Team

Predoctoral Researcher at ICTA-UAB. She is a socio-environmental scientist interested in natural protected areas, rural commons, indigenous and community conserved areas and political ecology. She holds a Degree on Environmental Sciences from the University of Almería, a Postgraduate on Climate Change from the University of Salamanca and FLACSO España and a Masters in Ecological Economics from the UAB. Currently, Ma Carmen works on her PhD on governance of the Agdals and the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve in Morocco. Ma Carmen worked for more than ten years as a socio-environmental consultant and manager, being co-founder of a cooperative specialized on environmental participatory processes, education and communication in southern Spain.

Roser is the Project Coordinator of Edu-BioMed. PhD in Environmental Science (UAB, 2011), currently postdoctoral Researcher at ICTA-UAB. Associated Professor in the Geography Department at UAB, member of the Applied Geography Research Group and visiting professor in CIGA (Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental), Mexico. Her expertise ranges in the following fields: environmental education; communication and scientific dissemination; socio ecological systems; urban biodiversity; forests; global change; health and environment and natural protected areas.

Antonio is the Project Manager of EduBioMed at ICTA-UAB. He holds an MSc in Environmental Studies, awarded by UAB (2017), and another MSc in Architectural Engineering awarded from University of Bergamo (Italy, 2013). He has been visiting scholar in several universities: New York’s Columbia University (2016), Hamburg Technical University (2016) and Lisbon’s Instituto Superior Técnico (2012). Among Antonio’s interests and skills, socio-environmental studies, ecological economics, political ecology, territorial planning, architecture, project management and facilitation.

French Full professor, Department of Education in Social Sciences, Humanities and Management (AMU-ADEF). Projects : Intercultural Education for Environment and Sustainable Development (EIEDD) ANR/FRQC ; Rise H2020 “Geoparks: Heritage, Education and Sustainable Development”. Teaching : IUT environment – Geography – Sciences of education. Research topics : Education, Knowledges and territorial development, Sustainable development education, citizenship education, territories education, heritage education, local development, rural development and education

French Economist, research director (AMU-LPED IRD-AMU). From 2016 to 2020, he’s actually the co-directed the MediTer International Joint Laboratory, Mediterranean Terroirs, based in Morocco (Rabat & Marrakech) and Tunisia. Research topics : Economic analysis of sustainable management and development of “communes”, public policies, appropriation methods, heritage processes, decentralization, consultation, participation, collective management, resilience of socio-ecological systems, biodiversity, reuse of treated wastewater, agroecology and food systems in the South. http://www.mediter.ird.fr/ – http://www.lped.fr/

PRCE Biology-Ecology-Agronomy (AMU – IUT Digne les Bains). Professor of : Agronomy, Biology, Ecology, Microbiology, Soil Science, Risk Management in the mountains. Research topics : soil analysis, soil characterization, soil classification, pedology. 2004/2015 High school teacher in Biology Ecology (bac pro and BTS Animal Productions; bac pro GMNF) – 2015/2017 Director of QLIO2 Studies, Manager of PTUT FC QLIO – 2017/2018 Tutored Projects Manager GB-Agro

French Full professor, Department of Education (UM), LIRDEF Director. Projects : Intercultural Education for Environment and Sustainable Development (EIEDD) ANR/FRQC (project leader). His research focuses aims to develop a specific didactics for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). This didactics “content oriented towards action in society (COA)” is intended to be prototypical for other “education for living together”. They are part of the project of the integration of didactics in a broader perspective which does not only examine the question of content alone but confronts it with that of educational values, aims and missions.

Principal Investigator, Professor American University of Beirut. Talhouk’s current research interests cover urban greening and promoting community stewardship of natural resources. She is leading a participatory mapping project, Daskara, that motivate residents to record natural and cultural landmarks. She was the founding Director of the Nature Conservation Center at AUB, chairperson of the Department of Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. She is the founding Chair of the AUB botanic garden committee and the lead of the ecosystem services partnership sectoral group ES in ecotourism.

Co-Investigator, Professor and Chair American University of Beirut. Professor Zurayk, chairperson of the department of Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management at AUB, is a member of the Steering Committee of the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition, a commissioner on the EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems and founding member of the Arab Food Sovereignty Network. An advisory board member of the Social and Economic Action for Lebanon and the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development, he worked and wrote extensively on the political ecology of Arab food security and its linkages. He obtained his BS and MS from AUB and his DPhil from Oxford University.

Co-Investigator, Associate Professor and Chair American University of Beirut. Professor El-Hajj, Associate Professor of Computer Science at AUB, researches wireless communications, security, and machine learning. In networks, he works on designing scalable and energy efficient routing protocols. In security, he works on the development of effective techniques to stop attackers from gaining access to PCs via the network. In machine learning, he designs scalable algorithms and develops accurate sentiment analysis and emotion recognition models. He has more than 90 publications. He worked with Boeing and Ten Strategic Consulting.

Project Coordinator American University of Beirut. Itani is a research assistant and coordinator of two projects at the AUB’s Nature Conservation Center. Member of IUCN Species Survival Commission and collaborating intimately with the Lebanese Directorate General of Antiquities, he feels that collaborative research and citizen science bring exciting opportunities for conserving species, habitats and cultural heritage. Moustapha is enthusiastic about creating effective transdisciplinary frameworks for bio-cultural landscape preservation. He has a BS in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from LAU and an MS in Ecosystems Management from AUB.

Assistant professor Aramouny at the department of Architecture and Design at AUB, previously the program coordinator, has a MA in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from LAU. She practiced with the offices of Pierre El Khoury (Beirut) and Rafael Vinoly (New York). Lead architect at Raed Abillama Architects, she was responsible for several award-winning projects. She is the founding director of the ArD TechLab, a digital fabrication unit bringing advanced fabrication resources to faculty and students. Her writings, involving the themes of integration architecture and environment, hybrid infrastructures and materiality, have been featured in several distinguished venues.

Fayad earned his Architecture BA at AUB in 2008 and his MA in Architecture with distinction at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in 2010. His academic path was furthered at Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Paris, and Morphosis Architects, New York City. His work was exhibited at Harvard and the Venice Biennale, among others. He was recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the ‘30 Under 30’ in Art and Design. He received the James Templeton Kelley Prize and AUB’s Young Alumni Award. Co-founder of East Architecture Studio, he also a lecturer in architectural design and representation at AUB.

Frem, lecturer at AUB, investigates contemporary urban practices. Founder of ‘platau’, a platform for architecture and urbanism, she collaborated with Hashim Sarkis Studios on the Byblos Town Hall and Masterplan and with the Rockefeller Foundation 100 Resilient Cities Program. Interested in exploring new expressions of architecture and landscape, she leads participatory urban initiatives. She received a MS in Architectural Studies, a DES from the Lebanese University summa cum laude and the SMArchS award from MIT. She supervises studios and final year projects in Landscape and Urban Design and Architecture.

Gumtaw Kifle Abebe is Assistant Professor of Agribusiness Marketing and Management at the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut. He has several years of experience teaching agribusiness courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His research focuses on exploring the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization of agri-food supply chains in response to recent trends for food safety and food quality; food retail expansion, its drivers and impact on food security; and economics of agricultural technology adoption in arid and semi-arid regions.

Project Intern American University of Beirut. Hannah has a postgraduate degree in Agricultural studies, Environmental Engineering and Natural Resources. Her tasks include reviewing the collection of collaborative research and data sharing tools available for scientists by performing literature research for UNESCO biosphere reserve managers and scientists around the globe. She is currently completing the draft of a technical report on these tools. Ms. Abou Fakher is assisting in distributing survey forms and conducting interviews with academic faculty at the American University of Beirut.

Project Intern American University of Beirut. Having studied in Australia to gain a background in Marine Biology and a Master of Science in Environmental Management, Kareem has dedicated his career to conservation by working with UNEP while staying connected to Edu-BioMed.

Team leader University Saint-Joseph – She is a member of the SC of the Edu-BioMed project. As an expert in conifer genetic diversity and forestry, she is member of the Research Council at Saint-Joseph University as well as the National Scientific Research Council in Lebanon and is leading the Life and Earth Science Department at the Faculty of Science – Saint Joseph University since 2012. She launched The Lebanon flora website aiming to spread a better knowledge through various approaches: botany, genomics, ecology and biogeography. She is the co-founder and president of “Jouzour Loubnan”, an NGO for reforestation in Lebanon. Her work was awarded by UNESCO-L’Oréal for “Women in Science”. Magda holds a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology of Plants from Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris VI and a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Enzyme Engineering Bioconversion and Microbiology, University of Picardie -Jules Verne.

Head of the Master program “Environmental Sciences and Management” University Saint-Joseph – Maher joined the Edu-BioMed Erasmus + project to work on the curricula upgrading with the other partners, and to design an interdisciplinary Master course on MedBR-ERM. Prior to joining Edu-BioMed Erasmus + in 2018, M. Abboud has worked on air quality and climate in the Mediterranean region as a member of the AQRU (multi-organization and multidisciplinary program for surveying air quality over Beirut). Maher holds a PhD in chemistry-physics of polymer materials from Bordeaux I University – National School of Chemistry and Physics of Bordeaux (ENSCPB – LCPO) and a Diploma of Engineering in Chemistry of materials of the National School of Chemistry and Physics of Bordeaux -ENSCP.

Expert in air quality and atmospheric physics University of Saint-Joseph – Wehbeh joined the Edu-BioMed project to work on the curricula upgrading with the USJ team, and to design an interdisciplinary Master course on MedBR-ERM in line with a real-case oriented pedagogy. As a member of the AQRU, his research revolves around air quality and atmospheric physics especially on Beirut air pollution and health effects. Wehbeh holds a PhD in Physics from Montpellier II University.

Project assistant University of Saint-Joseph – Rhea is responsible for the scientific coordination of the Edu-BioMed project at USJ. She handles scientific reports and coordinates with the Lebanese BRs for the performance of collaborative case-study research. Prior to joining Edu-BioMed Erasmus + in 2018, Rhea has worked on the prioritization and conservation of threatened species for almost 200 taxa including most of the Lebanese endemic species. She has also been a tireless supporter of the Lebanese NGO “Jouzour Loubnan” and is interested in the conservation of urban biodiversity. Rhea holds a Master degree in Science and Environmental Management from the Saint-Joseph University of Beirut.

Project team member University Saint-Joseph – Eliane joined the Edu-BioMed Erasmus + Project to perform the project tasks and activities that have been assigned to the USJ. She’s responsible for translations, work agenda and reports in collaboration with the other team members and Project Managers. Prior to joining the Project, she has worked for more than a decade in support of students of different learning profiles to promote their autonomy and provide them with the appropriate methods and techniques. She participated in the design and implementation of educational projects and teaches communication skills at the Faculty of Science at USJ. Eliane holds a PhD in Modern French Literature from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Lebanon. She is also specialized in education and the didactics of foreign languages.

Professor of Geography, Director of the “Laboratory of Studies on Resources, Mobilities and Attractiveness” LERMA at Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech, Morocco. He is interested in spatial planning and territorial development in Morocco. He is currently working on topics such as specification, qualification of local products, heritage development and tourism development in marginal areas. He has directed numerous research programs at national and international levels on the themes of “tourism and cultural environment”, “referents of South African, French and Moroccan territorial recompositions”, “challenge of marginality, territorial identities and tourism in Moroccan and Nigerian mountains”,” poverty and tourism”,”Local products”,”migration and local development”,”tourism and regionalization “,”plants in the Maghreb colonial cities”,” biosphere reserves and research development”.

She holds a Diploma in Enterprises Management at the Specialized Institute of Management and Computer Sciences in Laayoune, Morocco. She also has a vocational bachelor degree in Public Management and Territorial Development in the Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences at Cadi Ayyad University, And she Holds a Masters degree in planning and territory development Currently, she is a second year PhD student and member in “LERMA” – the Laboratory of Studies on Resources Mobility and attractiveness – in Geography Department at Cadi Ayyad University. Her doctoral research investigates the decentralization and deconcentration in the new emerging territories in southern Morocco, which focuses on the Arganeraie Reserve Biosphere. She is interested in Research development and Moroccan Territorial decompositions.

Khalid Berrada is full professor of physics at Cadi Ayyad University (UCA). He was the founder of the Centre for pedagogical innovation and UNESCO Chairholder on “Teaching physics by doing”. He was the president of the Moroccan Society of Applied Physics 2006-2011. He has been Chair of international conferences on Physics education and has co-authored many research papers on e-Learning, MOOCs, Active Learning, Blended-learning, OER, Pedagogical innovation, Micro-computer-based laboratory, etc.. Currently, he is coordinating the UC@MOOC project created at UCA and leading Trans ERIE Group of research on Educative innovation and the Morocco Declaration on Open Education since 2016.

She is a second-year Ph.D. student and a member of “LERMA” – the Laboratory of Studies on Resources Mobilities and attractiveness – Geography Department at Cadi Ayyad University. Her main research interest focuses on the territorial integration of the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve through the analysis of stakeholders and governance. She is a Master Degree holder in Sustainable Development, Heritage and Tourism (2018) and she is also a Bachelor Degree in Business Management (2016). She is interested in governance issues, stakeholder management, and territorial development in the various  fields of geography, sociology, economics and geopolitics.

Professor-researcher at the School of Technology Cadi Ayyad University – Her research focuses on environment, climate change, health, food security and sustainable development. She is the first Editor of the scientific book entitled “Handbook of Research on Global Environmental Changes and Human Health”, published recently in 2019. In the same year, Greenpeace paid tribute to her with four other women in the Arab world for his efforts in protecting the environment. Her research has resulted in 32 articles published in indexed and impacted journals, one of which is cited in the IPCC report, (2014). She is a consultant for GIZ, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (Germany) and the IRD (France). In 2015, she won the Prince Albert II of Monaco award and had a training course at NASA, USA. Currently, she is President of the International Center for Research and Capacity Building (CI2RC).

Lecturer and researcher at the Department of Languages and Human Sciences at the École Normale Supérieure in Marrakech, Cadi Ayyad University. Permanent member of the LERMA Resources, Mobility and Attractiveness Studies Laboratory. Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech. My scientific research focuses on issues related to the development of tourism and heritage, particularly in vulnerable areas.

Rachid Bendaoud is a professor at Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech, doctor in physics and master in pedagogy and e-Learning. He is also known for his photographic work.

In 2002, he founded the Scientific Journalism Club with the aim of participating to popularize science culture. Many productions and events have thus been created: exhibitions, films, science cafés, debates, workshops and training seminars… In 2006 he founded the Science Film Festival. He is also a founding member of the Moroccan network of scientific culture of the CNRST and a laureate of several IRD and CNRS projects.

Professor, International adviser and consultant in the field of higher education University Mohammed V, Rabat – She has been an adviser and consultant for many study abroad institutions in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the US and Australia. Her expertise span the fields of Educational Curriculum Development and Design, Higher education policies, Multi-Cultural Education, Accreditation, Leadership and Management of Higher Education Institutions and many other fields of higher education. She was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Greenville Tech in 2010 with the program entitled “Direct Access to the Muslim World” where she helped in developing a program entitled “Middle Eastern Studies”. She is Coordinator of the AMAS Erasmus Inter Africa Mobility Project in Morocco, the Erasmus+ Program: Consortium MARE NOSTRUM- Morocco, Member of the Global Youth Academy Project and Coordinator of GLoSYS Project.

Full professor of Geography / Co-Coordinator of Master program on tourism, sustainable development and land management. University Mohammed V, Rabat – Member of several national and international research groups aligned with the scope of EduBioMed project – Research team on the Region and Regionalization (E3R) – Centre for Research and Geographical Studies (CERGEO) – LITOPAD/UM5R team – LMI-MediTer/IRD. He is conducting a research project named: “Man and mobility: new identities, new territorialities” in the Arganeraie Biosphere of Southern Morocco M&B.

Professor of Geography, Director of the engineering laboratory of tourism, heritage and sustainable development of territories (LITOPAD) University Mohammed V, Rabat – Responsible of the doctoral training on “Development and Management of Territories” – Responsible of the research team on the Region and Regionalization (E3R) involved in the URAC 51 – Coordinator of the pole of competence “National Network of Study and Research on the Local and the Regional” (RELOR) – Member of the LMI-MediTer International Mixed Laboratory – Member of the Centre for Research and Geographical Studies (CERGEO) – Member Chair UNESCO Culture, Tourism, Development University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne – Coordinator of WP2 Local specificities in the Mediterranean hinterlands of the MedInlocal ANR project (2013-2016).

Full professor in Biogeography and Environmental Management University Mohammed V, Rabat – Doctorate in Geography in UFR: UNESCOGN Chair “Environmental Management and Sustainable Development”, and a PhD in Analysis and Governance of Sustainable Development. She is Professor of Biogeography and Environmental Management and does research in the Maâmora Forest. She has taken part to several research groups, such as the National Centre for the Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST) and the Research Association for the Sustainable Management of Territories (ARGDT), and research projects, such as DESIRE, SIGMED, RELOR and ONDH.

Full Professor of Biogeography University Mohammed V, Rabat – PhD in biogeography with a thesis project titled: “Phytogeographic study of the Causses of Azrou-Ifrane (Moroccan Middle Atlas)” and a national doctorate with a thesis titled: “Cedar of the Middle Atlas of Morocco”. He is currently a research Professor at the Department of Geography, the Head of the Physical Geography Laboratory and the Director of the Centre for Geographical Studies and Research (CERGEO). He does research over the Cedar Biosphere of the Moroccan Middle Atlas.

Director MAB France – MAB France animates and strengthens the national network of 14 Biosphere Reserves, puts it in touch with the French and international communities interested in this program: scientific community, educational and academic world, organizations for the management and conservation of biodiversity, sustainable development and of the ecological transition. She co-hosts the Master MAB (Man and Biosphere) at the University of Toulouse.

She formerly studied biology and ecology at university. She graduated the MAB MSc of Toulouse (UNESCO chair) in 2016. She then joined the MAB France team to participate in the organisation of the EuroMAB 2017 conference. On this occasion, she wrote the booklet “ProudToShare, good practices in French Biosphere Reserves”. She now works within MAB France to promote citizen engagement in Biosphere Reserves, with particular attention to youth involvement.

Director Association Protection Jabal Moussa – MBA and a Chemical Engineering degree. He is a founding member and currently the president of APJM. Although a volunteer position, Pierre dedicates more time and effort in managing APJM than he does on managing three other companies which he directs. Renowned for his pioneer work in the private sector, Pierre brought the professionalism and focus of the private sector to the not-for-profit domain of APJM. Under his management, Jabal Moussa, designated a Biosphere Reserve in 2009, became one of the most important ecotourism destinations in Lebanon, receiving an exponentially growing number of visitors every year.

Conservation Manager Association Protection Jabal Moussa – MS in Biodiversity: Management and Conservation of Natural Resources. She is currently holding the position of Conservation Manager at APJM. Born and raised in Yahchouch, one of the villages of the Biosphere Reserve, Joelle has been working for APJM for 6 years, competently overseeing projects pertaining to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage as well as sustainable development and local outreach.

Ecotourism and Communication Manager Association Protection Jabal Moussa – MA in Political Science and is currently holding the position of Ecotourism and Communication Manager at APJM. From the vicinity of the Biosphere Reserve, Christelle has been working for APJM for 7 years. She successfully headed the Ecotourism Program since 2011, and managed several projects pertaining to socio-economic development. She is the communication and media focal point of APJM, effectively managing the social media platforms of Jabal Moussa.

Director UNIMED – Mediterranean Universities Union – Marcello Scalisi is the Director of UNIMED – Mediterranean Universities Union – since 2008. He holds a degree in Historical Sciences and in International Cooperation from “University of Roma Tre” and has extensive experience in sustainable tourism, managing EU projects for local tourism development and providing vocational trainings. UNIMED is currently a permanent stakeholder of the European Commission and has a wide range of Institutional partnership in the Euro-Mediterranean region. With more than 100 member universities from 23 countries, UNIMED is one of the most important academic networks in the region.

Project Manager and Communication Manager support UNIMED – Mediterranean Universities Union – Master Degree in Modern Languages for the International Communication and cooperation, she focused on Middle East and North Africa region for her studies and researches topics. She also holds a Master in Media and Lobbying in International and European Relations at SIOI – Italian Society for International Organization. At UNIMED since 2014, she is currently working mostly on the INTERREG MED programme Projects, as Project Manager and Communication Manager support. She speaks Arabic, English and French. Within the EduBioMed Project, she is part of the Communication and Development team.

She holds an LL.M. in European law and a Master specialized in the European Neighborhood Policy. Her experience is focused on European external relations towards the Middle-East and North-Africa. She was previously a researcher and seminar teacher at the University of Geneva. In the framework of the EduBioMed project, she is part of the Communication team which is responsible for the related dissemination activities.

Project Manager assistant in UNIMED – Mediterranean Universities Union.

Active since 1985 in European projects (mainly in RTD, training and international
cooperation), as a Commission Official (ESPRIT Programme 85-88), Project Manager, Project
Design specialist, Evaluator and reviewer, Quality assurance manager, National Delegate in IST
management Committees and trainer on EU programmes and funding. He is currently cooperating
with UNIMED, The Association of Mediterranean Universities in the area of EU projects, to
identify appropriate calls for proposals, setting up successful proposals and consortia, and where
applicable, supporting the management and dissemination of selected projects. Over the years he
managed more than 20 significant projects funded by the European Commission through R&D
Framework Programmes, TEMPUS, Erasmus+ CBHE, H2020 and Euromed.

Graduated from SSML Centro Masterly in Translation and Interpreting, she has also obtained a Master Degree in Intercultural Studies and International Relations at Enna Kore University.

After having worked as an interpreter in some meetings, she joined UNIMED in 2017.

She speaks Italian, English and French and she has some knowledge of Spanish. In the framework of the EduBioMed project, she is part of the Communication team which is responsible for the related dissemination activities.