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Bassel Daher, Ph.D. is a Research Scientist at the Texas A&M Energy Institute, where he leads its Convergence Research Incubator. Daher is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering and Research Fellow at the Institute for Science, Technology, and  Public Policy at Texas A&M University. Daher is dedicated to building bridges between research disciplines and cross sectoral stakeholders with the goal of arriving to a future that is more sustainable, equitable, and resource secure for all. He is particularly interested in bridging science and policy on topics related to water-energy-food nexus, circular economy, and sustainable development. He focuses on doing so guided by circular economy principles and in the context of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Applications of Daher’s research include case studies in Texas, Indiana, Lebanon, Qatar, Morocco, Jordan, Turkey, Bangladesh, and the MENA region. Daher has co-authored over 55 journal articles, book chapters, and policy briefs related to the interconnected water-energy-food securities and nexus assessment tools. These include with Chatham House, Sustainability, Water International, Science of the Total Environment, Environmental Science and Policy, and for multiple United Nations reports. Daher is a frequent speaker and moderator at academic and non-academic events, including the International Conference for Sustainable Development, Stockholm World Water Week, World Water Forum, World Water Congress, American Geophysical Union, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, and Water Innovation Labs.

Daher’s professional experience includes diverse themes, employment and internships in Lebanon, Qatar, Poland, France, and the USA (Indiana and Texas). Daher’s research excellence was recognized with the 2019 Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department’s Excellence Award for Outstanding Research. In 2017, he received the Best Paper Award at the International Conference for Sustainable Development, Columbia University, and was the 2017 recipient of the Montgomery Award, given by the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies to those student leaders making major contributions to academic opportunities and quality of life of their fellow graduate students at Texas A&M University.

Daher is an Executive Board member of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), where he leads it Memberships Committee. He also chairs IWRA’s “Early Career and Young Professionals” task force, and co-chairs the “Zero-Hunger Pathways” project with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network USA. He is on the international scientific committees of the 2021 IWRA Online Conference titled “One Water, One Health” and the 2021 International Conference for Sustainable Development titled “Research for Impact: An Inclusive and Sustainable Planet”. Daher co-leads the design and delivery of “Water Innovation Labs” an immersive leadership training designed to accelerate collaborative innovation, fast-track global knowledge-sharing and devise new innovations that improve water security. In the past two years, Bassel co-delivered 3 Water Innovation Labs (Lebanon, Canada, Global), which trained more than 300 young professionals.

Bassel was Research Associate at Texas &M’s Water-Energy-Food Nexus Research Group at the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering (2014-2020) and served as Project Coordinator at Texas A&M’s Water-Energy-Food Nexus Initiative (2015-2018). He was Research Associate at Qatar Foundation’s Environment and Energy Research Institute (2012-2014). Daher holds a PhD in Water Management and Hydrologic Sciences from Texas A&M University (2019), an MSE in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from Purdue University (2012), and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the American University of Beirut (2010).