Khogeer elected as the first Arab fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Ahmed S. Khogeer, a senior project engineer with Saudi Aramco’s Special Kingdom Projects Department, was recently elected to the degree of fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) — the highest degree of membership an engineer can reach in the institute. He is the institute’s first fellow from the Arab region.

In addition, Khogeer is the first person from outside the United States to receive the Distinguished Services Award from the Fuels and Petrochemicals Division of AIChE.

He received the fellowship certificate, pin and the award plaque during the AIChE 2017 spring meeting in San Antonio, Texas. At the conference, Khogeer presented a paper on Saudi Vision 2030 and its impact on oil, gas, petrochemicals, and infrastructure projects in the region.

Fellowship in the AIChE can only be attained by election after being sponsored by a fellow member and supported by at least five other fellows, who are required to demonstrate the knowledge and services the nominee added to the field of chemical engineering and his competencies before the nomination is sent to the Fellows Council for election.

Khogeer holds four degrees: a Ph.D. in chemical engineering, an MBA and an Advanced Project Management certificate — all from Colorado State University, and an M.S. degree in chemical engineering from the University of Tulsa — all with honors. He is registered in Saudi Arabia as a consultant engineer, which is the highest category of professional engineering in the Kingdom.

Khogeer, the first Saudi specialized in catalytic cracking, has 27 years of diverse experience with Saudi Aramco in different fields, including refining, projects, lubes, facilities planning, and research and development. He is also a founding member of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

Khogeer joined AIChE in 1998 and became heavily involved in the institute, including presenting papers internationally, chairing sessions, and serving as a director in the Fuels and Petrochemicals Division. He has also been a member of the AIChE International Committee, as well as many other roles. His efforts assisted in increasing membership, conference participants, papers, and interest in establishing AIChE chapters, and assisted universities in establishing chemical engineering departments.

AIChE is the world’s leading organization for chemical engineering professionals. The institute was founded in 1908 with headquarters in New York, representing more than 50,000 members in industry, academia, and government, from more than 100 countries.