Roundtable: Engineering Competencies for Sustainable Cooling, Climate and Energy

What is this event about?

The Engineering Competencies for Sustainable Cooling and Energy Roundtable brings together academics, industry leaders, researchers and policy stakeholders to explore the skills, competencies and capability gaps needed to accelerate sustainable cooling, direct air capture, climate mitigation, and water-energy resilience solutions that will shape the future of sustainable urban environments.

As cities across the UAE and the wider region accelerate smart and infrastructure development, addressing rising temperatures, energy demand and carbon reduction targets has become increasingly critical. This interactive, discussion-focused roundtable will examine:

• Outlooks for building energy solutions in rapidly developing urban centres

• Climate technologies and system-level efficiencies

• Climate mitigation opportunities aligned with net-zero ambitions

• Practical insights from industry-led projects and policy frameworks

Who is it for?

This roundtable is designed for:

• Engineers, sustainability professionals, and industry leaders working in energy, construction, urban development, and climate technologies

• Policymakers, consultants, and researchers interested in cooling innovation and climate mitigation in rapidly growing cities

• Organisations exploring solutions for energy efficiency and sustainable infrastructure

• Prospective postgraduate students interested in studying MSc Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of Birmingham Dubai

• Final-year engineering students and early-career professionals looking to develop expertise in renewable energy systems and sustainable urban technologies

Agenda

• 10:30 - 11:00: Registration and Networking

• 11:00 - 11:20: Welcome Address and Keynote

• 11:25 - 12:20: Panel Discussion: From Climate Technologies to Workforce Capability

• 12:30 - 13:15: Refreshment Break and Networking

• 13:15 - 14:30: Parallel Roundtable Discussions

• 14:30 - 15:05: Roundtable Report-Back and Synthesis

• 15:05 - 15:20: Position Paper Next Steps and Closing Remarks

• 15:20 - 15:50: Refreshments, Networking and Closing

The event will feature two interactive, discussion-led sessions designed to encourage meaningful dialogue and knowledge exchange. Participants will be organised into small groups of 5-6 people, providing an opportunity to share ideas, insights, experiences and perspectives on the selected themes.

Each group discussion will be facilitated by an industry expert, who will guide the conversation and help capture key findings. Following the sessions, moderators will present a summary of the discussions to the wider audience, creating an opportunity for collective learning and collaboration.

Anchored in current Dubai Future Foundation-supported work on sustainable cooling and direct air capture, the event will explore how the UAE can develop the engineering, operational, digital, governance and translational capabilities required to design, deploy and scale climate solutions for more resilient cities.

For further information, please get in touch with Hassan Ali (h.a.ali.1@bham.ac.uk).

Our moderators

A distinguished group of academic and industry leaders will moderate the roundtable:

• Ezzedine Jradi, Emicool

• Sayeeduddin Mohammed, Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC)

• Massimiliano Carvo, Alvarez & Marsal

• Rola Nasserdine, Springs Global Consultancy

• Hassan Ali, University of Birmingham Dubai

• Archibong Eso, University of Birmingham Dubai

About our programme

This event is hosted by the University of Birmingham Dubai and is aligned with the themes explored in our MSc Renewable Energy Engineering programme, offering prospective students insight into real-world industry challenges and emerging technologies shaping the energy transition.  Students studying this course develop a deep understanding of renewable energy technologies and how they fit into global systems and policy, preparing them for a career in this exciting sector.