Dr. Tamer
Abu-Alam

Earth Scientist · Sustainability Analyst · Innovation Leader

My work has always been driven by a simple question: how can we better understand the Earth and make better decisions about the resources and ecosystems on which society depends?

Twenty-five years spanning Earth sciences, structural geology, sustainability analytics, and AI-driven environmental intelligence. Currently coordinating CloudEARTHi across 13 countries, contributing to international research initiatives, and developing ExplainEarth — an Environmental Decision Intelligence platform that turns planetary signals into actionable decisions.

CHAPTER I · 2000–2021
🏔
Earth Scientist Antarctica · Svalbard · Arabian Shield
Tectonics, petrology, geological deep time
CHAPTER II · 2018–2025
🌱
Sustainability & AI Big data · Environmental analytics
CloudEARTHi · EU innovation ecosystems
CHAPTER III · 2026–
🚀
Innovation Leader & Founder ExplainEarth · CloudEARTHi
Environmental intelligence & ecosystems
This website is being updated to reflect the latest stage of my professional journey, including research, sustainability analytics, innovation ecosystems, and the development of ExplainEarth. Some academic content below is from earlier periods and is being revised. Connect on LinkedIn for the most current updates.
€28M+ Innovation portfolio as PI, consortium lead and/or partner
65+ Peer-reviewed scientific papers
h-22 Google Scholar h-index · 1,603 citations
50+ Partner organisations across 13 countries
International award winner, 2023
25yr Earth & environmental science career
From Earth Systems to Sustainability — The Journey

From deep Earth
to decision intelligence

Three chapters that converge into a single mission: making the Earth's signals legible — and actionable.

2000 – 2021 · Earth Science

Reading the Planet

Geology · Tectonics · Petrology · Antarctica · Svalbard

A career mapping the deep structure of the Earth — from the Arabian-Nubian Shield to the glaciers of Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Studying how continents collide, how mountains form, how geological forces shape the world over deep time. This is where the scientific foundation was built: the ability to read complex systems from incomplete signals.

metamorphic petrology structural geology geochemistry Antarctica Svalbard D.Sc. Graz 2010
2018 – 2025 · Sustainability & AI

Connecting Science to Society

AI · Big Data · CloudEARTHi · EU Innovation Ecosystems

At UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, the focus shifted from understanding the Earth to protecting it — and enabling industries to act on that understanding. As Assistant Professor of Sustainability Analytics, founding CloudEARTHi (50+ organisations, 13 countries), and leading €28M+ in EU-funded innovation projects, the bridge between science and decision-making became clear.

sustainability analytics big data CloudEARTHi EU Horizon EIT IPBES 2024
2026 – · Founder

Building ExplainEarth

Environmental Decision Intelligence · Norwegian Aquaculture · Global vision

Building ExplainEarth — an AI platform combining satellite Earth observation, geoscience models, and ML forecasting into actionable environmental decisions. This chapter builds directly on 25 years of Earth science and sustainability analytics. ExplainEarth starts with Norwegian aquaculture and scales globally. Developed alongside continued leadership of CloudEARTHi and active research collaborations.

ExplainEarth Copernicus / CMEMS GeoAI decision intelligence
Ecosystem builder

The CloudEARTHi Ecosystem

CloudEARTHi represents the evolution of my work from research and sustainability analytics toward ecosystem building, entrepreneurship, and innovation leadership across Europe.

"Not a single project — a growing European innovation ecosystem that connects universities, industry, and startups around sustainability, deep tech, and the green transition."

CloudEARTHi brings together higher education institutions, innovation hubs, and industry partners across 13 countries to build capacity for Deep Tech entrepreneurship, sustainability analytics, and knowledge transfer. What began as an EIT-funded initiative has grown into a self-sustaining ecosystem generating follow-up projects, startup activities, and international research collaborations.

🏆 EIT Deep Tech Talent Education Prize · 2023
🌿 Scottish Knowledge Exchange Award · 2023
🎓 QS Reimagine Education · Shortlisted 2023
50+ Partner organisations
13 Countries represented
4,500+ Participants trained
€5M+ EU funding secured under CloudEARTHi projects
🚀
Startup Creation & Acceleration
Supporting Deep Tech founders from research to market through structured entrepreneurship programmes, mentoring, and the SEEDplus acceleration initiative.
🌍
International Knowledge Transfer
Connecting universities and innovation hubs across Europe through shared curricula, exchange programmes, and co-developed sustainability tools.
🎓
Sustainability & Green Transition Education
Building higher education capacity in circular economy, big data, sustainability analytics, and Net Zero — the Earth Centred Business Design Tool being a key output.
🤝
Diversity & Inclusion in Innovation
Actively promoting underrepresented groups in Deep Tech entrepreneurship and STEM through targeted programmes and partnerships.
🔗
University–Industry Collaboration
Creating structured pathways between academic research and commercial application — from environmental datasets to deployable sustainability intelligence.
🌍 What is happening? Earth Intelligence
🔬 Why is it happening? GeoAI
📈 What will happen next? Future Intelligence
What should we do? Decision Intelligence
Current Venture

ExplainEarth
Environmental Decision Intelligence

Building on 25 years of Earth science, sustainability analytics, and AI — ExplainEarth makes environmental signals actionable.

An AI-powered platform combining satellite Earth observation, IoT sensor data, geoscience models, and machine learning forecasting — delivering not dashboards, but decisions. Starting with harmful algal bloom early-warning for Norwegian aquaculture (€11.5B industry) and expanding globally.

4
Decision Intelligence
What should we do?
3
Future Intelligence
What will happen next?
2
GeoAI
Why is it happening?
1
Earth Intelligence
What is happening?
View live prototype →
Recognition

Awards & recognition

🏆
2023
EIT Deep Tech Talent Education Prize
European Institute of Innovation & Technology · CloudEARTHi initiative
🌿
2023
Scottish Knowledge Exchange Award
Making an Environmental Difference · Interface Scotland & University of Edinburgh
🎓
2023
QS Reimagine Education Award
Shortlisted · Global higher education innovation recognition
📋
2024
IPBES Contributor
Transformative Change Assessment · Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity
2017
Exceptional Reviewer Award
Geological Society of America · peer review recognition
🥇
2000
First Class Honours & Best Bachelor Student
Geology · Tanta University, Egypt
Research & innovation portfolio

€28M+ Project Portfolio (PI, Consortium Lead & Partner)

A portfolio spanning Earth sciences, sustainability research, open science, and innovation ecosystems — demonstrating leadership, international collaboration, and the progression from scientific excellence to ecosystem building and entrepreneurship.

01 Sustainability, Innovation & Entrepreneurship €4.35M+ · EIT · Horizon Europe · Erasmus+
€1.2M · EIT Higher Education Initiative · 2021–2023
CloudEARTHi
The seed project of the CloudEARTHi ecosystem. What began as a collaboration among seven partners has evolved into a pan-European Deep Tech and sustainability ecosystem spanning 50+ organisations across 13 countries. Winner of the EIT Deep Tech Education Prize 2023 and the foundation of a growing self-sustaining innovation network.
Coordinator & Principal Investigator
€750K · EIT Higher Education Initiative
BOOSTalent
Talent development and entrepreneurship capacity building within the CloudEARTHi ecosystem. Recruiting and supporting emerging innovators.
Partner & Work Package Lead
€500K · Horizon Europe
Scale2Connect
Scaling innovation connections between universities and industry across Europe. Knowledge transfer and commercialisation pathways.
Partner & Work Package Lead
€500K · Horizon Europe
Mind the Gap
Addressing the gap between research and innovation by transforming research ideas into Deep Tech ventures, startups, and innovation-driven businesses across European higher education institutions.
Partner & Work Package Lead
€400K · Erasmus+ · 2022–2025
Inspiring the Minds
An international education initiative promoting sustainability, inclusion, diversity, and climate action through interdisciplinary learning and collaboration between academia, industry, and civil society across Europe.
Coordinator & Principal Investigator
€1M · Horizon Europe · 2023–2025
SEEDplus
Startup acceleration programme supporting Deep Tech founders from research to market. Talent pipeline and ecosystem development.
Coordinator & Principal Investigator
02 Environmental & Sustainability Research €22.7M · Horizon Europe · Fram Centre
€8M · Horizon Europe · 2023–2027
BioProtect
Biodiversity protection and ecosystem monitoring across European marine and coastal environments. Environmental modelling and data infrastructure.
Partner & Researcher
€9.7M · Horizon Europe · 2022–2026
A-AAGORA
Arctic and Antarctic governance and ocean resources. Multi-stakeholder platform for sustainable ocean management across Nordic and polar regions.
Partner & Researcher
€5M · Fram Centre · 2022–2026
CoastShift
Sustainable blue food systems for Northern Norway. Scenario development for 2040. Stakeholder engagement and sustainability analytics for coastal communities.
Work Package Lead
03 Open Science & Polar Research ~€400K · UiT · Norwegian Ministry
~€300K · UiT Strategic Funding
Open Polar
World's first open-access research portal for Arctic and Antarctic scientific data. Pioneering open science infrastructure for polar research communities globally.
Coordinator & Principal Investigator
~€100K · Pilot Phase
Open Polar — Pilot Phase
Proof-of-concept phase establishing the technical and institutional framework for open-access polar research data. Led from conception to deployment.
Principal Investigator
Norwegian Ministry of Environment
GIS Geological Database of Antarctica
Development of comprehensive GIS geological database covering Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Multi-year field and remote-sensing integration.
Postdoctoral Researcher
04 Earth Sciences & Resource Systems ~€600K · Industry · Austrian Science Fund
~€300K · Industry-funded · Star Petroleum
African Gold Mapping
Economic geology and gold exploration across the Arabian-Nubian Shield (Sudan and Chad). Integration of field mapping, geochemistry, and structural analysis for resource identification.
Principal Investigator
~€300K · Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Najd Fault System
Investigation of exhumation processes in the Najd Fault System, Arabian Peninsula. Metamorphic petrology, geochronology, and tectonic modelling.
Coordinator & Principal Investigator
Active research & scientific identity

Research, science
& contributions

Leadership & Service
Assistant Professor, Sustainability Analytics
UiT – The Arctic University of Norway
Section Editor, Lithosphere
Geological Society of America · Active
Contributing Author, IPBES Transformative Change Assessment
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity · 2024
Founder, CloudEARTHi Ecosystem
Pan-European innovation ecosystem · 50+ organisations, 13 countries
Founder, ExplainEarth (in formation)
Environmental Decision Intelligence Platform · Current venture
Research Themes
🏔
Structural Geology & Tectonics
Continental collision, crustal evolution, Gondwana and Rodinia reconstruction, exhumation processes, and large-scale tectonic systems.
🔬
Metamorphic Petrology & Thermodynamic Modelling
Pressure-temperature evolution, fluid-rock interaction, phase equilibria modelling, and crustal transformation processes.
Ore Formation & Resource Systems
Mineral exploration, ore-forming processes, structural controls on mineralisation, and resource system evolution.
🧊
Polar & Earth System Research
Antarctica, Svalbard, Arctic geological systems, GIS databases, and open polar science infrastructure for the global research community.
🌊
Sustainability Analytics & AI
Environmental intelligence, sustainability transitions, Earth observation, AI-driven environmental monitoring, and decision intelligence systems.
🌐
Blue Food Systems & Coastal Governance
Sustainable aquaculture, scenario development for 2040 blue food systems, coastal stakeholder engagement, and marine policy analytics.
Selected Contributions
📊
Publication Record
65+ peer-reviewed publications spanning structural geology, metamorphic petrology, sustainability analytics, and environmental intelligence. Research covering Africa, Europe, Antarctica, Svalbard, and the Arabian-Nubian Shield. h-index 22 · 1,603+ citations · Google Scholar ↗
🤝
Scientific Service & Engagement
Section Editor, Lithosphere (active) · Invited speaker: EGU, AGU, GSA · Active peer reviewer across international journals · IPBES Transformative Change Assessment contributor (2024) · Network spanning Horizon Europe, EIT, Norwegian Polar Institute, Framsenteret, and ESA.

Let's collaborate on
what the Earth needs

Or write directly: tamerabualam@yahoo.com  ·  Tromsø, Norway