As Steve Jobs famously once said, “ … Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
Each year, TWA celebrates these individuals: the changemakers who are redefining the energy industry, pushing boundaries, and shaping the future of energy.
These changemakers are recognized for their influence, contributions, and their ability to make a difference not only within their organizations, but across the wider energy community.
TWA Energy Influencers have demonstrated inspiring technical and academic contributions across conventional and unconventional energy, digital transformation, and sustainability. Their commitment extends beyond their professional roles through dedicated service to SPE and the broader energy industry, contributing to professional development, mentoring, knowledge sharing, and initiatives that create meaningful and lasting impact.
Together, these contributions are not only advancing the industry but also shaping its future and empowering those who will lead it forward.
Join me in congratulating these outstanding five TWA Energy Influencers. We look forward to their promising journeys ahead.
-Hitisha Dadlani, deputy editor in chief, The Way Ahead
Baraa Hameed Salman Zubaidi
Senior Engineer/Renewable Energy Reseracher, Petroleum Research and Development Center, Ministry of Oil, Iraq
Baraa Hameed Salman Zubaidi is a senior engineer/renewable energy researcher at the Petroleum Research & Development Center, Ministry of Oil Iraq, where he heads the energy economics unit within the Iraqi Think Tank for Energy Studies Department. His work centers on feasibility studies, techno-economic assessments, and research on clean energy solutions to decarbonize oilfield operations through electrification using renewable energy and energy efficiency.
He is vice chairperson (chairperson elect) and cofounder of the SPE Central Iraq Section and has held leadership positions with international organizations to serve the community, including SPE, IEEE International, UNITAR, and WorldDenver.
He has more than 11 years of experience in energy, climate change, youth empowerment, and entrepreneurship and has received more than 13 professional and academic awards, many from organizations outside Iraq, including the Chevening Scholarship, Hyperion Award for Entrepreneurs, 2023 SPE International Giovanni Paccaloni Young Professional Service Award, UNITAR Fellowship, IRENA Youth I ACT Initiative, and the OKP Scholarship.
He holds an MSc in renewable energy engineering from Heriot-Watt University, an executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology, a BEng in electrical power techniques from Al-Ma'moon University, and a technical diploma in electricity from Baghdad Oil Training Institute.
Muhammad Akram Karimi
Cofounder and CTO, Saher Flow Solutions
Muhammad Karimi is the cofounder and chief technology officer of Saher Flow Solutions, a deep-tech company established to develop next-generation industrial sensing technologies for the energy sector.
As the technology leader of Saher Flow Solutions, Karimi led the development and commercialization of a novel non-nuclear, IoT-enabled multiphase flow meter (MPFM). The technology eliminates the need for radioactive gamma sources traditionally used in multiphase flow measurement. Under his technical leadership, the company successfully scaled from a research spin-off to an international technology provider, exporting its systems across North America, Africa, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
He has secured more than $5 million in research grants and equity financing to help establish the GCC's first homegrown company dedicated to developing and manufacturing MPFM technology.
His research contributions include more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and over 10 granted patents. His work has been recognized through numerous international awards, including the IEEE Best Research Paper Award, IEEE Three Minute Thesis Award, IEEE Sensors Council Technical Achievement Award, SPE Rising Star Award at the ATCE Energy Startup Competition, and the King's Prize in the Inventor Category.
He holds a holds a BS degree in electrical engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Pakistan, and a PhD in radio-frequency engineering from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
Sherif Fakher
Assistant Professor, The American University in Cairo Petroleum and Energy Engineering Department
Sherif Fakher is an assistant professor of petroleum and energy engineering at The American University in Cairo (AUC), where his research focuses on petroleum production engineering, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), advanced materials, and sustainable energy technologies.
He has authored more than 80 research publications and has lead multiple local, regional, and international research grants on petroleum production engineering, sustainable material development, and CCUS.
He serves on the SPE Sustainable Development Technical Section Board, helping shape global initiatives that advance the energy transition. He is an active leader within SPE, serving as faculty advisor of the AUC SPE Student Chapter and frequently delivering technical sessions and presentations at SPE conferences and events, including events in Egypt.
Through his research, professional leadership, and outreach, he has mentored hundreds of young professionals and students while strengthening collaboration between academia and industry. His contributions to innovation, sustainability, and SPE have earned him multiple national and international recognitions.
Utkarsh Sinha
Senior Research Engineer, Xecta Digital Labs
Utkarsh Sinha is a senior research engineer at Xecta Digital Labs, where he develops physics-informed and hybrid machine-learning (ML) solutions for reservoir and production engineering. With over 8 years of experience, his work spans reservoir management, enhanced oil recovery, artificial-lift optimization, production forecasting, and PVT/EOS modeling.
He has authored or coauthored more than 30 technical manuscripts published in leading peer-reviewed journals and presented at major international conferences, earning more than 260 citations. He is a coinventor on six granted and pending patents and serves as a technical reviewer for leading journals, including SPE Journal and Geoenergy Science and Engineering. He also volunteers as a research collaborator with Birol Dindoruk at Texas A&M University, advancing hybrid ML frameworks that integrate first-principles reservoir physics with advanced deep-learning architectures.
An emerging SPE leader, Sinha served on the Data Science and Engineering Analytics Technical Director's Advisory Board (2020–2023), the PetroWiki Steering Committee (2023–2025), and as secretary of the SPE Gulf Coast Section Young Professionals (2021–2022). He held leadership roles at URTeC and the SPE Improved Oil Recovery Conference from 2022 to 2025 as a reviewer, session chair, and committee member. Most recently, he served as the URTeC 2026 theme chair for Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.
He holds a BTech in chemical engineering from VIT University and an MEng in petroleum engineering from the University of Houston, where he received the BP Student Scholarship and the Engineering Dean's Master Scholarship in recognition of his academic performance.
Youwei He
Professor, Southwest Petroleum University
Youwei He is a professor in the department of petroleum engineering at Southwest Petroleum University, China. He was also a visiting scholar at Texas A&M University from 2017 to 2018. His research focuses on the multiphase flow and phase behavior of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) and underground gas storage (UGS).
He has led more than 10 research projects focusing on CCUS and UGS topics, and has coauthored more than 50 technical papers in journals and SPE conferences.
He has served as an associate editor for SPE Journal, Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, and Geoenergy Science and Engineering. He has also served as a committee member for OTC Asia, URTeC, SPE Regional Awards, the SPE Section Award, and the SPE Student Chapter Award.
He is the recipient of the 2026 SPE Northern Asia Pacific Regional Young Professional Outstanding Service Award and has received the SPE Technical Reviewer Outstanding Service Award four times.
He holds a PhD in petroleum engineering from the China University of Petroleum (Beijing) and a BSc degree in petroleum engineering from Southwest Petroleum University.