On April 20, 2026, at the invitation of the School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Professor Khalid Zaki Elwakeel, who holds joint appointments at Port Said University (Egypt) and University of Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), visited the School and delivered an academic lecture entitled Functionalized Magnetic Polymers and Hybrid Materials for Water Purification - From Heavy Metals to Emerging Pollutants to the School's faculty and students. The lecture was hosted by the Environmental Chemistry and Engineering Research Group of the School.

Khalid Zaki Elwakeel is a Professor in the Department of Environmental Science at Port Said University in Egypt and the University of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, as well as a world-renowned expert in the fields of environmental physical chemistry and water pollution control. Professor Elwakeel has long been dedicated to the synthesis of novel functionalized polymers, advanced adsorption technologies, and the separation and recovery of heavy metals and emerging contaminants in aquatic environments.
During the lecture, Professor Elwakeel illustrated the remediation challenges posed by pollutants such as uranium(VI), heavy metals and dyes in water bodies, along with the limitations of current technologies. After the presentation, he engaged in in-depth exchanges and discussions with teachers and students present on issues including ionic competition in adsorption and optimization under low pH conditions.
Following the lecture, Professor Elwakeel paid a visit to the laboratories of the research group.