Dr. Makram El Bachawati holds a Ph.D. in materials engineering with a great distinction from the University of La Rochelle (France) in 2016. His doctoral studies were carried out in close collaboration with the International Reference Centre for the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services (CIRAIG) at the École Polytechnique de Montréal (Canada) and the University of Balamand (Lebanon). His thesis focused, for the first time in the Middle East region, on the environmental and energy performance of green roofs and the assessment of their impacts in terms of stormwater management. Dr. El Bachawati also holds a master’s degree in materials, nanomaterials, and multimaterials from Paul Sabatier University – Toulouse III (France) in 2010.

Dr. El Bachawati joined the University of Balamand (UOB) in 2011 as the first research and teaching assistant in the Chemical Engineering Department. In 2016, he was appointed as a Researcher and in 2020 he was promoted to the rank of Assistant Professor.

Dr. El Bachawati’s research focuses on green infrastructure (e.g. green roofs and biosolar roofs), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), renewable energy, and waste treatment/management. From a teaching perspective, Dr. El Bachawati masters the use of various chemical engineering software such as Aspen, SimaPro, LabView, and AutoCad. In line with this, he teaches core undergraduate and graduate chemical engineering courses related to mass transfer, distillation, absorption, liquid extraction, polymers, engineering drawing, simulation of refining or chemical processes, engineering ethics, research methods, engineering design, etc.

Dr. El Bachawati has participated in many European projects and he is managing and coordinating a multidisciplinary research project about hospital wastewater treatment with a total budget of 999,744.00 Euros and a duration of 3 years (2021 – 2024). This Erasmus plus project for capacity building in higher education is entitled: Sustainable Wastewater Treatment for Hospitals (SWaTH) and will be conducted in partnership with European higher education institutions: Universidad De Granada (Spain), Kungliga Tekniska Hoegskolan (Sweden), Universite De La Rochelle (France), Universidad De Lleida (Spain), Oulun Yliopisto (Finland); a European industry namely Plasmatrix Materials AB (Sweden); and 4 of the best Lebanese higher education institutions (LAU, NDU, USEK, and LU). The main objectives of this project are (1) perform a needs analysis on the current methods of treating hospital wastewater in Lebanon and their level of compliance with European and international standards, (2) open the door for new research collaborations between the Lebanese and European faculty members, (3) enhance the employability of fresh graduates by minimizing the mismatch between academic curriculum and the job market due to the long-term internships offered in European laboratories.

As well, Dr. El Bachawati has also secured institutional funding for another multidisciplinary research project for 2 years. The project entitled “Rainwater management, Energy performance, Economic outlook, and Environmental impacts of Biosolar roofs (REEEB)” will be implemented in collaboration with French and Spanish partners. The primary objectives are (1) study the hydrological, energetic, economic, and environmental aspects of biosolar roofs in the Lebanese context; (2) foster in situ and international research cooperation; and (3) publish in peer-reviewed journals.

Since his early days in the department, Dr. El Bachawati was always eager for a new learning experience, endless research perspectives, and a strong network for collaboration. Therefore, he participated in many staff teaching mobilities to Romania, Spain, and Finland to generate an international learning experience for students, he assisted to workshops in Sweden and Romania to foster international cooperation in research, and he is actively contributing to many University – Industry liaisons to enhance the network for collaboration.

Dr. El Bachawati coordinated the evidence room of the Chemical Engineering Department at UOB for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, (ABET) accreditation in 2018. Moreover, he is an active member of many departmental and faculty committees such as the curriculum committee, University – Industry liaison committee, student recruitment committee, etc. As well, he is an active member of the Lebanese Standards Institution (LIBNOR) TC 94 committee. Furthermore, he is serving as a member of the editorial board of 2 reputable journals.

Manage and coordinate an Erasmus plus project for capacity building in higher education entitled: Sustainable Wastewater Treatment for Hospitals (SWaTH). This multidisciplinary research project is for 3 years (2021 – 2024) and has a total budget of 999,744.00 Euros.
Manage and coordinate institutional project entitled: Rainwater management, Energy performance, Economic outlook, and Environmental impacts of Biosolar roofs (REEEB). This multidisciplinary research project is for 2 years (2020 – 2022) and it will be implemented in collaboration with French and Spanish partners.
Selected as a national LCA expert to conduct a full LCA of biomass briquettes, EU – funded SABIOP project, 2018.
Selected as a national LCA expert to conduct a full LCA of Chardonnay white wine produced by Chateau Ksara and consumed in Europe, EU – funded SwitchMed program, 2017.
Perform two staff mobility for teaching within the framework of the ERASMUS+ program in Oulu (Finland) and Lleida (Spain).
Participate two workshops within the EU – funded GOPELC project in Stockholm (Sweden) and Ploiesti (Romania).