Team
Chief Science Officer
Moustafa Sherif
Moustafa is a fresh graduate with a bachelor's degree in Biology and two concentrations in Molecular and Cell Biology and Marine Biology and two minors in bioinformatics and chemistry. He is very interested in subject areas related to ecology and the environment. Moustafa’s bachelor thesis was on a hydrocoral species known as Millepora alcicornis or fire coral and the bacteria associated with healthy and bleached samples.
Research Assistant
Donia Essam Mahmoud
Donia Essam is an Agricultural Engineer (Ain Shams University) specializing in controlled-environment cultivation. She supports hydroponic and aquaponic trials end-to-end—setting protocols, capturing clean data, and turning results into improvements in planting density, nutrition schedules, and system hygiene—helping VertiCairo run reliable, science-driven operations.
Team Alumni & Contributors
Youssef El Bayoumy
Youssef El Bayoumy graduated with a BSc in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Business Administration from the American University in Cairo (AUC) in January 2021. After graduation, he worked at the Magdi Yacoub Foundation - Aswan Heart Centre, initially as a research assistant and later as a junior research assistant, until July 2024.
Lama Abdeldayem
Lama Abdeldayem graduated from the American University in Cairo (AUC) in February 2024 with a bachelor degree in Biology, concentrating in Molecular and Cell Biology concentration along with minors of Chemistry and Behavioural Neuroscience. Lama has been passionate about
sustainability since the climate crisis arise and growing concerns over water scarcity. Her thesis project focused on identifying the presence of methane-oxidizing bacteria in Ras Sudr sites.
Mariam Osama
Mariam Elnahhas graduated from the American University in Cairo in January 2024 with a Bachelor's degree in Biology, concentrating in
Molecular and Cell Biology, along with minors in Chemistry and Behavioral Neuroscience.
Sohila Usama
Sohila Rabie graduated from the American University in Cairo (AUC) in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology, concentrating in Molecular and Cell Biology, along with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. She has been passionate about sustainability since her early academic years, presenting research on endangered bird species at WCUR 2019. She also contributed to AUC’s sustainability initiatives as a Student Assistant. She recently joined VertiCairo as a Science Facilitator, inspired by its innovation and commitment to sustainability.