Dr Raed Hashaikeh to Highlight Masdar Institute’s Efforts to Incubate Culture of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Annual Meeting of New Champion 2012
Abu Dhabi-UAE: 24 July, 2012 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced one of its faculty will represent the institution at the World Economic Forum- Annual Meeting of the New Champion 2012 in China.
Dr. Raed Hashaikeh, Associate Professor, Materials Science and Engineering program, is selected for his expertise and thought leadership to participate in the sixth Summer Davos that will be held from 11-13 September in Tianjin. Dr Hashaikeh was instrumental in leading team of scientists that developed a new battery technology for which Masdar Institute has filed a patent application in the US. The team included Materials Science and Engineering students Yarjan Abdul Samad, Ali Asghar, and post-doctoral fellow Dr. Boor Lalia.
With four more patents to his credit, jointly with different teams of scientists, Dr Hashaikeh is one of the leading faculty members, driving innovation at Masdar Institute in areas related to advanced materials development.
Dr Hashaikeh will join a select group of 40-50 extraordinary scientists under the age of 40 to interact with business and political leaders at the event, which is themed Creating the Future Economy. He will offer his contributions under ‘Recognizing the new frontiers of science and technology’, one of the four thematic pillars of the forum.
The ‘Young Scientists’ will contribute to the insights and knowledge provided by other Forum communities, including Technology Pioneers, Social Entrepreneurs, Young Global Leaders and Global Shapers. The forum will highlight the imperative for business, policy-makers and society at large to collaborate on the new models needed to address fundamental changes taking place in the global economy.
Selected from across the world and representing a wide range of disciplines, the scientists will contribute their scientific perspective and deliver the most up-to-date trends from various fields. The forum will gather 1,500 industry leaders, CEOs of top-ranked multinationals, heads of state/government and ministers, as well as leaders from media, academia and civil society to explore the influence of new business models, industries and technologies in the context of sustainable and inclusive growth.
Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, President of Masdar Institute, said: “We are honored by the invitation for Dr Raed Hashaikeh to attend the World Economic Forum-Summer Davos in China. As a young scientist, he represents Masdar Institute’s top-caliber faculty. As directed by the country’s leadership, we drive innovation at Masdar Institute and we are confident Dr Hashaikeh will contribute his valuable perspectives in science and technology to delegates at the forum.”
Dr Hashaikeh said: “I was delighted to accept the invitation to represent Masdar Institute and increase its visibility at such a high-profile event. In addition, the theme of the forum is timely to highlight Masdar Institute’s efforts to develop a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.”
Masdar Institute filed a utility patent application with the US Patents and Trademarks Office for a new lithium ion battery technology in March 2012. The innovation was led by Dr. Raed Hashaikeh and his team of scientists and researchers who successfully developed the first operational 2032-coin cell type lithium battery using the new patented technology. The technology is currently termed “solid polymer electrolyte containing networked cellulose/PEG/LiClO4”. The battery is a small cell of 20mm diameter and 3mm in thickness, used for testing purposes at laboratories.
Earlier, a team led by Dr. Raed Hashaikeh, won the ‘elevator-pitch’ competition titled ‘Entrepreneurship Bootcamp: From Laboratory to Marketplace’ at the INSEAD/SMART Entrepreneurship Bootcamp in Singapore. Dr Hashaikeh’s team won the competition for effectively selling the idea that the novel biodegradable material produced from processing cellulose developed at Masdar Institute, could be used to improve water storage and availability in sandy soils.
Dr. Hashaikeh received his Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from McGill University. Before joining Masdar Institute, he spent two years at FP Innovations-Paprican division, Canada, as Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Industrial Research and Development Fellow. During 2008-2009, he was a visiting scholar at MIT.
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.
