Professor Salem I. Salem

Prof. Salem’s research focuses on integrating remote sensing, machine learning, and big data analysis to address pressing environmental challenges. His work aims to enhance water quality monitoring, assess the impacts of climate change, and improve water resource management. His research also focuses on improving the accuracy of satellite products through the development of novel algorithms at both regional and global scales. Additionally, he is addressing the increasing prevalence of harmful algal blooms by developing monitoring and forecasting systems that combine satellite data and machine learning, ultimately providing policymakers with actionable insights to mitigate environmental risks.

Collaboration is a cornerstone of Prof. Salem’s research, as he actively partners with leading institutions such as NASA, NOAA, and JAXA. For over a decade, he has worked closely with Japanese universities and organizations to address environmental issues. Since 2021, he has led the Japanese team in NASA’s Early Adopters program, contributing to the PACE mission. Since 2015, he has also been a co-investigator in JAXA’s GCOM-C Research Project, working to improve satellite products and collect validation datasets over Japanese coastal waters. He has conducted extensive field observations in many Japanese coastal water bodies, enabling him to collaborate with researchers from 59 institutions on the GLORIA dataset—a globally representative collection of hyperspectral remote sensing measurements from 450 water bodies, which is widely used to enhance water quality assessment.

Prof. Salem has extensive teaching experience, spanning from Alexandria University to Kyoto University of Advanced Science (KUAS). He has designed and delivered courses on environmental monitoring, remote sensing, and programming. His teaching philosophy is grounded in creating an engaging and interactive classroom environment, employing the principles of the learning pyramid to enrich traditional lectures with dynamic and collaborative activities. His goal is to equip students with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience to prepare them for real-world applications. His commitment to innovation in teaching was recognized when he received the Best Lecture Award in 2022 at KUAS.

He began his academic journey at Alexandria University, Egypt, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He then pursued his Ph.D. at The University of Tokyo, Japan, followed by two years as a postdoctoral researcher at the same institution. Before joining PML, Dr. Salem spent five years as a lecturer at KUAS in Japan, where he contributed to both research and education, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students while further solidifying his expertise in remote sensing, environmental science, and machine learning.

Key Projects

• Harnessing Earth Observation (EO) to Enhance Decision-Making for Eutrophication and Harmful Algal Bloom (EuHAB) Impact Mitigation and Adaptation, funded by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) via the Collaborative Regional Research Programme (CRRP) (2024–2026)
• Development of high-accuracy GCOM-C ocean color products and water quality data assimilation system for coastal areas and lakes, funded by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) (2022–2025)
• Development of Red Tide Detection Methods Using Satellite Observations, funded by the Fisheries Technology Research Institute, Japanese Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA) (2024–2025)
• International Network for Integrated Wadi Flash Flood Risk Management in the Middle East and North Africa, funded by the International Symposium on Flash Floods (ISFF) project (2021–2023)
• Development of a Water Environment Monitoring System for Coastal Areas and Lakes Using GCOM-C/SGLI, funded by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) (2019–2022)

Selected Publications