Research interests

Dr. El Hassan works on the design and experimental investigation of reactors and nanomaterials with structured porosity for energy conversion through catalytic reactions, including methane reforming and chemical looping, CO₂ methanation, and the conversion of biomass and waste into hydrogen-rich syngas. She complements experiments with thermodynamic and CFD simulation of reactors and processes.

Dr. El Hassan has co-directed four PhD theses in co-tutelle or co-direction between Lebanon and France with Sorbonne University (three defended, one ongoing since 2025), co-supervised a fifth PhD under the same framework, and supervised ten master’s theses.

Dr. El Hassan has participated in several European projects. Among these, she worked on the Erasmus+ project GOPELC (Gas and Oil Processing, a Lebanese European Cooperation), which aimed to develop and update graduate Chemical and Petroleum Engineering curricula in Lebanon in collaboration with European institutions. For research, she participated in the ERANETMED project SOL-CARE (Solar Assisted Catalytic Reforming: a Hybrid Process to Transform Municipal Waste into Energy), where she designed and developed catalysts for dry and combined reforming of methane in collaboration with several European institutions.

Dr. El Hassan also serves as an external expert evaluator for Horizon Europe, the European Union’s key funding program for research and innovation.

Funding

As PI or Co-PI, Dr. El Hassan has taken part in national and international research and education projects with combined budgets of more than €1.8 million, shared among all participating institutions. Highlights include:

• SOL-CARE (ERANETMED, 2016–2019): €1.2 million total budget, shared among partner institutions in France, Lebanon, Spain, Italy and Portugal; institutional PI.
• GOPELC (Erasmus+ Capacity Building, 2015–2018): €564,000 total budget, shared among partner institutions in Lebanon, Romania, Sweden and France; institutional PI.
• LAU President’s Intramural Research Fund (2023–2025): $50,000 for the design of nanomaterials for chemical looping.
• SAFAR doctoral scholarship (French Embassy in Lebanon and LAU, 2025–2028) for a PhD in co-tutelle with Sorbonne University.
• Other funding: AUF master’s and PhD scholarships, Partenariat Hubert Curien (PHC) CEDRE, Global Grad Show Dubai seed fund (A.R.M. Holding), and an EU-funded innovation voucher from the Center of Innovation and Technology.

Selected publications

2026

1. N. El Hassan, M.N. Kaydouh, S. Casale, K.M. Banabdwin, S.B. Alreshaidan, A.A.M. Abahussain and A.S. Al-Fatesh
   Mesopore confinement does not stabilize Ni-based oxygen carriers under high-temperature cyclic redox conditions: amorphous SiO₂ versus ordered SBA-15 in chemical looping reforming of methane
   Microporous and Mesoporous Materials 414 (2026) 114339
2. M.N. Kaydouh, E. Chalhoub, A.S. Al-Fatesh and N. El Hassan
   Thermodynamic feasibility of nickel and cerium oxides as versatile oxygen carriers in chemical looping reforming of methane-rich feedstocks
   Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering 91 (2026) 206
3. S. Habchi, M.N. Kaydouh, M. El Hasnaoui, F. Karouach, N. El Hassan and H. El Bari
   Effect of nanoparticles addition on the anaerobic digestion process: a review
   Waste and Biomass Valorization (2026)

2025

4. A. Bin Jumah, M.N. Kaydouh, A.S. Al-Fatesh, M.O. Bayazed, A.H. Fakeeha, A.A. Ibrahim, A.E. Abasaeed, K.J. Chaudhary and N. El Hassan
   Cerium-induced modification of acid–base sites in Ni-zeolite catalysts for improved dry reforming of methane
   Journal of the Energy Institute 118 (2025) 101901
5. A. Al-Anazi, M.N. Kaydouh, O. Bellahwel, A.A. Ibrahim, A.A.M. Abahussain, V. Kumar Srivastava, A.H. Fakeeha, N.S. Almuqati, R. Alotaibi, A.S. Al-Fatesh and N. El Hassan
   Effect of strontium on the performance of Ni/CBV20A catalyst in partial oxidation of methane for syngas and hydrogen production
   RSC Advances 15 (2025) 8471

2024

6. M.N. Kaydouh, N. El Hassan, A.I. Osman, H. Ahmed, N. Alarifi, A.H. Fakeeha, A.B. Jumah and A.S. Al-Fatesh
   Optimizing CO₂ methanation: effect of surface basicity and active phase reducibility on Ni-based catalysts
   Reaction Chemistry & Engineering 9 (2024) 1933
7. M.N. Kaydouh, N. El Hassan, E. Chalhoub, N. Bukharin and M. El Hassan
   A review of computational fluid dynamics modeling of dry reforming of methane for improved catalyst and reactor design
   Fuel 366 (2024) 131290

2023

8. A.S. Al-Fatesh, M.N. Kaydouh, H. Ahmed, A.A. Ibrahim, M.F. Alotibi, A.I. Osman and N. El Hassan
   Sr-promoted Ni/W–Zr catalysts for highly efficient CO₂ methanation: unveiling the role of surface basicity
   Langmuir 39 (2023) 17723
9. S.A. Al-Zahrani, A.S. Al-Fatesh, M.N. Kaydouh, A. Al Otaibi, F. Francesco, A.H. Fakeeha and N. El Hassan
   High carbon-resistant nickel supported on yttria–zirconia catalysts for syngas production by dry reforming of methane: the promoting effect of cesium
   Alexandria Engineering Journal 74 (2023) 371
10. N. El Hassan, K. Jabbour, A. Fakeeha, Y. Nasr, M. Muhammad, S.B. Alreshaidan and A.S. Al-Fatesh
    Production of carbon nanomaterials and syngas from biogas reforming and decomposition on one-pot mesoporous nickel alumina catalysts
    Alexandria Engineering Journal 63 (2023) 143

2022

11. A. Fakeeha, R. Patel, N. El Hassan, S. Al-Zahrani, A.S. Al-Awadi, L. Frusteri, H. Bayahia, A. Alharth, A.S. Al-Fatesh and R. Kumar
    Holmium promoted yttria–zirconia supported Ni catalyst for H₂ production via dry reforming of methane
    International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 47 (2022) 38242
12. K. Jabbour, N. El Hassan, M. Arabi, R. Chemali and Y. Nasr
    A thermodynamic methodology toward an optimized methane decomposition process for enhanced hydrogen production and low carbon accumulation: effect of non-hydrocarbon co-feeds
    Chemical Engineering Research and Design 188 (2022) 50
13. O. Daoura, N. El Hassan, M. Boutros, S. Casale, P. Massiani and F. Launay
    Effect of impregnation with ammonia vs silica support textural properties on Ni nanoparticle catalysts for dry reforming of methane
    ACS Applied Nano Materials 5 (2022) 18048
14. M.N. Kaydouh and N. El Hassan
    Thermodynamic simulation of the co-gasification of biomass and plastic waste for hydrogen-rich syngas production
    Results in Engineering 16 (2022) 100771
15. C. Bacariza, L. Karam, N. El Hassan, J.M. Lopes and C. Henriques
    Carbon dioxide reforming of methane over nickel-supported zeolites: a screening study
    Processes 10 (2022) 1331
16. K. Jabbour and N. El Hassan
    Optimized conditions for reduction of iron(III) oxide into metallic form under hydrogen atmosphere: a thermodynamic approach
    Chemical Engineering Science 252 (2022) 117297

Full list of publications: ORCID | Scopus

Academic degrees

PhD. Chemical Process Engineering (High Distinction), Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris VI (now Sorbonne Université), France, 2008
M.S. Chemical Kinetics, Catalysis, Combustion and Modeling: applied to hydrocarbons, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris VI (now Sorbonne Université), France, 2004
Maîtrise ès Sciences, Chemistry, Lebanese University, Lebanon, 2003