Prof. Zeinelabidin Elsayed Ahmed Rizk Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Email: zrizk@ustf.ac.ae Phone: +971504625707 Download CV

 Education

• Ph.D. in Hydrogeology, 1990
  Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota, United States
• M.Sc. in Geology AND GEOPHYSICS, 1986
  Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
• M.Sc. in Hydrogeology, 1982
  Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Shebeen El Kom, Menoufia, Egypt
• B.Sc. in Geology, 1977
  Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

Employment History

Academic Experience

Prof. Rizk worked as demonstrator, assistant lecturer, lecturer, associate professor, and professor of Hydrogeology in the Menofia University (MU) of Egypt between 1977 and present. He joined the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a lecturer of hydrogeology in the Faculty of Science (FOS) for the period 1993-1999. During this period, Prof. Rizk taught geology, hydrogeology, and environmental geology courses for both undergraduate and graduate students. He also initiated the Master of Science (MSc) Program in Water Resources offered by the College of Engineering at the UAEU.

During the period 2000-2015, Prof. Rizk joined Ajman University of Science and Technology (AUST) in the UAE, where he initiated and worked as the Dean of the Institute of Environment, Water and Energy (IEWE) at AUST. In 2007, Prof. Rizk founded the MSc program in Groundwater Engineering and Management (GWEM) offered by the IEWE at AUST. During the period 2012-2015 he was appointed as the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) of AUST.

During Prof. Rizk deanship, the IEWE at AUST was awarded the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries prize of the "best educational or research institution serving the environment" in the UAE for the years 2003-2004. The IEWE at AUST has established and hosted the UNESCO Chair on Environment and Water Resources in the Arabian Gulf Region, for the period 2003-2014.

Prof. Rizk received an award of excellence in undergraduate study at the Faculty of Science, Tanta University, for the period 1975-1977. He obtained a USA Peace Fellowship to study for the MSc degree in the University of Minnesota (UOM) in the USA for the period 1985-1986, and a scholarship from the Ministry of Higher Education in Egypt to continue his PhD study at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) in the USA for the period 1987-1990.

Prof. Rizk received a fellowship from the Technical University of Berlin (TUB), Germany, during the summer of 1992, a fellowship from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the period June -August, 1996 for training on groundwater hydrology in the IAEA Isotope Hydrology Section in Vienna, Austria, a fellowship from the British Council in Abu Dhabi during June-August, 1998 to conduct a joint research project on northern UAE with Prof. Robert Kalin of the Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland and a fellowship from the Center for Remote Sensing (CRS) at Boston University (BU) in USA in summer 2005. During his work at AUST, Prof. Rizk was selected as a member of AUST Board of Trustees for the period 2007-2012. He has also chaired the committees of the President Office, Research Ethics, Promotion and Ranks Attribution and Library Development. Prof. Rizk was a member of the Board of Directors of Fujairah Company for Education for the period 2008-2015.

In February 2016, Prof. Rizk moved to Ajman University (AU) - Fujairah Campus (FC) where he established the Innovation Center of Fujairah (ICF) and was appointed as the Center Director. Prof. Rizk participated in the transformation of the former Fujairah Campus of Ajman University into the independent University of Science and Technology of Fujairah (USTF). Prof. Rizk contributed to the licensure of USTF and accreditation of all its academic programs. Prof. Rizk is now USTF Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (VCAA), Dean of Graduate Studies and Research (DGSR) and Dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences. In the present, Prof. Rizk is teaching environmental science and innovation courses.

During his academic career, Prof. Rizk taught many undergraduate and graduate courses in geology, hydrogeology, water resources, hydrogeochemistry, and environmental sciences in MU, UAEU, AUST, AU and USTF. In the meantime, he maintained active research and consulting activities, with emphasis on desert hydrogeology, numerical modeling, water quality and contaminant transport, isotope hydrology and water resources evaluation and management. The current research activities of Prof. Rizk focus on water, energy, and food (WEF) nexus, integrated water resources management and water policies, legislations and governance.

Prof. Rizk attended many training workshops, short courses, and seminars on water-related topics in the Switzerland, Ireland, Jordan, Oman, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Republic of South Korea, France, Germany, and USA, and conducted joint research projects with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Switzerland, TUB in Germany and Chiba University in Japan.

Prof. Rizk was an external examiner for several MSc and PhD students, and reviewer of books and scientific papers for many regional and international journals. Prof Rizk supervised many MSc and PhD theses on water and environment issues in Egypt, UAE, Germany, and USA. He co-authored three books and published over 80 scientific papers in local, regional, and international Journals.