Sami Al-Ghamdi

CLI Faculty

Associate Professor, Environmental Science and Engineering

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Biography

Prof. Sami G. Al-Ghamdi is an Associate Professor of Sustainable Built Environment & Climate Change Resilient Infrastructure at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology). He holds a PhD in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Pittsburgh (2015), an MSc in civil and construction engineering from Western Michigan University (2010), and a BSc in architecture and building science from King Saud University (2005). He is a LEED-accredited professional with a specialty in green building design and construction from the U.S. Green Building Council, and a building performance analyst professional by Autodesk. Prof. Al-Ghamdi is the founder and the leading faculty member of the Sustainable Built Environment (SBE) Research and Education Lab at KAUST. He conducts multidisciplinary research on the complexities of the built environment and trains the next generations of scientists capable of developing innovative solutions to mitigate climate change; optimize energy, water, and material consumption; and improve the quality of life. The main objectives of his research group are: 1) Reduce contribution to global climate change; 2) Enhance individual human health; 3) Promote local sustainable and regenerative material cycles; 4) Protect and restore water resources; 5) Build a domestic green economy through technology entrepreneurship; 6) Enhance community quality of life; and 7) Protect and enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services. Dr. Al-Ghamdi has supervised five postdoctoral scholars, 12 PhD students, and 13 MSc students. He was awarded more than $8 million (USD) in external competitive funding for projects on resiliency, climate change, and others. He has published more than 200 refereed, Scopus-indexed papers. Prof. Al-Ghamdi and his students were the recipients of many awards such as the Qatar Sustainability Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2019 (research category) and the 2018 National Program for Conservation and Energy Efficiency Award on the Best Green Sustainable Initiative.

Research Interests

Prof. Al-Ghamdi conducts multidisciplinary research on the complexities of the built environment to mitigate climate change and optimize energy, water, and material consumption. He works on the five pillars of the built environment: (Transportation, Water, Energy, Materials, and Indoor Environment) where he quantitatively assesses the impact of urban systems on the environment with aim of sustainability, resilience and decarbonization. He is developing computational models to understand the potential contribution to climate change, and many other environmental categories. Lastly, he works to enhance infrastructure resilience and communities' capacity to withstand, survive, thrive in, and adapt to natural and climate change stresses and shocks.

Selected Publications

  • Ajjur, S.B. & Al-Ghamdi, S.G. (2021) “Exploring urban growth–climate change–flood risk nexus in fast growing cities". Scientific Reports. Doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-16475-x
  • Mohammad, M., Masad, E. & Al-Ghamdi, S.G. (2020) “3D Concrete Printing Sustainability: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Four Construction Method Scenarios". Buildings. Doi: 10.3390/buildings10120245
  • Andric, I., Kamal, A. & Al-Ghamdi, S.G. (2020) “Efficiency of green roofs and green walls as climate change mitigation measure in extreme climate: Case study of Qatar”. Energy Reports. Doi: 10.1016/j.egyr.2020.09.006
  • Salimi, M. & Al-Ghamdi, S.G. (2020) “Climate change impacts on critical urban infrastructure and urban resiliency strategies for the Middle East”. Sustainable Cities and Society, Doi: 10.1016/j.scs.2019.101948
  • Raouf, A. & Al-Ghamdi, S.G. (2019) “The Effectiveness of Project Delivery Systems in Executing Green Buildings”. ASCE’s Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. Doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001688
  • Mannan, M., Alhaj, M., Mabrouk, A. & Al-Ghamdi, S.G. (2019) “Examining the Life-cycle Environmental Impacts of Desalination: A Case Study in the State of Qatar”. Desalination. Doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2018.11.017
  • Al-Ghamdi, S.G. & Bilec, M.M. (2015) “Life-Cycle Thinking and the LEED Rating System: Global Perspective on Building Energy Use and Environmental Impacts”. Environmental Science & Technology. Doi: 10.1021/es505938u

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2015
  • M.Sc., Western Michigan University, Civil and Construction Engineering, 2010
  • B.Sc., King Saud University, Architecture and Building Sciences, 2005

KAUST Affiliations

  • Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE) 
  • KAUST Climate and Livability Initiative (CLI)