Ahmed Bakr
Orlando,FL
Summary
Extensive experience in conducting site assessments (both Phase I and II), environmental impact assessments, wetland delineation and seasonal high-water assessments for projects coupled with environmental compliance, auditing, and risk analysis. Competent in several professional software including Originlab, Matlab, and AutoCAD, Proficient in using several professional software including Originlab, Matlab, and AutoCAD. Possesses 18 years of combined professional and academic research experience. Capabilities span sampling, monitoring, remediation, and chemical analysis of water, soil, sediment, and air. Demonstrates proficiency in quality control for oil, water, and soil samples, including gas analysis from post-drilling operations. Practical knowledge in microbiological techniques relevant to wastewater treatment research. General background encompasses integrated management of both laboratory work and field research, with skills extending to technical report writing, research proposals, and publications. Additionally, coaching services have been provided for municipal and industrial systems.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Environmental Scientist
PURA VIDA ENGINEERING SERVICES
02.2022 - Current
- Environmental site assessment and contamination screening, permitting assistance and technical advice, and public outreach and education
- Provide technical expertise and project management for variety of environmental projects requiring regulatory approval
- Lead projects in site assessments, hazardous materials remediation, endangered species surveys and environmental restoration including stream and wetland delineation and mitigation
- Identify project-specific environmental design and regulatory requirements
- Coordinate with FDOT, FDEP, State WMDs, FWC, USACE, USFWS, NMFS, USCG, EPA and other regulatory agencies to achieve successful authorizations
- Coordinate, conduct, and lead field work
- Proactively deliver projects on time and on budget
- Develop accurate scopes of work and budget estimates for proposals
- Provide excellent client service with focus on quality and timeliness
- Meet and work with other team members including project managers, field technicians, drafters, surveyors, public agency representatives, and clients
- Develop and review technical reports, Phase I, Phase II, CSER's and prepare environmental permit applications when required
- Facilitate meetings and lead presentations with clients
- Present at public meetings, if required
- Actively engaged in marketing pursuits.
Environmental Compliance specialist II & Emergency Support, 3 Lead
GEORGIA ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DIVISION
12.2018 - 01.2022
- Drinking water compliance and emergency support to water utilities during emergency and disaster events
- Coordinate with water utilities to ensure proper protective measures are taken before emergency situations
- Keep close contact with water utilities during emergencies and provide updates to Drinking Water Compliance Program Manager
- Communicate with water systems to complete damage investigations and complete “Post Event Assessment, Public Water System Status Reports” and enter results in data tracking system
- Coordinate with district offices for issuing Boil Water Advisories (BWA) and notices, as necessary
- Provide technical assistance and/or advice to water utilities during and after emergencies
- Coordinate and consult with water utilities to verify water quality before returning impacted facilities to service
- Consult with EPD and Department of Public Health, on possible health effects of contaminants found in drinking water supplies
- Work with other entities to ensure that DWC policy for use of hauling potable water in tankers is adhered to
- Provide departmental liaison to function as ESF lead, and to represent EPD in preparedness, response, and recovery activities
- Provide equipment, facilities, and trained personnel as available and required by specific emergency
- Develop and maintain supporting plans, standard procedures, and contact lists for this plan
- Plan and provide for the safety of employees and protection of state property in damage area
- Coordinate actions with State Operations Center and related ESFs
- Participate in exercises to test emergency plans and procedures
- Provide for record keeping and documentation of the effects of emergency and actions taken
- Keep counterpart agencies at local level informed of critical situations
- Prepare damage assessment reports after emergencies/disasters
- Prepare Emergency Assistance Project Applications as required
- Provide other support commensurate with capabilities
- Develop full DW contacts list, which included adding newly permitted facilities and removing non permitted ones
- Developed Resource Tracker with newly updated DW and WW facilities lists
- Developed Volunteers’ pool roster
- Attended and presented on ESF3 and emergency response in Fall 2022 GAWP conference from November15-17
- Carried out the role of ESF3 Lead/Coordinator during all state emergencies and SOC activations including: Severe Flash Flood in Northwest of the State affecting both Chattooga and Floyd Counties in September 2022, Hurricane Ian in September and October 2022, Tropical Storm Nicole in November 2022, Winter Weather in December 2022, and communicated effectively with partner agencies to confirm resources’ availability and on standby/deployed during all preceding events, received and forwarded GEMA storm alert, communicated with water sector by phone and emails, updated position log in WebEOC with systems’ status, attended GEMA’s county update calls, updated volunteers list, provided situational reports and made sure that Georgia water systems needs fulfilled and all water interruptions are highlighted and forward to state agencies and assisted State agencies in any relevant requests
- Continuously reviewing Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs) before approval and registering to SDWIS system, or rejection
- Organized and conducted 5 workshops on Drinking Water Systems resiliency and emergency preparedness
- Aiming To protect State of Georgia's water resources through authority of state and federal environmental statutes
Environmental Consultant
PLT ENVIRONMENT INC
03.2017 - 11.2018
- Conduct environmental and social impact assessment studies (ESIA) for major industrial partners
- Perform social and stakeholders’ engagement, and socio-economics with strong environmental management systems background
- Conduct environmental and social due diligence studies
- Assist in major commercial, industrial and coastal projects to meet environmental obligations
- Perform eco-lodge, eco-tourism, wildlife and coastal zone management
- Engage in public education and outreach, and community involvement activities
- Plan and coordinated resource recovery and landfill reclamation.
Research Assistant
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
01.2012 - 02.2017
- Construct framework for proposed research work focused on effective formulation and use of novel materials including carbon nanotubes, reduced graphene oxide, zero valent metals and bimetals, preparation and use of polymer composites
- Engage in productive discussions with supervisor, which aimed for validating research proposed ideas aiming for water and wastewater treatment through adsorptive and dual adsorptive electrochemical process (electrofiltration), forward osmosis and reverse osmosis
- Perform experimental work that involve employing nanofiltration and electrofiltration using both commercially sold and lab modified membrane materials and composites based on carbon nanotubes and activated carbon (in dead-end and crossflow systems), graphene (for forward and reverse osmosis tests), aminated, hydroxylated and carboxylated polymers, in addition to extensive work using zero valent iron, bimetallic nanoparticles and co-assembled graphene oxide-bimetallic composites, in addition to bench and pilot scale studies employing advanced oxidation processes (ozonolysis, UV photocatalytic oxidation, Fenton Chemistry and batch electrolysis)
- Processes efficiency toward complete degradation and/or removal of different model organic contaminants including polyfluoroalkyl substances, ibuprofen, bisphenols and tetracycline
- Perform preparation and sample analysis and professionally operated numerous devices including Ion chromatography, SEM-EDX, FTIR, gas and high performance liquid chromatography including GC-FID, TCD, ECD and MS, as well as U/HPLC-UV, MS (Agilent, Waters, and Shimadzu using different operation software such as lab-solutions, empower, clarity and MassHunter), atomic absorption and UV/Vis spectrophotometers
- Collaborate with industry aiming to improve quality of discharged municipal and industrial water effluents and cooperating with privately owned research toward advancement of municipal wastewater treatment technology
- Activities including field sampling, onsite and indoor analysis (using various tools) of natural, municipal and industrial wastewaters
- Responsible for chemicals and materials inventory and making sure of availability of all chemicals and lab materials for experimental work
- Lab experiments and recording outcomes
- Gather observations and conclusions in initial writing draft
- Finalize writing work (review and editing)
- Submit final written manuscripts and supplementary materials, thesis and reports to peer reviewed journals, department and collaborators, respectively
- Participate in research grant proposal writings
- Mentor several masters and undergraduate fellows.
Environmental Researcher
EGYPTIAN ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AGENCY
04.2007 - 06.2010
- Water and air quality monitoring and analysis
- Industrial facility assessment and site inspections
- Perform site assessment and environmental impact assessment activities for industrial and commercial projects
- Water and soil sampling with various physical, inorganic and organic measurements
- Perform different wet chemical tests (COD, BOD, inorganic and metal content) and possible pre-treatment of different water and soil samples
- Analyze heavy metals in water and soil samples using Flame Atomic Absorption
- Analyze PCBs, PAHs, and Pesticides in water and soil using GC-FID, ECD and HPLC with various extractions processes and clean up steps
- Carry out laboratory wastewater and soil waste management and treatment
- Carry out air monitoring activities (point source monitoring dust or gases, ambient air monitoring and indoor measurements)
- Undertake measurements of stack gas emissions using gas analyzers (NOx, SOx, CO)
- Perform measurements of dust content and gas analysis
- Analyze air samples with data processing and studying
- Undertake risk analysis and environmental auditing.
Quality Controller
GONDWANA GEOCONSULTANT INTERNATIONAL, TRADEWINDS OIL AND GAS, LTD
08.2004 - 09.2006
- Quality control for oil and water
- Adjust water content of oil at lowest level
- Perform quality control on oil and gas evolved from crude oil using GC FID i.e: analysis of total hydrocarbon, poly cyclic compounds and poly aromatic hydrocarbons
- Carry out evaluation of bacterial contamination in vessels during oil treatment
- Perform quality control on drinking water produced from reverse osmosis unit through number of analysis e.g: pH, TDS, iron content
- Perform wet chemical Tests, UV spectrometers, Atomic Absorption (flame) tests, and
- Undertake gravimetric and volumetric tests with good use of GC-MS, ECD, FID and HPLC
Education
Doctor of Philosophy - Environmental Engineering
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
Montreal, Canada05.2017
Master of Science - Physical Chemistry
CAIRO UNIVERSITY
Giza, Egypt01.2011
Bachelor of Science - Chemistry
AIN SHAMS UNIVERSITY
Cairo, Egypt06.2004
Skills
- Standard Operating Procedures
- Energy Modeling
- System Design
- Lab Report Composition
Accomplishments
- Learning and basics webinar on EPA Water Contaminant Information Tool (WCIT)
- 2022 Hurricane exercise “HURREX 2022” at GEMA/HS Training Center on February 28, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
- 3 2022 Evaluated Exercise on Radiological Event
- EPA webinar “Water Laboratory Alliance Response Plan Tabletop Exercise”
- EPA webinar “Community Based Water Resiliency – Case Study”
- EPA “Region 4 AWIA Section 2018” workshop
- EPA Telecommunications Resources and Services webinar
- Georgia State Hazard Mitigation Strategy Annual Update webinar
- EPA ORD/OW Webinar: Water Security
- GEMA WebEOC class for State Responders (M310-2)
- GEMA WinterEX 2022
- WinterEX exercise was to mimic a level 1 activation during a winter storm incident
- EPA Region 4 Emergency Drinking Water Supply (Virtual) Workshop on Thursday August 25, 9:00 am-3:30 pm
- 19th Annual EPA Drinking Water Workshop (Virtual) Workshop
- 2022 GRWA 42nd annual conference in Jekyll Island; presented information booth for GA EPD Atlanta office
- EPD cyber security training
- Introduction to Biosafety, Concordia University
- Safe Handling of Nanomaterials, Concordia University
- Safe Use of Biological Safety Cabinets, Concordia University
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System, Concordia University Hazardous Materials Minor Spill Response, Concordia University
Additional Information
- SITE VISITS Organized and conducted 15 Technical Assessment Site Visits (phase I) as a part of EPA ASADRA grant for 5 municipal and industrial systems. CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS A Bakr, MS Rahaman, Electrocatalytic efficiency of functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes toward the removal of antiinflammatory drug ibuprofen from aqueous solutions. ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 250. 2015. Y Zhi, A Bakr, MS Rahaman, J Liu. Electrochemical carbon nanotube filters for removal of perfluoroalkyl acids in the presence of natural organic matter. ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 250. 2015. BOOTH AND POSTERS 2022 GRWA 42nd annual conference in Jekyll Island; information booth on GA EPD Atlanta office Emergency Support Functions to Water Sector A Bakr, G.Y.Fu. Investigation on Water Quality Impacts of Bridge Stormwater Runoff from Scupper Drains on Receiving Waters (GDOT RP 18-09). 7th Annual GDOT\GTI Research Expo. 2019. A Bakr, G.Y.Fu. A Study on Water Quality Impacts of Stormwater Runoff from Six Bridge Deck Scupper Drains on Receiving Sensitive Streams in Southeast and North of the State of Georgia (GDOT RP 18-09). 8th Annual GDOT\GTI Research Expo. 2020. Page 1 of 7
Timeline
Environmental Scientist
PURA VIDA ENGINEERING SERVICES
02.2022 - Current
Environmental Compliance specialist II & Emergency Support, 3 Lead
GEORGIA ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DIVISION
12.2018 - 01.2022
Environmental Consultant
PLT ENVIRONMENT INC
03.2017 - 11.2018
Research Assistant
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
01.2012 - 02.2017
Environmental Researcher
EGYPTIAN ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AGENCY
04.2007 - 06.2010
Quality Controller
GONDWANA GEOCONSULTANT INTERNATIONAL, TRADEWINDS OIL AND GAS, LTD
08.2004 - 09.2006
Doctor of Philosophy - Environmental Engineering
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
Master of Science - Physical Chemistry
CAIRO UNIVERSITY
Bachelor of Science - Chemistry
AIN SHAMS UNIVERSITY
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