Salem Alhajraf, Ph.D. – MBA, is a visiting senior research scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy of Columbia University. He is also a visiting research scholar at the Center for Energy Studies and the Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and a research scientist at the Energy and Building Research Center at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR).
Alhajraf has more than 30 years of experience in energy and environmental research and development, with an emphasis on renewable energy, clean energy transition, and energy strategy studies. Between 2009 and 2021, he held several leading and managerial positions, including Minister of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy of the State of Kuwait, Deputy Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for Advancement (KFAS), Executive Director of the Energy and Building Research Center, and Manager of the Innovative Renewable Energy Research Program at KISR. He was the founder and project manager of the Shagaya Renewable Energy Park Initiative, a mega energy transition project in Kuwait valued at $650 million.
Alhajraf has many leading scientific and policy roles in national clean energy transition and strategy planning including the development of a Kuwait Energy Security Strategy, Kuwait Hydrogen Energy white paper. Alhajraf received his BSc, MSc and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering between 1993 and 2001 and MBA degree in 2007.
His recent research interest focuses on the impact of clean energy transition on hydrocarbon-based economies and the three key pillars of energy transition including renewable energy, energy storage and carbon capture. He is a member of the International Association for Energy Economics, The Association of Energy Engineers and the Kuwait Society of Engineers.
