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. 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
Eng. Fawzi BEDREDINE
IAGF Expert – Director of Regional Infrastructure
OMVS, Dakar, Senegal
Ms. Jessica BERGSTEIN-COLLAY
Project Manager
IAGF, Lyon, France
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
Eng. Fawzi BEDREDINE
Porf. Ilias KACIMI
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
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.