Dr. Venkatesh Kodur, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Centre on Structural Fire Engineering and Diagnostics

Dr. Venkatesh Kodur is a University Distinguished Professor and Director of the Centre on Structural Fire Engineering and Diagnostics at Michigan State University. He is an internationally recognized scholar for his contributions in civil and fire engineering fields and his research accomplishments have had major impacts. He has developed fundamental understanding on the behavior of materials and structural systems under extreme fire conditions. The techniques and methodologies resulting from his research is instrumental for minimizing the destructive impact of fire in the built infrastructure, which continues to cause thousands of deaths and billions of dollars of damage each year in the U.S. and around the world. Dr. Kodur has published results from his research in 500+ peer-reviewed papers in journals and conferences, and has given 100 plenary/key-note presentations at major international conferences and meetings. He is one of the highly cited authors in Civil Engineering and Fire Protection Engineering disciplines, and as per Google Scholar, he has more than 22,000 citations with an "h” index of 82.

Dr. Kodur has served in various leadership positions, including as Chairperson (Head) and Associate Chairperson of the Department of Civil and Environment Engineering at MSU, and as Chair of various technical committees and editorial boards of journals from leading professional societies. Most recently he has been elected to be the Chairperson of the steering committee of the international organization- "Structure in Fire”, In recognition of his contributions, he has been elected as Fellow of seven Institutes and Academies; including Academy of Sciences of the Royal Society of Canada, Canadian Academy of Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, and Indian National Academy of Engineering. Dr. Kodur is also the recipient of distinguished awards, such as ‘NATO award for collaborative research’, ‘Govt. of Canada (NRCC) Outstanding Achievement Award’, and ‘Fulbright Scholar’ award. Dr. Kodur also holds prestigious appointments including, “Distinguished Invited Visiting Professor” at EWHA Woman’s University, South Korea; “INFOSYS Distinguished Visiting Chair Professor” at the Indian Institute of Science; Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay; and Government of India “VAJRA Faculty (Award) for Collaborative Research” at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi and “Adjunct Professor” at the University of Waterloo, Canada. Most notably, Dr. Kodur was part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and American Society of Civil Engineers high profile "Experts Team" that investigated the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings as a result of September 11 terrorist attacks.

Chief Dan Munsey, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, USA

Fire Chief Dan Munsey was appointed to the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District in November 2019. The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the unincorporated parts of San Bernardino County, California and to 24 incorporated cities. San Bernardino County is the largest county in the United States by area covering a total of 20,160 square miles. Chief Munsey has served the citizens of San Bernardino County for over 28 years as a paramedic, firefighter, company, and chief officer. As a chief officer, Chief Munsey has held the ranks of battalion chief, division chief, assistant chief over the last 15 years. San Bernardino County Fire is known as being one of the most innovative and technologically advanced fire agencies in the United States.

Chief Munsey holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, a Master’s degree in Public Administration and is a graduate of the California Special District’s Association Leadership Academy. Chief Munsey is credentialed Chief Fire Officer through the Center for Public Safety Excellence and possess a California State Fire Marshal Chief Fire Officer certification. Chief Munsey has presented numerous times at Fire Rescue international, TEEX Leadership Academy, and various other international public safety conferences. Chief Munsey publishes articles and white papers on the fire service on a regular basis and contributes to fire service research through various institutions.

Chief Munsey is active in the leadership of many committees and associations including the California Metro Chief’s president, a director on the prestigious FIRESCOPE, a member of the western Fire Chiefs Association, the past chairperson of the California Fire Chief Operations Section, and is the International Fire Chief’s Association Technology Council immediate past-chairperson.

Mrs. Dana Kamal, NFPA -Director, International Development (MENA), UAE

“Regional planning, Direction, Coordination, and Support of The NFPA International Development Functions”. A healthcare Engineering expert, professional and engineer with over 22 years of experience in healthcare business development, projects facilities and education across several workstreams. implementing new strategies with existing and new stakeholders, and recently is appointed to be the NFPA – Director International Development (MENA) to cover regulatory, legislative, and technical circles and other. In addition, aim to work closely with multiple sectors to champion building, life safety and fire protection standards, and promote effective code compliance in the built environment, Dana manages and facilitates NFPA MENA Advisory Committee for regional fulfillment of NFPA vision and mission and liaise on various sector leaders and government authorities. Dana holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and a master’s degree in healthcare management. In addition, she holds certifications of NFPA Life Safety code101 and certificates of Healthcare Safety, Emergency Management &Response, and Fire Safety Management by the International Board for Certified Safety Managers IBFCSM, USA. Hospital planning and design by e-Cornell University and an Executive Director diploma by IMAC. Dana is a trusted and active member as well in American Society of Healthcare Engineering ASHE and American Hospital Association AHA.

Dr. Rami Hawileh – Riad T. Al-Sadek Chair in Civil Engineering

Dr. Hawileh is Professor of Civil Engineering at the American University of Sharjah. Since joining AUS in 2007, he was able to build a strong and active research focus that has resulted in around 150 journal papers published in well reputed international journals and around 75 papers in conference proceedings. His research interests are primarily focused on strengthening of reinforced concrete structures, computational modeling, fire resistance, and in the analysis and design of sustainable concrete structures. Dr. Hawileh received the College of Engineering “Research Excellence Award” for the year 2013-14 and was awarded a scholarship by the Arab Fund Fellowships Program in 2015. He has also been ranked, since 2020, among the top 2% Scientists worldwide in their field based on their career-long citation impact, according to a study published and led by Stanford University researchers. Dr. Hawileh is also currently serving as an Associate Editor for the ASCE Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction journal.

Dr. Mohannad Naser, Assistant Professor and Member of AI Research Institute for Science and Engineering (AIRISE)

Dr. Mohannad Naser is a professional engineer and an assistant professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at Clemson University and a faculty member of the AI Research Institute for Science and Engineering (AIRISE). Dr. Naser serves as the current chair of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Advances in Information Technology (AIT) committee and a voting member of various national and international engineering institutions, including (the Society of Fire Protection Engineers). Dr. Naser’s research creates artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies to help us realize fire-safe and resilient infrastructure. He has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications, including two books on artificial intelligence and fire engineering. He is listed in the company with the world’s most impactful researchers by Elsevier and Stanford University, ranking among the world’s top 2% of scientists.

Pramod Challa, Expert-Fire and Life Safety Engineering, Sharjah Civil Defense

An instrumentation engineering graduate from India began his career with Saudi Electricity’s Preventive Safety Department in the late 1990s, spending eight years working in the power industry. In 2008, transitioned to Dubai Civil Defense, where he served as a Senior Engineer until late 2023. Since then, he is with Sharjah Civil Defense as Expert-Fire and Life Safety Engineering.

Throughout his tenure in UAE civil defense, he played a pivotal role in establishing project approval procedures, to developing an online project submission portal to writing and compiling the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice. He was also involved in streamlining material approvals, testing laboratory and certification body approval processes. He has contributed in shaping the way the construction and fire industry interacts with UAE civil defense.

Mr. Daniel Wysokinski, Principal Testing Engineer, Emirates Safety Laboratory

Daniel Wysokinski, MSc Eng, is a Principal Testing Engineer at Emirates Safety Laboratory (ESL), with over a decade of experience in fire testing across various industries, including civil and maritime sectors. Until 2021, Daniel was an active member of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN TC127), where he contributed to the development of fire resistance testing

standards. He also served on the national Technical Committee for Smoke and Heat Control Systems in Europe. In addition, he serves as a Technical Auditor for the European Accreditation Body, focusing on fire laboratories.

Dr. Lotfi Romdhane, Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies

Lotfi Romdhane has held academic positions at King Saud University, KSA, and the University of Monastir and Sousse, Tunisia. He has also been a visiting professor in France and Poland. His research interests are in robotics, mechanisms, machine design, biomechanics of motion and mechatronics. He has taught several undergraduate and graduate courses in these fields and supervised over 15 PhD students and 30 master's students. Dr. Romdhane is a member of the Technical Committee for Computational Kinematics and Robotics and Mechatronics of the International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanisms and Machines (IFToMM).

Mr. Marco Sanchez – CEO of Vipeq North America, Central America and the Caribbean

Mr. Marco is an experienced leader in the insulation and fireproofing industry, with over eight years of expertise. He has driven the company’s growth and supported eco-friendly building materials. His background enhances his decision-making and leadership skills, making him a dynamic force in sustainable construction. Passionate about innovation, Marco is dedicated to revolutionizing green building practices and shaping a more sustainable future.

Prof. Dr. Ghanim Kashwani – Senior Manager - Applied Research, Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT)

Prof Dr Ghanim Kashwani, has been graduated with a PhD in Civil Engineering by the Heriot-Watt University, Scotland – UK. He is a Fellow Chartered Civil Engineer (CEng-FICE) by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)-UK.

Ghanim is also a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv-MSSE) and a Chartered Manager (CMgr-MCMI); Ghanim was awarded with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Civil Engineering by the American University of Sharjah (AUS) and an MBA by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David-UK. Ghanim has industrial experience with major companies as he has worked as a Team Leader at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) for several years; Ghanim is also a Chartered Scientist (CSci) member-UK. He has worked also as an academic in international universities such as New York University (NYU) and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). He has published many papers in international journals on construction materials, safety engineering, and fire engineering. In addition, Dr Kashwani has worked in academic administration, as a Senior Manager of applied research, at local universities such as the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) in the Emirates. Ghanim has been inducted to the Wall of Fame of the American University of Sharjah (AUS) Alumni, and has been awarded Honorary Professorship in Civil Engineering from the Heriot Watt University, Scotland-UK. Dr Kashwani has been appointed as the first president of the Council of Young Arab Researchers by Arab Youth Centre (AYC). Due to his achievements, Dr Kashwani has been awarded the Most Engaged CEN Alumni Award from the College of Engineering (CEN) at the American University of Sharjah (AUS). In the social contribution aspect, Dr Kashwani served as an elected board member in the Society of Engineers (SOE) in the UAE and Education Lead in British Chamber of Commerce Abu Dhabi ( BCC AD).

Mr. Feras Al Salem, Head of Safety and Crisis Management, American University of Sharjah

Feras Al Salem, (PhD candidate), is the Head of Safety and Crisis Management at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), bringing over 15 years of expertise in health and safety management, risk and crisis management, and business continuity planning. Throughout his career in the UAE's private, government, and semi-government sectors, Feras has been instrumental in developing and implementing comprehensive policies and procedures to promote well-being, health and safety, fire safety, emergency preparedness, and crisis and business continuity management. Feras is a certified health and safety professional accredited by internationally recognized organizations, underscoring his commitment to upholding the highest standards in safety and crisis management.

For further information, please contact Dr. Rami Haweeleh: rhaweeleh@aus.edu