Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering

Center for Advanced Materials Research (CAMR)

Since its establishment in 2012, the Xray Center for Material Analysis has been very successful in supporting research, community service, and technology transfer efforts of the University of Sharjah (UoS). With a good track record in terms of research output (publications and conference presentations), technical workshops, visiting experts, fellowships, student projects, consultations, professional services and training, external research funds, and links with government and international agencies, the Xray Center has established itself as an active research unit at UoS.

In the fall of 2014, there was a major change in the research structure, focus, and funding at UoS, as directed by the university Board of Trustees. In lieu of this change, it was decided by the Xray Center executive members to form a research unit called the Center for Advanced Materials Research (CAMR) which better fits into the new research scheme of the university and its ambitious plans.

Cybersecurity & Data Analytics Research Center (CDAC)

CDAC undertakes internationally leading research in carefully chosen areas based on the center’s expertise targeting both software and hardware solutions in this multi-faceted application areas. The center has focused on developing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technology tools and systems for a range of relevant problems, including telesurveillance/biometric security, digital multimedia security and forensics, quantitative pathology, big data mining and analytics, intelligent transportation, networks security, crowd analysis and computational linguistics. The Center is also conducting pioneering research to secure cyber-physical infrastructure targeting next generation computer and networks, cloud computing and interconnected sensors and devices.

CDAC has extensive expertise in applied computer vision, cryptography and steganography, machine learning, networks security and can offer tailored short courses for industry and academia. ​

Smart Automation and Communication Technologies Research Center (SACT)

Vision:
To lead research and development efforts in the fields of smart sensors, automation and communication technologies.

Mission:
To serve the community through advancing knowledge and developing sustainable, efficient, and smart solutions in the fields of healthcare, robotics, electronics and communications.

Sustainable Energy and Power Systems Research Center (SEPSC)

Sustainable Systems, Technologies & Infrastructure Research Center (SSTIRC) - مركز بحوث النظم والتقنيات والبنية التحتية المستدامة

Autonomous Robotics and Active Vision RG

Robotics is generating significant interest among the leading Entrepreneurs and Governments. Across the globe, companies are constantly innovating and patenting designs to create the world's first fully autonomous machine with capabilities that will forever transform the way we do business and how we manufacture goods. It is therefore essential that the UAE, the most technologically forward country in the Middle East & North Africa region, uses the opportunities that advancements in robotics can present, to remain competitive and a front runner. Analysts predict that the early adoption of robotics technology in the UAE would significantly increase the GDP of the country and create a more knowledge-based economy thus propelling UAE as the premier destination for leading companies worldwide.

The vision for Autonomous Robotics and Active Vision (ARAV) Research Group is therefore that of empowering the society, and the basis of this empowerment is the research and development of next generation active vision algorithms coupled with realistic bio-mimetic kinematics paradigms and articulated physics-based mechanics for the implementation and integration of autonomous robots for the purpose of interacting naturally with people and with each other by adapting their behavior to the requirements of the task they are given within the dynamic environment they are situated in.

Big Data Mining and Multimedia RG

Welcome to the Big Data Mining and Multimedia research group! Our mission is to conduct cutting-edge research in data mining, big data, multimedia databases, traffic surveillance, crowd analysis, social networks, federated learning, and wireless sensor network data streams. We are dedicated to extracting valuable knowledge from big data to enhance decision-making in applications that benefit the UAE and the region. Together, we will strive to achieve our goals and make a significant impact in this exciting field. Welcome to our team!

Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics RG (Joint with RIMHS)

The Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics Research group is an interdisciplinary research group established in 2018 in RIMHS, University of Sharjah. The key focus of the group is to understand the molecular mechanisms and to identify early diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of chronic complex human diseases including but not limited to, cancer, endocrine and inflammatory diseases using multi- platform OMICs technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics and metagenomics). In order to achieve this goal, the research group aims to develop novel bioinformatics algorithms and/or tools and efficient research workflow for bioinformatic integration and analysis of datasets from multi-OMICs platforms. The ultimate goal of our work is to provide innovative solutions for environmental, health and food issues. Partly, the group extends the focus on environmental sustainability issues, a current scientific policy of the region, where the complexity of the UAE native plants and cellular response to harsh environmental stresses has been addressed using novel genomic technology.

Biomass and Bioenergy

Background

Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group aims to research advances in technology to address potential green industries' demands. Furthermore, the group also aims to transform ordinary biomass into industrial raw material to fulfill the needs of high-value chemicals and biofuels. The key scientific activities involve collecting knowledge on biomass's physical/chemical properties and converting biomass into fuels using different processes (anaerobic digestion, transesterification, fermentation, pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion). The group has been conducting simulations and techno-economic evaluations of biomass conversion technologies. Biomass and Bioenergy group can partner with industry and government to better help UAE's economy. Research from fundamental studies in the lab to applied, short-term contracts with other organizations will be conducted to investigate the potential of biomass energy in the region.

• Goals & Objectives

Testing and analyzing physical (Proximate Analysis) and chemical (Ultimate Analysis) properties of different available biomass.
Studying the potential energy content of different biomass.
Converting ordinary biomass into high-value chemicals and biofuels.
Converting biomass into clean energy (biofuels: i.e. biodiesel, biogas, syngas, bio-oil) can be used in different applications as an alternative option to conventional fuels (diesel, natural gas).
Refereed publications: journal papers, conference papers, book chapters, technical reports, books, patents, creative works, supervision of post-graduate students; organization of professional events, etc.

• History

Biomass and Bioenergy research line was part of the independent Sustainable Energy Development research group under the Research Institute of Science and Engineering. Recently, it becomes a separate research line by itself under the Renewable Energy and Power Systems Research Center. The group currently consists of five members with strong knowledge and background in bioenergy and alternative fuels. The research line had succeeded in publishing many quality journal articles in high-impact journals, conference papers, books, and book chapters in the field of waste to energy, renewable and alternative fuels, simulation and optimization of different biomass conversion processes, and bioenergy & biorefinery. The group members have participated in many conferences, workshops, and seminars related to biomass and bioenergy. Furthermore, the group members succeeded in supervising many post-graduate students who focused on different biomass and bioenergy-related projects.

Bio-Sensing and Bio-sensors

​The Bio-Sensing and Bio-Sensors group is a part of the Research Institute of Science and Technology (RISE) under the University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It is an independent and interdisciplinary research group that involves people from different backgrounds. This alliance of various fields leads to innovations and creative environments by incorporating numerous experiences and knowledge of students and members. To develop Bio-IS (Biomedical Instruments/Sensors), various departments of Medical/Health and Engineering Colleges will be developing the correlations between the materials and human responses.

Desalination Water Treatment RG

Distributed & Networked Systems RG

Distributed and networked systems are providing the infrastructure for computation (information processing), communication and storage involving a heterogeneous and potentially large number people, devices and software systems. Examples of such distributed and/or networked systems include local and wide area networks that make up the Internet, wireless/cellular communication networks for exchanging voice, video and data, wireless sensor networks for surveillance, monitoring and information gathering, multi-processor systems for high-performance information processing, and computing Clouds for providing centralized computing/storage services to remote users/entities/systems. These networked systems represent strategic infrastructure for any nation, with the UAE as a front-runner being no exception.

The Distributed and Networked Systems (DNS) Research Group, established back in 2015, aims at developing the protocols, system architecture, mechanisms and underlying principles for the above-mentioned systems. Our research will focus on techniques and architectures which are not only practical and deployable, but also provably correct/optimal. Our research areas include network protocols/mechanisms, wireless and mobile networks, multi-processor systems, network-on-a-chip, cloud computing, parallel processing, and interconnection of things such as interconnected vehicles, robots, etc. The ultimate objective of this research group is to benefit the information and communication technology sector of the UAE and the region at large, contribute to the scientific development and competitiveness of the University of Sharjah, the UAE and the region at large, as well as contribute to the training of highly-qualified personnel through the involvement of students and post-doctoral researchers.

Energy Storage Systems and Storage Management RG

The Energy Storage Systems and Storage Management group is an example of a focused research group with multi-disciplinary backgrounds. The group assembly is timely for the community since one of the biggest challenges in energy production and distribution is the proper choice of energy storage technologies to match the targeted energy resource. With the increased reliance on renewable resources and in light of the UAE vision 2020 of complementing the available energy mix to include renewables, the UAE community will benefit from the efforts expected to be implemented by the group to provide state-of-the-art solutions to the community energy storage needs. The sole reliance on chemical storage (batteries) has been identified by the Energy Committee of the National Federal Council (10th session on the strategies of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in the UAE, held on 24th February 2019) to be ineffective, and they recommended the active research to be focused on other possible technologies for energy storage and storage management.

Environmental & Chemical Biology RG

The mission of the Environmental and Chemical Biology (ECB) group is to explore and produce a novel understanding of desert ecosystem biodiversity, plant biological and physiological processes, demonstrate the significance of native plants and their role in combating desertification, the economic importance of medicinal plants and ecological complexity of desert ecosystems to the scientific community and public. The mission is also extended to assist people and institutions in their effort to promote biodiversity conservation, enhance the efficient and sustainable uses of natural resources, and protect environmental values and cultures.

Environmental Resources Conservation & Protection RG

GIS & RS Sensing Center

The geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) center seeks to acquire a respectful status within the UAE and Gulf region as a credible research center specialized in GIS and RS fields. The center aims at establishing a geospatially-centered research environment and providing world-class knowledge and expertise for multi-disciplinary research in Science and Engineering, Computer, Environmental, Social and Earth Sciences, Sustainable Development, as well as Information and Data Management Technologies. The center's research map involves a variety of activities such as education, research, community services, development, data gathering- analysis, training, and consulting.

High Energy Physics

​For many decades particle physicists have been trying to answer many open questions about several sticking phenomena that are persisting below the Fermi scale. Everything in Nature is governed by four fundamental interactions: Gravity, Electromagnetic (EM), Strong and Weak forces. The universe is made from basic building blocks called elementary particles, controlled by these four fundamental forces. Our best understanding on how these elementary particles behave is governed in the Standard Model (SM) framework of particle physics. The SM was developed back in the early 1970s. So far, it is extremely successful in explaining most of the measurements in particle physics at high energies that are accessible today. .

A major goal of the particle physics program at the high energy frontiers, is to investigate the nature of the electroweak symmetry breaking. Since the 4th of July 2012 one of the important ingredients of the SM theory, the Higgs boson, became visible in the ATLAS and CMS detectors at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

However, even though after the Higgs discovery, several fundamental questions remain unsolved. Therefore, physics beyond the standard model is explored to shed more light on these unexplained puzzles (Neutrino masses, Dark Matter (DM) nature, Matter-Anti Matter Asymmetry in the universe, the origin of the Baryon Asymmetry of the Universe (BAU)). To tackle these open problems, various experimental searches of well motivated theoretical models beyond the SM have been investigated.

Human genetics & Stem Cells RG

A human genetics and stem cells research group was established to unravel the genetic causes of the monogenetic disorders that are prevalent in the local population. It also forms a platform for researchers to unravel the molecular processes that govern stem cell differentiation.

The group members aim to adopt innovative approaches to enrich our understanding of the genetic component of monogenetic disorders and strive to improve differentiation protocols for the differentiation of human mesenchymal and dental pulp stem cells into neural and adipocyte lineages.

Information and Network Security RG

The center carries research in information security to help governmental organizations and local institutions to protect their information infrastructure from cyber attacks. More specifically, the center will work with organizations to identify threats, quantify risks, and take remediation measures to mitigate the effect of possible cyber attacks. The center also can work with organizations to implement security standards and achieve compliance with the highest industry and government regulations.

Intelligent Information Systems & Applications

The University of Sharjah strongly encourages and supports the establishment of multidisciplinary research groups in state-of-the-art research areas. The Intelligent Information Systems and Applications group has been originally formed at the Department of Information Systems in the College of Computing and Informatics to provide a scientific platform to energize collaborative efforts among faculties, researchers and students at the University of Sharjah in the fields of Business Information Systems, Business Administration, Enterprise Systems, Expert Systems, Operational Research, Computer Science, and Engineering.

Intelligent systems, multi-modality data, and various computing platforms enable rapid, personalized, dedicated services for our communities. The global perspectives on intelligence information systems showcase cutting-edge research that embraces several fields from system design to deployment and from data acquisition to analysis in cross-disciplinary areas that require the discovery of valuable information from dynamic, massive, diversified data. The research of this group focuses on the pressing, contemporary aspects of the intelligence techniques for data management in information systems applications including business, resource management, transportation, health, environment, and security, to name a few.

Vision:
The vision of IISA research group is to conduct and promote world-class research in the fields of Intelligent information systems for Smart Cities, Business Intelligence and cryptocurrency, Big data analytics for sustainable development and Information Security in Urban intelligence applications. This will help IISA to become one of the top research organizations in the area and internationally recognized.

Mission:
The mission of the IISA research group is to serve the community through conducting high quality research, targeting innovations, disseminating research findings through training/ extension/ consultancy activities in the areas of intelligent information systems, business intelligence, operational research, big data analytics, information management, expert systems and applications, data processing, system analysis and design, and urban intelligence applications. The research group will facilitate access to interdisciplinary expertise in business information systems, information technology, information management, smart cities, and urban intelligence. In addition to increasing the collaboration opportunities with industry towards boosting the local economy.
Members of the IISA research group will strive to emphasize the practical and innovative aspects of intelligent information systems through enhancing existing undergraduate and graduate courses in the engaged departments within the IISA research group, as well as offering new integrated courses. The members of the research group will integrate graduate and undergraduate students in research and professional activities to help prepare a new generation of data analysts, system designers, engineers, and scientists ready to meet the development needs of the society and strategic goals of the government outlined in the UAE vision 2030.
Both fundamental and applied research will be synergistically conducted in various facets of intelligent information systems spanning the areas of business intelligence, big data analysis, smart systems, internet of things, urban intelligence, self-organizing systems, metaheuristics techniques, intelligent transportation systems, operational research, and hybrid intelligent systems.

Goal:
The goal of the IISA research group is to conduct state-of-the-art research activities that are focused on the intelligent information systems models, in view of the smart applications of business information systems, information technology, information management, smart cities, and urban intelligence.
The research group is intended to encourage inter-disciplinary research within multiple departments in the University of Sharjah.

Objectives:
The main objectives of the research group are to:

Conduct multi-disciplinary research on intelligent information systems and their applications.
Carry out the integration of artificial intelligence and database technologies to generate Intelligent Information Systems.
Presents systems architecture, analysis and design tools and techniques, and implementation practices in intelligent information systems.
Develop applied research projects in business intelligence and business risk management.
Cooperate with potential industrial partners, in addition to national, regional and international institutions involved in intelligent systems and smart technologies.
Provide training and education opportunities for students and professionals in the field.
Organize public seminars to raise the public awareness to information management.

Ionizing Radiation

Ionizing radiation is widely used in our daily life. From industry to health to daily consumer products, commonly used in International use of radiation in industry, health and power production is increasing rapidly. Radiation sources are utilized daily in hospitals, factories, educational institutions and many other establishments such as food processing and preservation. Radiation in the form of x-rays, gamma-rays, ultra-violet and infra-red is utilized daily, in medical imaging, and radiotherapy, in material analysis, in communications, in quality control and in many other activities. Moreover, natural radioactivity (background) surrounds us and is an integral part of our environment. However, the application of radiation sources requires a lot of care and high level of awareness of their hazards as well as their potential. Therefore the purpose of this research group will be to research into the different fields of radiation physics and its applications.

The group will be comprised of a number of scientists from various disciplines with a common interest in radiation physics and its applications, concentrating mainly, on the use of radiation for analysis and the monitoring of radioactivity in the environment. Also of interest are the medical applications of radiation, especially in the areas of medical imaging and radiotherapy. Furthermore, one of the prime objectives of the group will be to educate the community at large on the hazards of radiation sources, and through its research, disseminate information pertaining to radiation protection and international standards to the relevant regional and national institutions and agencies.

Machine Learning and Arabic Language Processing RG

The Arabic language is a Semitic language that has its own complex phonological, morphological, syntactic, and topological characteristics. Such characteristics contribute to the complexity of processing the Arabic language. In addition, Arabic has very rich vocabulary; it has more morphological inflections than the English language. Arabic is very challenging and, therefore, offers different opportunities for study and investigation. For example, while the English language has nearly 50 part-of-speech (POS) tags, Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) POS tags exceed 300,000. Besides, Arabic employs diacritics and has several rule exceptions.

Arabic is manifest in two main forms: Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and colloquial Arabic dialects. Colloquial Arabic dialects (CAD) has become important because of the proliferation of social networks, which resulted in the vast unstructured dialectal texts available on the web. Despite the strong rise of MSA and CAD content on the web, little research has been done to extract such content. Additional efforts are mandatory to enrich the Arabic language datasets or corpora for written and spoken forms. This is a prerequisite for developing solid research in the areas of document/information retrieval and analysis, language processing, sentiment analysis, speech recognition, and machine learning. A critical area of research of the proposed group is the creation of such content (MSA and CAD) and making it accessible to other researchers in this field to attain concrete contribution and meet the desired expectations.

Arabic Language Processing (ALP) is a subfield that combines research from the fields of computational linguistics and artificial intelligence. It aims at facilitating the interaction between computers and humans using Arabic language or its colloquial varieties. Many challenges in ALP involve syntactic parsing and tagging, morphological analysis and disambiguation, MSA and CAD Corpora, sentiment analysis, speech recognition, unsupervised and supervised machine learning from corpora, chatbots and their applications, search and information retrieval. Some of the projects that we anticipate to start include construction of MSA and CAD repositories, sentiment analysis of MSA and CAD texts, Arabic speech recognition and understanding in MSA and Emirati CAD.

In the field of speech processing and recognition, we are interested in studying and analyzing different problems such as speech recognition, speaker recognition (identification and verification), talking condition recognition, gender recognition, accent recognition, language recognition, and abnormal talking environments. The abnormal talking environments are stressful talking environments and emotional talking environments. Specifically, we need to study and analyze Arabic Emirati-accented speech database in each of stressful and emotional talking environments for different applications.

In the field of computational linguistics, the overall language system consists of subsystems such as phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Rules about language use can be best studied from a large corpus that can be analyzed through the use of computer software. Certain computer programs can also be used to compile dictionaries of Arabic collocations that are of paramount importance to language learning, translation, teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers and writing textbooks for Arabs and foreign learners of Arabic. Building a huge Arabic corpus facilitates research in determining the frequency of certain lexical items and language structures. Such a project can also be helpful in developing machine interpretation and translation.

Nowadays, machine learning (ML) is a hot area of research and its applications are wide. In our group, we shall attempt at initiating state-of-the-art research by combining research on deep linguistic modeling and data analysis with machine learning and deep learning approaches to process Arabic language. This is a promising research area with great potential.

We aim at developing local expertise and promoting awareness of the importance of ALP and ML in the community at large. The members of the group shall embark on interdisciplinary collaborative research projects with external entities that share the same concerns about Arabic computing.

Materials for energy applications - CAMR

Materials for Environmental Applications - CAMR

Mixed Analogue-Digital Smart Electronic Circuits & Systems RG

Mixed Analog-Digital Smart Electronic Circuits and Systems (MADSECS) Research Group were established by the Chancellor of the University of Sharjah based on the recommendation of the University Research Board (URB) in its meeting No. 2 held on 16/4/2015. It is one of the specialized Research Groups affiliated to the Research Institute for Sciences and Engineering. The activities of MADSECS include theoretical and applied researches in the different fields of Electronics including analog/digital, and circuits/systems design besides caring scientific consultancy services to the industrial sector for both production and services.

Modeling, Analysis & Simulation of Some Evolutionary Phenomena RG

Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation of Some Evolutionary Phenomena (MASE) Research Group is aimed to provide an umbrella for infrastructure research in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Sharjah. Many fundamental phenomena can be described by evolutionary equations such as partial differential equations deterministic or stochastic models

The main topics of the research group will be: mathematical models of such evolutionary phenomena linear and nonlinear cases Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation of Some Evolutionary Phenomena focuses on the analytical theory of such equations (existence, uniqueness, qualitative behavior) and on the development and implementation of some new algorithms and their numerical analysis. Computational Mathematical Chemistry, coding theory of finite rings and groups
Recent tools in the functional analysis as well as in numerical analysis will be used to have the existence, uniqueness of the solutions (if any) and the validation by implementing new algorithms will be utilized.

The group pursues innovative, cost effective, socially aware and environmentally friendly infrastructure solutions, including basic and applied research related to: planning, sustainable materials, design, retrofitting, analysis, performance, monitoring, maintenance, and risk management. Both fundamental and applied research is synergistically conducted in various facets of civil infrastructure systems.

Modeling and Optimization for Sustainable Operations and Supply Chains

Nuclear Energy System Simulation and Safety

The mission of the Nuclear Energy System, Simulation and Safety (NE3S) research group is to contribute to the peaceful use of nuclear power within the UAE and in the world by identifying and tackling the existing problems and by developing advanced methods and systems in nuclear energy activities.

The objectives of the group are:

To be the first and new nuclear research center in UOS and second in the UAE.
To conduct research that will contribute to the advancement of nuclear power technology locally and internationally.
To share research findings with other professionals through written publications and presentations at conferences and workshops.
To attain continued professional growth and development by providing training of young and promising human resources to do research.

Open UAE R&D RG

The OpenUAE Research & Development Group is the first of its kind in the country, providing new research opportunities related to the successful adoption of Open Source Software (OSS) in the region. The group will engage students (undergraduate and graduate at universities and other interested parties) to conduct research on the deployment of OSS in many sectors to serve multiple purposes i.e. Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence cyber security, smart cities, Internet of Things, …etc. The group provides the necessary training, develops ICT solutions based on OSS, evaluates and assesses these solutions and provides consultancy services to enable government-wide, as well as private sector access, to OSS. The group initiative is aligned with the mission of the University of Sharjah as well as the economic vision of the UAE 2021.

Organometallic Chemistry - CAMR

Planetary Sciences

Pure and Applied Chemistry

​W​e are working on the development of innovative and practical electrochemical sensing and energy storage solutions. To this end, we are developing a wide range of electrodes based on different types of materials including, carbon-based, metal, metal oxide, and organic materials. We are also controlling the size and shape of our materials for optimal performance, typically using nanomaterials with special morphologies such as sheets and tubes. We are mainly focused on electrochemical sensing of small molecules and heavy metals on the sensing side and high-performance supercapacitors on the energy storage side. We aim to be a pioneer in high-end, economic, and scalable electrochemical solutions for different applications.

Quantom Information, Simulation, and Processing RG

Radio Astronomy

Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency

ABOUT
Background
The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Research Group (REEE) is dedicated to pioneering cutting-edge research in the field of Sustainable and Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Renewable and Alternative Fuels, Energy Monitoring, Control, and Management. The group's expertise extends to advanced modeling and simulation of energy systems, sustainable materials development, the intersection of energy and water resources, and innovative waste-to-energy conversion technologies. Furthermore, the group delves deeply into sustainability, energy planning, and strategies for mitigating climate change. REEE functions as a dynamic hub, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration among academia, industry, and government entities. This collaboration is a key component to address real-world energy challenges. The ultimate goal of REEE is not just to advance academic knowledge, but to apply its research outcomes to address tangible, real-world global energy dilemmas, thereby contributing to a more sustainable and energy-efficient future.

Goals & Objectives
To provide advanced research and innovation in:
Renewable Energy: Solar Photovoltaic, Concentrated Solar Power, Wind, Bioenergy, and Geothermal
Energy Efficiency: Building, Industry and Transportation
Renewable and Alternative Fuels: Biogas, Biodiesel, Syngas, and Hydrogen
Energy Management/ Sustainability / Energy Systems Modeling and Simulation

To provide training, consultancy and community services:
Provide specialized training in the energy field
Provide specialized training in renewable and sustainable energy
Provide specialized energy consultancy services
Support concerned governmental agencies and organizations

To disseminate knowledge and pursue community outreach:
Organize professional courses, workshops, and conferences
Provide relevant publishing and research findings to community.

History
The evolution of the "Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency" research line began as an integral part of the "Sustainable Energy Development" research group. This influential group was founded in 2015 within the Research Institute of Science and Engineering (RISE) under the esteemed leadership of Prof. Chaouki Ghenai. Over time, the research line grew in scope and significance and became an independent research stream. Now, it operates under the umbrella of the Renewable Energy and Power Systems Research Center at RISE, with Prof. Ibrahim El-Sharkawy leading the supervision of the group which consists of 12 dedicated professionals. This team comprises a dynamic mix of academic experts, including Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors, alongside a Post-Doctoral Research Associate, a Laboratory Officer, and a Research Assistant. Each member brings a wealth of expertise in various facets of renewable energy—ranging from Solar Photovoltaic and Concentrated Solar Power to Wind, Hydro Energy, Bioenergy, and Geothermal Energy. Additionally, their proficiency extends to Energy Efficiency and Management, Sustainability, Energy Planning, Climate Change Mitigation, Materials for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems, the Energy-Water Nexus, and Waste-to-Energy Conversion.

The group's prolific academic output includes numerous high-quality journal articles published in prestigious journals, influential conference papers, comprehensive books, and insightful book chapters. The team's commitment to advancing knowledge in the field is further evidenced by their active participation in international conferences, workshops, and seminars, all dedicated to Renewable and Sustainable Energy and Energy Efficiency. Their excellence in research and development has not gone unnoticed, as evidenced by numerous top placements in local and international awards and recognitions. Furthermore, the group has played a pivotal role in mentoring a new generation of scholars, supervising numerous post-graduate students engaged in cutting-edge Renewable Energy and Sustainability projects.

Aligning with the group's establishment, the Renewable Energy Research Laboratory (RERL) was initiated under RISE. This lab contains state-of-the-art facilities that boast advanced research equipment and systems, bolstering the group's capacity to conduct groundbreaking research in Sustainable and Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. The RER lab serves as a testament to the group's commitment to practical, innovative solutions in the quest for a more sustainable future.​

Smart Grid Systems

This research group was approved in Nov. 2019. Since that time, all its group members become involved in several research topics (as will be listed later in this form). In brief, the research topics covered by the group members include theoretical and experimental analyses for several subjects related to the smart grid, microgrid, and distributed generation systems. In addition, the group members have the intention to build prototypes for some systems related to the microgrid and distributed generation systems. These prototypes are utilized to conduct research in the topics included in the members' activities such as operation, control, protection, parameters estimation, and optimization of smart grids and microgrids.

Sustainable Architecture and Resilient Design

The Sustainable Architecture and Resilient Design Research Group (SARD-RG) aims to contribute to the development of research in the fields of Sustainable Architecture and Resilient Design. The SARD-RG provides professional consultancy and collaborative research that serves local and international communities. To achieve its mission, the research group acts as an interdisciplinary group, where researchers from different engineering specializations of architecture, heritage, civil, sustainable, and urban development extend their knowledge and expertise to address the current global and sustainable architecture challenges facing us in the 21st century.​

Sustainable Civil Infrastructure Systems RG

The Sustainable Civil​ Infrastructure Systems (SCIS) Research Group was established to provide an umbrella for infrastructure research in the areas of Construction Management, Water Resources engineering, Transportation, Pavement, and Geotechnical engineering applications in Civil Engineering with a focus on sustainable development.

The SCIS group is focused on discovering knowledge and developing and applying creative solutions to address complex infrastructure issues with interdisciplinary nature. The group members pursue innovative, cost effective, socially aware and environmentally friendly infrastructure solutions, including basic and applied research related to planning, sustainable materials, design, retrofitting, analysis, performance, monitoring, maintenance, and risk management.

Sustainable Construction Materials & Structural Systems RG

The Sustainable Construction Materials and Structural Systems (SCMASS) group at the University of Sharjah, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is a focused group composed of accomplished faculty members with research interests in the area of sustainable and novel construction materials and structural systems. The group is committed to undertaking impactful research for the benefit of the local and international community.
The group members are actively involved in funded research projects and Master and PhD supervision. The group has partnered with several national and international organization to conduct sponsored research.
The group research activities cover various areas of Civil and Structural Engineering and has a holistic approach towards the use of integrated experimental testing, analytical methods and numerical simulation. SCMASS envisions two major research tracks consisting of a series of projects involving industry partners, faculty members, research fellows, and graduate students. These research tracks involve different integral research components such as durability of construction materials, advanced cement-based composites, low-carbon cementitious binders, advanced polymer-based materials, structural applications using emerging advanced composite materials, rehabilitation of structures, seismic assessment of metal, concrete and composite structures, innovative structural systems and components for seismic applications. The research is carried out using rigorous and advanced analytical and experimental techniques in line with the projects' requirements. The two research lines are as follows:
1. Sustainable Construction Materials:
This research line intends to develop and promote sustainable, durable, and high-performance construction materials that meet the new and emerging needs for sustainable structural systems. The research line will focus on the development and characterization of advanced construction materials like high-performance fiber reinforced concrete (HPFRC), fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP), low-carbon cementitious binders, engineered cementitious composites (ECC), and integration of such materials for structural applications, including upgrading and retrofitting of existing structures. Furthermore, this line will include research to improve recycled and reclaimed materials in the construction industry.



2. Sound and Sustainable Structural Systems:



This research line intends to promote sustainable and long-lasting structures under severe loads and environmental conditions. Of particular interest are research activities focusing on seismic-resilient systems, blast- and impact-resistant structures, and novel energy dissipation and isolation materials and devices. This research line involves designing, testing, evaluating, and analyzing structural systems/components, including buildings and bridges that incorporate new and emerging composite and high-performance materials under static, dynamic, impact, blast, and cyclic loading.
The research group has several lab facilities at its disposal including the Materials and Structural Engineering lab and the Advance Materials Lab​.

Sustainable Engineering Asset Management RG

The fast-growing and changing economy of UAE and the region leads to a rapid expansion of industries and infrastructures that emphasize achieving competitive advantage and sustainable business outcomes that rely on a good economy without compromising safety, environmental and social issues. This creates the need for implementing innovative and sustainable methods that consider the various phases of the life cycle of engineering assets. Our vision is to become a regional leading research group in the field of sustainable engineering asset management. At the same time, our mission is to contribute to the development of research and higher education and services to the community in innovative and sustainable design, development, operations, maintenance, disposal, and management of engineering assets and technologies. The group's research is multidisciplinary, where researchers from different disciplines, including industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, and applied statistics, pool their knowledge and expertise to solve engineering assets problems.