UM6P Science Week

17th to 23rd February 2025

Mohammed VI Polytechnic University

Scientific research, excellence in teaching, and the dissemination of knowledge lie at the core of UM6P's mission.
The Science Week revolves around a central interdisciplinary conference, complemented by keynote lectures, reading circles, exhibitions, and numerous other activities.
This major event of the academic year aims to position UM6P on the global knowledge map by showcasing the latest advancements in the disciplines explored at the university. Renowned speakers, gathered in Benguerir for a week-long event, engage in dialogue with students, fostering an environment of knowledge sharing, intellectual stimulation, and cross-disciplinary exchange.
Primarily designed for UM6P students, Science Week also aims to equip them with tools to reflect, question the world, and transcend disciplinary boundaries, embodying the spirit of a polytechnic university.

Keynote Speakers

Daniel ANDLER

Daniel ANDLER (Paris, France) is a renown mathematician and philosopher. His latest book is: Intelligence Artificielle, intelligence humaine: la double énigme (Gallimard, 2023).

Choukri BEN MAMOUN

Choukri BEN MAMOUN is John F. Enders Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) at YALE School of Medicine

Edward BUGNION

Edward BUGNION, co-founder of VMware, teaches computer science at the School of Computer Science and Communications at EPFL.

Marc BÜRKI

Marc Bürki founded Marvel Communications (1990) and Swissquote (1999), gaining a banking license in 2001. He is CEO of both.

Steven DHONDT

Steven DHONDT is a Senior scientist at TNO and Professor at KU Leuven (Belgium) on Workplace Innovation.

Abderrazak EL ALBANI

Abderrazak El Albani, a geologist, led the groundbreaking discovery of petrified trilobites in Morocco’s Tatlet formation, Souss-Massa-Drâa. His work, published in Science, showcases Morocco’s exceptional geological heritage.

Philippe ESPOSITO

Philippe ESPOSITO is co-founder and President of DH2 Energy (Madrid).

Alexandre GEORGIEFF

Alexandre GEORGIEFF is a senior economist in the Employment and Income Division of OECD.

Ken GILLER

Ken Giller, emeritus Professor of Plant Production Systems at Wageningen University, authored Nitrogen Fixation in Tropical Cropping Systems. He leads initiatives like N2Africa and co-chairs SDSN’s Thematic Network 7 for the UN.

Heide HACKMANN

Heide HACKMANN is the Director of Future Africa and Strategic Advisor on Transdisciplinarity and Global Knowledge Networks at the University of Pretoria (South Africa).

Reda HAMEDOUN

Reda HAMEDOUN (HEC, Harvard, World Bank) is Executive Vice President Power-to-X & Strategy at Nareva and Vice President of the Green H2 Cluster.

Mahiar Max HAMEDI

Mahiar Max Hamedi, Professor and Head of the Hamedi Lab at KTH Stockholm, researches sustainable electroactive materials for batteries, biosensors, and intelligent systems. He co-founded Simplygon (acquired by Microsoft) and chairs .

Jacob JONES

Jacob JONES is a Kobe Steel Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and the Director of the Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center at North Carolina State University.

Jillian Lenne

Jillian Lenne has 40 years of experience in tropical agriculture, including roles with CGIAR (CIAT, ICRISAT) and UK institutes, plus 17 years as a consultant, reviewing projects in over 60 countries across Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Toni NIJM

Toni Nijm, Co-Founder & CEO of RightHub, focuses on innovation and brand protection. He also chairs Univrses, a leader in computer vision and machine learning technologies.

Tarik OUALALOU

Tarik OUALALOU has founded OUALALOU+CHOI, an architecture firm based in Paris and Casablanca. The firm has design and is building the world’s biggest soccer stadium for the 2030 World Cup.

Hicham OUDGHIRI

Hicham Oudghiri, co-founder and CEO of Enigma, a New York data technology company, previously led BMCE Bank’s private sustainable finance program with the World Bank Group.

Michael PIRSON

Michael Pirson, Fordham University Chair, specializes in sustainability and entrepreneurship. He is a Harvard Research Associate and co-founded the Humanistic Management Network.

Dan REMENYl

Dan REMENYl (UK) With an original interest in ICT he has over the years migrated to research methodology and related topics.

Parmesh SHAH

Parmesh SHAH is the Global Lead for Rural Livelihoods and Agricultural Jobs at the WORLD BANK

Amin SHOKROLLAHI

Amin SHOKROLLAHI, CEO of Kandou, is a German-Iranian mathematician who has worked on a variety of topics including coding theory and algebraic complexity theory.

UM6P Science Week