Rate My Professor Nidal Hilal

Professor Nidal Hilal is Professor of Engineering and Director of the NYU Abu Dhabi Water Research Center at New York University Abu Dhabi. He also holds the position of Global Network Professor of Chemical Engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Hilal obtained his Doctor of Science (DSc) from the University of Wales in 2005 in recognition of outstanding research contributions in water processing, desalination, and membrane science and technology. He earned his PhD in 1988, Master of Science in advanced chemical engineering in 1985, and Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering in 1981, all from Swansea University. A Chartered Engineer in the United Kingdom (CEng), registered European Engineer (Eur Ing), and elected Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (FIChemE), Learned Society of Wales (FLSW), and Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), he serves on the editorial boards of several international journals and advisory boards of multinational organizations. He has consulted for industry, government departments, research councils, and universities internationally.

Hilal's research interests encompass desalination, water treatment, membrane technology, nano-water, and colloid engineering. His pioneering work includes the development of the smallest atomic force microscopy (AFM) colloid probe, first AFM-coated colloid probe technique, first AFM cell probe technique, direct measurements of interactions between single live cells or particles and membrane surfaces, demonstration of pores on nanofiltration membranes, composite imprinted membranes, and self-cleaning membranes for sustainable desalination, as well as the first industrial-scale reverse osmosis module in the UAE. He has authored over 600 publications, including patents and books such as "Osmosis Engineering" (Elsevier, 2021), "Electrically Conductive Membrane Materials and Systems" (CRC Press, 2023), "Nanofiltration for Sustainability" (Taylor & Francis, 2023), "Membrane Characterization" (Elsevier, 2017), and "Membrane Fabrication" (CRC Press, 2015). Notable papers include "Membrane distillation: A comprehensive review" (2012, cited 3278 times) and "Reverse osmosis desalination: A state-of-the-art review" (2019, cited 1524 times). As the most cited lifetime author in Desalination and Journal of Water Process Engineering, and ranked number 7 worldwide in desalination leaders by Google Scholar, Hilal has supervised 46 PhD students and more than 70 postdoctoral research fellows. His accolades include the Kuwait Prize (Kuwait Medal) of Applied Science (2005), Menelaus Medal for excellence in engineering and technology (2020), Global Prize Innovation in Desalination Award in Advanced Water Production Technologies (2024), and Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher listings in 2022 and 2024.