic institutions. With the support of the UAE leadership, we have steadily gained reputation as a leading research-based institution offering tangible results. We hope presentations and roundtable at the symposium will prove beneficial to delegates and participants.”

Professor James Durrant, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, will focus on ‘Photochemistry of Solar Energy Conversion and Electron Transfer', while Professor Duncan Gregory, School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, will speak about ‘Energy Storage and Conversion Materials'. Dr Paul Fennell, Senior Lecturer in Clean Energy, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College, London, will highlight ‘The Future of Carbon Capture and Storage: Future Technologies, Industrial CCS and An Assessment of CO2 Utilization and Mineralization'.

From Masdar Institute, Dr Simo Pehkonen, Professor of Chemical Engineering, and Dr Marco Stefancich, Assistant Professor - Materials Science and Engineering will be speaking at the event. Dr Mohammad Abu Zahra, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, will share his expertise in ‘CO2 Capture Technologies: Overview of Current and Future Technologies'.

Serving as a key pillar of innovation and human capital, Masdar Institute remains fundamental to Masdar's core objectives of developing Abu Dhabi's knowledge economy and finding solutions to humanity's toughest challenges such as climate change.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.  With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.