Waterloo University and KFUPM Compete in Hydrogen Challenge

Undergraduate students from KFUPM’s College of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences (CPG) and the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Science in Canada gathered on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, for the final stage of a joint competition themed “The New White Gold Rush.” The event, hosted by the CPG and organized in collaboration with KFUPM’s Global Engagement Office, marked a new milestone in the partnership between the two universities, which have collaborated in several areas over the past years. The theme referred to the exploration of white hydrogen, a naturally occurring gas drawing attention for its energy potential and comparatively low processing cost.

The competition began mid-September 2025, with students at both institutions working in parallel, many stepping into the field of hydrogen research for the first time. Their rapid progress through the stages culminated in six finalist teams, three from each university, each composed of three to four students.

The event opened with remarks from Dr. Ali Alyousef, Dean of the CPG, who stressed that all participants were already winners by reaching this stage. His sentiment was echoed by Dr. Khalid Alramadan, Chairman of the Geosciences Department, who had also offered his extensive support to the participating KFUPM students throughout the entire competition.

Presentations covered almost every major dimension of natural hydrogen, including identification, extraction, storage, and transportation. Students refined their work through mentoring on both technical content and delivery, gradually strengthening their research as the competition advanced.

Seven judges evaluated the finalists: Dr. Arshad Raza, Dr. Husam Baalousha, and Distinguished Professor Mohamed Mahmoud from KFUPM; Mr. Seth Jutzi, Dr. Chris Yakymchuk, and Mr. Gregory Allan Dick from the University of Waterloo; and Dr. Bandar Ghassal, Head of Brine Resources Exploration at Saudi Aramco. They commended the creativity showcased throughout the day. Both Dr. Husam and Dr. Arshad further noted their surprise at the depth of the work produced at an undergraduate level.

For example, a KFUPM team consisting of Abdullah Al-Qisoom, Ali Al Marar, Mohammed Sahwan, and Hussain Al Qahtani, showcased an original numerical model to assess whether hydrogen in specific reservoirs is naturally occurring. Reflecting on the experience, Hussain said, “each presentation had its own unique aspect.” Their work illustrated what Dr. Ali had hoped to achieve: “one of our objectives for this competition was to raise awareness of new emerging energy sources, which is still a niche area, and to get our students interested in it.” He further explained that the event served as a starting point for students to learn about natural hydrogen and expects participants to continue exploring this topic throughout their university studies and beyond graduation.

Besides the research itself, students from both institutions connected with one another, playing with geological humor in their team names, such as “Gneiss One”. Some Canadian students even delivered their presentations in traditional Saudi attire. Although the competition did not require a focus on Saudi Arabia’s reserves, all University of Waterloo teams chose to center their research on the Kingdom, a gesture much appreciated by KFUPM students.

Senior Canadian student, Muskan Kapadia, also shared her excitement about both participating and visiting Saudi Arabia for the first time. In her own words, “the whole process has been exciting. This was such a unique opportunity, more than what I could have asked for.”

First place went to a team of sophomore geology students from KFUPM whose project examined surface processing solutions. The team included Shahad Ramdan Darwish, Linah Essam Alhussain, Fatimah Zakaria Alibrahim, and Ayah Sharaf Alaradi. Ayah, the first student to arrive at the venue and among the group to present last, said, “everyone worked hard and did a good job. Thankfully all our hard work and rehearsing paid off, and I’m now happier than ever.”

The competition was symbolically held beside the CPG’s Exploration and Knowledge Center, home to geological samples from across Saudi Arabia and a lunar rock gifted to KFUPM by Apollo 17 astronauts in 1972, a setting fit for a competition about the future of energy.

Closing the event, Dr. Chris Hauser, Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Waterloo, thanked KFUPM for its partnership, affirming that both institutions share a belief that “knowledge must serve society, with purpose being greater than papers and mission being greater than majors.” He noted that the competition could open doors to future collaborations in research, student exchanges, shared facilities, and pilot studies extending from hydrogen to geology and quantum science.