Science Society Talks
Engaging sessions bridging science and society on African river systems and water challenges.
Eng. Fawzi BEDREDINE
IAGF Expert – Director of Regional Infrastructure
OMVS, Dakar, Senegal
Ms. Jessica BERGSTEIN-COLLAY
Project Manager
IAGF, Lyon, France
Prof. Fatima-Zahra Tabyaoui
Associate Professor in Hydrogeophysics & Hydrogeology
Mohammed V University, Rabat – Morocco
Prof. Souad EL HAJJAJI
Vice Dean of Research and Cooperation
Mohammed V University, Rabat
Dr Sylvain CHAVE
Scientific Director
PREDICT SERVICES, Castelnau-le-Lez, France
Ms. Linda LILIENFELD
Founder & Director
Let's Talk About Water, New York, USA
Prof. Oula AMROUNI
OMELI Observatory
UNESCO Ecohydrology Demosite, Tunisia
Prof. Ilias KACIMI
University Professor, Senior Researcher
Mohammed V University, Rabat
Dr. Eng. Mohamed Abdellah EZZAOUINI
Director of the Hydraulic Basin Agency of Loukkos (ABHL)
Eng. Fawzi BEDREDINE
IAGF Expert – Director of Regional Infrastructure
OMVS, Dakar, Senegal
Ms. Jessica BERGSTEIN-COLLAY
Project Manager
IAGF, Lyon, France
Prof. Fatima-Zahra Tabyaoui
Associate Professor in Hydrogeophysics & Hydrogeology
Mohammed V University, Rabat – Morocco
Prof. Souad EL HAJJAJI
Vice Dean of Research and Cooperation
Mohammed V University, Rabat
Dr Sylvain CHAVE
Scientific Director
PREDICT SERVICES, Castelnau-le-Lez, France
Ms. Linda LILIENFELD
Founder & Director
Let's Talk About Water, New York, USA
Prof. Oula AMROUNI
OMELI Observatory
UNESCO Ecohydrology Demosite, Tunisia
Prof. Ilias KACIMI
University Professor, Senior Researcher
Mohammed V University, Rabat
Dr. Eng. Mohamed Abdellah EZZAOUINI
Director of the Hydraulic Basin Agency of Loukkos (ABHL)
Porf. Ilias KACIMI
Professor Ilias KACIMI holds a PhD in Hydrogeology and is a Professor at the Faculty of Sciences in Rabat, Morocco. He is the Director of the Geosciences, Water, and Environment Laboratory, and the former Head of the Earth Sciences Department at the Faculty of Sciences of Rabat. Since 2011, he has served as the Coordinator of the Master's program in Space Sciences and Technologies (STE), organized in partnership with the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in French Language (CRASTE-LF), which is affiliated with the UN. He leads several scientific research projects in hydrology and hydrogeology, collaborating with both national and international researchers, notably with various teams from French universities and the IRD (French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development). His research areas focus on Water Resources Management through engineering hydrology, hydrogeology, hydrogeochemistry, modeling, GIS, and remote sensing. His research activities cover several Moroccan basins, including coastal watersheds and oasis basins in southeastern Morocco. He is a member of the Moroccan Committee of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (CM-AIH) and serves on the organizing committees of numerous national and international conferences. Through his leadership roles and research, he has extensive experience in writing policy briefs, bulletins, reports, scientific papers, and conference proceedings in the fields of hydrology and hydrogeology. He also supervises numerous Master's theses and PhD dissertations in water resources.
Prof. Souad EL HAJJAJI
Professor Souad El Hajjaji is a Full Professor of Materials, Water and Environmental Sciences at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco. She has developed an internationally recognized academic and research career through extensive scientific collaborations and appointments in Morocco and abroad, notably in France and Germany. Since 2017, she has served as Director of the Research Center on Water, Natural Resources, Environment and Sustainable Development (CERNE2D), where she has promoted interdisciplinary research and strengthened partnerships between academia and socio-economic stakeholders to address pressing environmental challenges. Prof. El Hajjaji has coordinated numerous national and international research projects within bilateral cooperation frameworks involving Germany, Spain, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Jordan, Tunisia, Egypt, and Algeria, as well as major European programmes such as Horizon 2020 and PRIMA. Her research focuses on sustainable and integrated water resources management under climate change constraints, the development of functional materials for environmental applications, and innovative solutions for wastewater treatment and water reuse. She has supervised more than 30 doctoral theses and authored over 360 peer-reviewed scientific publications and book chapters. A frequent invited speaker at national and international conferences, she serves on several scientific committees and has chaired and organized numerous international scientific events. Prof. El Hajjaji is an associate member of the EXCEED-Swindon Network and an active member of several environmental organizations. She has served as President of the Scientific Committee of COALMA since 2019 and, since 2021, has held the position of Vice-Dean for Scientific Research and Cooperation at the Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University in Rabat.
Prof. Fatima-Zahra TABYAOUI
Prof. Fatima-Zahra Tabyaoui is an Associate Professor in Hydrogeophysics and Hydrogeology at Mohammed V University in Rabat, a position she has held since 2019. She specializes in hydrological, hydrogeological, and geophysical modelling, with a strong focus on the integrated and sustainable management of water resources. Prior to joining academia, she served in positions of responsibility at the Ministry of National Education from 2009 to 2019. On the institutional front, Prof. Tabyaoui serves as a Board Member and Academic & Scientific Coordinator of the Water Embassy (AdE) in France, and as Coordinator of the Mediterranean and African Union of Young Water Ambassadors (UMJAE). In 2024, she was appointed President of the Water Embassy Africa – Morocco, a subsidiary of the World Water Embassy. She also coordinates the STRATEAU Pilot Project for the Sebou Basin (AdE – ABHSebou – CEREMA), and acts as an Observer Member of the AdE in several international bodies, including the United Nations (UN), MENBO, and INBO, while also serving as the AdE’s representative to the African Union. Actively engaged in hydrodiplomacy, Prof. Tabyaoui coordinates multidisciplinary international projects aimed at fostering scientific and institutional collaboration to address water-related challenges. She is a member of numerous national and international professional and scientific networks and associations working on water and the environment.
Dr Sylvain CHAVE
Dr Sylvain CHAVE est directeur scientifique au sein de PREDICT SERVICES. Docteur de l'Université de Provence, il s'est spécialisé en gestion des risques naturels et en particulier sur la mise au point des méthodes d'anticipation permettant la réduction des conséquences humaines et matérielles qui leur sont associées. Il a développé les concepts et méthodes de réalisation des plans de sauvegarde en lien avec la réglementation liée à la sécurité civile, et conformément aux besoins des organisations chargées de la réponse opérationnelle sur le terrain et de leur mobilisation progressive à différentes échelles spatiales (besoins pour les communes, les intercommunalités, les provinces, les régions, les états). Il est le référent du système Vigirisques déployé ces dernières années au Maroc avec le ministère de l'Intérieur. Son objectif est d'assurer l'alerte précoce des populations face aux risques d'inondation survenant dans différents territoires marocains. Plus largement il contribue aux missions de conception des Early Warning System confiés à Predict Services dans différents pays africains (Tunisie, Sénégal, Cote d'Ivoire en particulier) en lien avec le changement climatique et les besoins d'adaptation induits.
Ms. Linda LILIENFELD
Linda Lilienfeld is the founder and director of Let’s Talk About Water, Mayors Make Movies and the Water Film Prize competitions for short films about water and science. Linda has over thirty-five years of experience as a film and picture researcher, specializing in science and history on projects ranging from PBS documentaries to museum exhibits and books. For Linda, “water knits it all together” and as an advocate of the power of film to communicate, she created a “water and film” library of over 300 films. Linda has screened many of these films in a diverse range of settings—from university campuses across the country, to the House of Representatives’ Water Caucus, to a four-day theatrical program at the World Water Forum 2012 in Marseille, France. She has held eight yearly programs in Delft, the Netherlands at the Filmhuis Lumen, the TU Delft and Deltares, and many other World Water Forum meetings up through 2025.
Prof. Oula AMROUNI
Dr. Oula Amrouni is an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technologies (INSTM) - University of Carthage, and an expert in geology and the study of sediment dynamics in both aerial and underwater coastal systems. Dr. Amrouni specializes in the evolution of the North African coastline in the context of climate and urban changes. Since 2003, she has led or participated in around twenty national and international projects. Her research focuses on developing nature-based solutions for the restoration of sandy beaches while promoting the role of sustainable tourism in the green economy. Since 2016, she has served as the Regional Coordinator of the UNESCO MEDFRIEND-WATER program and leads the theme on “Coastal Ecohydrology.” She is also the focal point of the OMELI Coastal Observatory, recognized as a UNESCO demonstration site since 2022.
Dr. Eng. Mohamed Abdellah Ezzaouini
Dr. Eng. Mohamed Abdellah Ezzaouini holds a PhD in Water Resources from Mohammed V University (2021), a postgraduate degree in Water Resources Management from the Hassania School of Public Works and the École Nationale des Travaux Publics de Toulouse (1999–2000), and a State Engineer's degree in Meteorology from the Hassania School of Public Works and the École Nationale de Météorologie de Toulouse (1996). He has built a 30-year career in water resources planning and management, having served as Chief Forecaster at the National Forecasting Centre, Study Engineer at the Directorate of Water Research and Planning, and successive Division Head at the Hydraulic Basin Agency of Bouregreg-Chaouia (ABHBC) and ABH Tensift. Since December 2022, he serves as Director of the Hydraulic Basin Agency of Loukkos (ABHL).