Biography
Wafaa is a Chartered Engineer with over 30 years’ experience in teaching, research and practice. The main focus of her research interests include modelling travel behaviour, accident analysis and investigations, transport and the environment, travel demand management, traffic engineering and travel behaviour in oil rich countries. Wafaa has successfully directed 11PhD/MPhil completions and published over 50 refereed articles. She has also been active in encouraging colleagues to publish alone and jointly with her. Wafaa has edited a number of books and Special Issues at top academic international transport Journals. She has been invited to peer review international applications, keynote addresses and to international external examinations.
Wafaa has a vision for her research and academic activities “Our academic research and scholar activities have to have a positive contribution to the development and wellbeing of our communities”. Impacts of transport and travel on the community have been the highlight of a number of her teaching and research activities. She is marketing this vision by a number of international talks, at School and university events and in the classroom.
Wafaa is applying her working knowledge of theory and practice which is reflected in various publications and academic work. Her work at professorial level has been recognised internationally through a number of research projects, PhD studentships, international appointments, election to Chair and contribute to a number of national and international scientific committees conferences and symposia. She has sat on a number of Faculty and School committees at ENU over the past 20 years.
Wafaa has led the development of the environmental engineering lab at Edinburgh Napier University. This development involved collaborations with engineering colleagues. The lab is currently being used by staff and research students and also, during university open days and school visits.
Wafaa has led and contributed to research projects in excess of £1,100,000, including securing research grants as Principal Investigator/ Project Supervisor from EPSRC, Department for Transport, Scottish Executive, Saudi Arabia and UAE Governments and other research councils. In addition, Wafaa has led a number of collaboration with a commercial software company, Lothian buses, Scottish Enterprise and the European Regional Development Fund to produce and test a range of engineering products for traffic modelling, carbon reduction, congestion management and traffic problem solutions.
With Wafaa’s experience in research and development, established records of PhD completion and novelty in research and teaching, she has set a new area for her contribution which is to develop new opportunities and strategies for research engagement and students’ training in the Middle East.
Wafaa has founded the TRI- Middle East Research Centre with the aim of growing the universities academic reputation and to internationalise our work, in line with the university strategy 2020. She has also established the Transport Research Institute (TRI) “AraB Academy of Engineering and Technology - “ABET". The aim of the academy is to provide support for high-calibre students and researchers who are keen to develop their research and investigatory competences, especially from the Middle East. The academy will provide an excellent and personalised student experience and will build innovation, enterprise and citizenship in line with the university Strategy 2020.
These initiatives are planned to contribute to grow Napier’s academic reputation, to deliver an excellent, personalised student experience, to build innovation, enterprise and citizenship and to internationalise our work. Success in delivering these initiatives is in Wafaa’s strategic planning.