Sonia Abdennadher | Emerging Technologies | Research Excellence Award

Dr. Sonia Abdennadher | Emerging Technologies | Research Excellence Award

The Higher Colleges of Technology | United Arab Emirates

Dr. Sonia Abdennadher, PhD, CMA, is an accomplished Associate Professor of Finance and Accounting at the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, and a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Rouen, France. With over two decades of academic and professional experience across Europe and the Middle East, she has established a strong international reputation in corporate governance, auditing, financial reporting, fintech adoption, and ESG practices. Dr. Abdennadher earned her PhD in Business Administration from Paris-Saclay University, where her doctoral research pioneered the study of technology intermediation in corporate governance, with a particular focus on Internet voting in shareholders’ general meetings. Her academic background is further strengthened by dual master’s degrees in Networks Management and Economics and International Finance, Trading, and Capital Markets, complemented by a solid undergraduate foundation in finance. At HCT, Dr. Abdennadher plays a key leadership role, serving as Chair of Promotion Committees, member of the Higher Faculty Promotion Committee, Applied Research Coordinator, and System Course Team Leader in Sustainable Finance. She has taught a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in finance, accounting, auditing, corporate governance, sustainable finance, and investment analysis, and has extensive experience in executive education and capstone research supervision. Her research portfolio includes numerous high-impact publications in leading Q1 journals such as Journal of Business Ethics, Finance Research Letters, Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, and International Journal of Finance & Economics. Her work bridges theory and practice by examining blockchain, artificial intelligence, fintech, and ESG measurement within financial markets and governance systems, particularly in the UAE and MENA region. Dr. Abdennadher has successfully led and co-led multiple competitive research grants exceeding AED 600,000, and actively collaborates with regulators, stock exchanges, and Big Four audit firms. Through her scholarship, leadership, and policy-relevant research, she continues to contribute significantly to the modernization of corporate governance and sustainable finance globally.

 

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Featured Publications


The Effects of Blockchain Technology on the Accounting and Assurance Profession in the UAE: An Exploratory Study


Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, Vol. 20(1), pp. 53–71, 2022

Corporate Social Responsibility Antecedents and Practices as a Path to Enhance Organizational Performance: Evidence from SMEs


Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Vol. 28(6), pp. 1647–1663, 2021

The Effectiveness of E-Corporate Governance: An Exploratory Study of Internet Voting at Shareholders’ Annual Meetings in France


Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, Vol. 20(4), 2020

Shreedhar Sahoo | Emerging Technologies | Best Researcher Award

Mr. Shreedhar Sahoo | Emerging Technologies | Best Researcher Award

Mr. Shreedhar Sahoo | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | India

Shreedhar Sahoo is a Prime Minister’s Research Fellow (PMRF) and Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, specializing in rail–wheel interaction, traction, and slip dynamics. His doctoral research focuses on the investigation of traction and slip at the rail–wheel contact using wheel tread temperature monitoring, contributing to improved safety, efficiency, and predictive maintenance in railway systems. He holds a Dual Degree (B.Tech + M.Tech) in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur with an excellent CGPA of 9.26/10. His academic foundation spans advanced mechanical engineering, railway vehicle dynamics, finite element methods, vibration analysis, thermodynamics, and applied mathematics. His M.Tech project involved the active control of functionally graded shells using piezoelectric fiber-reinforced composites, while his B.Tech project explored personality trait prediction from Twitter data using SVM, achieving an accuracy of 80.1%. Shreedhar has completed two technical internships at Transenigma, Kolkata, where he worked on automation in motion graphics and 3D human-prototype modeling using Adobe and Autodesk Maya platforms. He has also obtained OCA Java certification with a 91% score and participated in specialized workshops, including SIMPACK training on railway vehicle dynamics. His research work has led to publications in reputed journals such as the Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit and Tribology International. He has presented at major conferences, including the 4th International Conference on Friction-based Processes, where he won the 2nd prize for oral presentation in 2025. He is also a co-inventor of a provisional patent on room-temperature deposition of nanoparticle-based coatings. Alongside technical expertise, he has served as a student coordinator for courses on text analytics and modeling tools. Overall, Shreedhar Sahoo’s academic excellence, research contributions, and interdisciplinary skills highlight his strong potential as a researcher and innovation-driven engineer in rail transport and tribology.

Profile: Scopus

Featured Publications

Sahoo, S., Kushan, D. S., Ronith, G. S. P. J., & Racherla, V. (2026). Nano-scale friction modifier coatings: Application methodology, friction characteristics, and surrogate models. Tribology International, Article 111429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2025.111429

Samia ZAOUI | AI Advancements | Women Researcher Award

Mrs. Samia ZAOUI | AI Advancements | Women Researcher Award

Mrs. Samia ZAOUI | Mohammed VI Foundation of Health and Sciences | Morocco

Dr. Samia Zaoui, based in Rabat, Morocco, is a multidisciplinary researcher and project leader bridging artificial intelligence, aeronautics, and healthcare systems innovation. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Computer Science Engineering (AI & Aeronautics) at the Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space (ISAE-SUPAERO) and INP Toulouse, France. Her research focuses on the application of AI technologies for supply chain resilience, predictive modeling, and sustainable industrial systems, with a strong emphasis on pharmaceutical and healthcare logistics. Dr. Zaoui has an extensive background in strategic project development, digital transformation, and industrial management, having held leadership roles at the Mohammed VI Foundation of Health and Sciences and the Cheikh Zaid Foundation. She has spearheaded projects in sports medicine innovation, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and medical technology transfer, fostering collaborations with international organizations such as WHO, LCIF, and Smile Train. Her scientific contributions include several peer-reviewed publications in international journals, such as the Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management and Production Planning & Control, covering topics like AI-driven supply chain viability, sustainability in Industry 5.0, and pharmaceutical risk prediction using machine learning. Dr. Zaoui’s research integrates AI-based decision systems with aeronautical and industrial engineering principles, contributing to global efforts in intelligent, resilient, and sustainable supply networks. She also actively participates in international technology exhibitions and collaborative industrial initiatives across Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Profile: Google Scholar

Featured Publications

Zaoui, S., Foguem, C., Tchuente, D., Fosso-Wamba, S., & Kamsu-Foguem, B. (2023). The viability of supply chains with interpretable learning systems: The case of COVID-19 vaccine deliveries. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 24(4), 633–657. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40171-023-00357-w

Zaoui, S., Foguem, C., Tchuente, D., & Kamsu-Foguem, B. (2025). The application of artificial intelligence technologies in the resilience and the viability of supply chains: A systematic literature review. Production Planning & Control, 1–18.

Zaoui, H., Zaoui, S., Kamsu-Foguem, B., & Tchuente, D. (2024). Sustainability: The main pillar of Industry 5.0. Oklahoma International Publishing (OkIP) Books. https://doi.org/10.55432/978-1-6692-0007-9_13

StEER – Structural Engineering Extreme Event Reconnaissance. (2024). Hualien City, Taiwan Earthquake: Preliminary Virtual Reconnaissance Report (PVRR). https://doi.org/10.17603/ds2-0d2z-9682

Zahra Amini | Emerging Technologies | Best Researcher Award

Assist. Prof. Dr. Zahra Amini | Emerging Technologies | Best Researcher Award

Assist. Prof. Dr. Zahra Amini | Sharif University of Technology | Iran

Dr. Zahra Amini is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at Sharif University of Technology, specializing in intelligent transportation systems, sustainable mobility, and operations research for urban traffic management. She earned her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and has led impactful projects in Iran and the U.S., ranging from corridor management to urban traffic resilience. With several high-impact publications, awards, and ongoing research on data-driven and machine learning approaches to transportation systems, she is recognized for advancing reliable, sustainable, and intelligent urban mobility solutions.

Academic Profile 

Google Scholar

Education

Dr. Zahra Amini completed her higher education in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, where she advanced her expertise in transportation systems and sustainable infrastructure. Alongside her major studies, she pursued minors in Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, and City and Regional Planning, which provided her with a strong interdisciplinary foundation. Her doctoral thesis focused on data-driven approaches for developing robust signal plans in urban transportation networks, reflecting her commitment to integrating advanced analytical methods with practical engineering challenges. This academic background equipped her with the technical knowledge and research skills that now define her scholarly and professional contributions.

Professional Experience

Dr. Amini serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Sharif University of Technology, where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses. Her teaching portfolio includes systems engineering, traffic engineering, and advanced transportation analysis, complemented by the design of a specialized course in Intelligent Transportation Systems. In addition to her academic role, she manages several research and development projects aimed at improving urban transportation and logistics planning. She has also gained international experience through her work at California Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology, contributing to projects focused on corridor management and traffic system optimization.

Research Interests

Dr. Amini’s research is centered on intelligent transportation systems, sustainable mobility solutions, and operations research applications in transportation system design. She focuses on integrating data-driven and machine learning methods to analyze and improve urban traffic flow, evaluate network resilience, and design reliable transport strategies. Her work also explores the operational sustainability of urban traffic networks and the role of intelligent systems in shaping resilient cities. By bridging theoretical models with applied research, she contributes innovative solutions to the pressing challenges of modern transportation.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Amini has received recognition for her teaching and research contributions through multiple awards. She has been honored for designing innovative courses in Intelligent Transportation Systems and has secured research grants supporting the development of advanced mobility solutions. Her scholarly excellence has been acknowledged with distinctions such as best paper and best presentation awards at international conferences. Additionally, she has been awarded prestigious fellowships that supported her academic journey and research endeavors, reflecting her status as a promising leader in the field of transportation engineering.

Publications

Agent-Based Modeling for Sustainable Urban Passenger Vehicle Mobility: A Case of Tehran
Author: M.E. Doraki, A. Avami, M. Boroushaki, Z. Amini
Journal: Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
Year: 2024

Optimizing offsets in signalized traffic networks: A case study
Author: Z. Amini, S. Coogan, C. Flores, A. Skabardonis, P. Varaiya
Journal: IEEE Conference on Control Technology and Applications (CCTA)
Year: 2018

The Impact of Network Indices Integration on Traffic Flow Imputation Accuracy: A Machine Learning Approach
Author:  S. Sabzekar, A. Roudbari, A. Dehghani, A. Safaeiestalkhzir, Z. Amini
Journal: IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems
Year: 2025

Using neural network for predicting hourly origin-destination matrices from trip data and environmental information
Author: E. Hassanzadeh, Z. Amini
Journal: Scientia Iranica
Year: 2024

Unsupervised learning for topological classification of transportation networks
Author: S. Sabzekar, M.R.V. Malakshah, Z. Amini
Journal: arXiv preprint
Year: 2023

Data-Driven Approaches for Robust Signal Plans in Urban Transportation Networks
Author: Z. Amini
Journal:  University of California, Berkeley (Thesis)
Year: 2018

Spatial network-wide traffic flow imputation with graph neural network
Author: S. Sabzekar, R. Bahmani, M. Ghasemi, Z. Amini
Journal:  International Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems Research
Year: 2025

Analyzing the impacts of gasoline price change on nationwide trip demand and drivers’ behavior using regression discontinuity design
Author: S. Saeidi, Z. Amini
Journal: Scientia Iranica
Year: 2024

Conclusion

Dr. Zahra Amini’s distinguished academic background, impactful research in intelligent and sustainable transportation systems, and recognized leadership in advancing innovative solutions firmly establish her as an outstanding candidate for the Best Researcher Award. Her dedication to bridging research, education, and real-world applications makes her not only deserving of this recognition but also a valuable contributor to the global scientific community.