Best Paper — Discovery Category

Geometry of Middle Miocene Carbonates in the Red Sea: Outcrop Analogues for Fault-Block Carbonate Platforms in Rift Basins
by Tihana Pensa, Guillaume Baby, Thomas Teillet, Antoine Delaunay, and Abdulkader Afifi

Tihana Pensa "Grateful to receive the Best Paper Award in the Discovery category at MEOSGEO 2025. Our work reflects KAUST’s commitment to advancing geoscience."

Best Paper — Sustainability Category

Nanomaterial-Enhanced Organic-Rich Shales: Data-Driven Insights into Wettability Predictions for Underground Hydrogen Storage Design
by Zeeshan Tariq, Amer Alanazi, Mohamad Ali, and Hussein Hoteit

Zeeshan Tariq “I am thrilled to share that our research was recognized with the Best Technical Paper Award in Sustainability at the Middle East Oil & Gas Show 2025 (MEOS-GEOS), Bahrain. I am also honored to be a recipient of the Science Corner Prize Award. 🌍🏆

This recognition highlights our work on nanomaterial-enhanced organic-rich shales for underground hydrogen storage design, where we developed data-driven machine learning models to predict wettability shifts critical for safe and efficient hydrogen storage. Our study contributes to advancing sustainable subsurface energy solutions that directly support the global energy transition and align with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and Net Zero ambitions.

A special acknowledgment goes to my co-authors, Prof. Hussein Hoteit, Amer Alanazi, and Muhammad Ali, for their outstanding collaboration.

These recognitions reaffirm KAUST’s commitment to pioneering green energy technologies and providing innovative pathways toward a more sustainable and low-carbon future.

Rising Star Award

Assistant Professor Cunqi Jia, "Prof. Cunqi Jia is recognized with the Rising Star Award for his achievements in subsurface numerical simulation. His research creates virtual fields to scale up laboratory experiments and test production alternatives, providing practical solutions for developing Saudi Arabia’s digital twin of the subsurface. By reducing costs, lowering technical barriers, and safeguarding energy security, his work advances sustainable energy development and directly supports the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals of energy transition, technological innovation, and economic diversification."

Why these awards matter

• The Middle East Oil, Gas & Geosciences Show (MEOS-GEO) is the region’s flagship upstream energy event, held in Bahrain.
• The Conference featured 123 technical sessions, 683 papers, and 205 e-posters from 34 countries, bringing together leading experts from industry and academia.
• The 2025 theme, “Energy for a prosperous future: Leading a sustainable tomorrow”, reflected the need to balance hydrocarbon production with digital innovation and decarbonization strategies.
• The Energy Awards recognize projects demonstrating innovation, impact, and industrial relevance, across categories such as Discovery, Innovation, and Sustainability.
• KAUST’s three awards in 2025 underscore the strength of its interdisciplinary approach and its role in advancing both traditional energy science and sustainable energy technologies, while also supporting the next generation of academic leaders.