Scientific Speakers
Researchers • Academics • International Experts
Researchers • Academics • International Experts
At the heart of its scientific programme, Taghazout Surf Expo draws on a committee of international researchers and teachers from Morocco, France and Belgium. This diversity of approaches and perspectives makes it possible to address surf as a truly global phenomenon, at the crossroads of the social, the economic, the cultural and the environmental.
TSE is proud to be one of the few trade shows in the world to combine academic rigour with field experience, in order to shed light on the challenges of contemporary surf and to nourish shared reflection between scientists, professionals and institutions.
Discover below the scientific speakers of this 5th edition, whose research and work help make Taghazout Surf Expo a unique place for knowledge-sharing, innovation and international cooperation.
Scientific Director of Taghazout Surf Expo (Morocco)
Founder and Director of the ULYSSE Lab-network (Belgium)
A PhD in Tourism Sciences and Management and holder of a DEA in Regional Planning and Environmental Management from the Université libre de Bruxelles, Stéphanie Crabeck specialises in sustainable tourism development, territorial planning, local governance and heritage development. As Scientific Director of Taghazout Surf Expo, she oversees the scientific coordination of the event and its international team of researchers and academic partners. She also leads the development of the "Surf Territories Morocco" Label, an approach designed to support surf territories in building development models that are more sustainable, inclusive and better integrated with local realities. This work combines applied research, territorial expertise and dialogue between local authorities, institutions, surf stakeholders, universities and development partners.
Director of LARLANCO Laboratory
Ibn Zohr University, Agadir (Morocco)
Mokhtar El Maouhal is a professor at Ibn Zohr University in Agadir, director of the Research Laboratory on Languages and Communication (Larlanco) and academic coordinator of the "Organisational Communication" master's programme.
• "Les plateformes virtuelles comme moyen d'autoformation au savoir-lire numérique", in Pédagogie universitaire numérique : Quelles perspectives à l'ère des usages multiformes des réseaux sociaux pour apprendre ? Mulhouse, May 2021, Université de Haute Alsace.
• "L'analyse des interactions communicationnelles des étudiants dans un dispositif d'apprentissage en ligne", in Revue Adjectif, Université Paris-Descartes, 2021 T 1. (Issue theme: Production d'écrits et technologies) Issues in Education Quality: Teaching, Volume 1. (Editors: M. El Maouhal, M. Zniber & O. Barakat), Agadir, Ibn Zohr University, 2020
Amal Ben Attou is an accredited professor at Ibn Zohr University (Agadir) and a member of the LARLANCO laboratory. Her research explores architectural and heritage communication in its territorial dimensions, analysing urban identity, the tensions between architectural and tourism marketing and memory, as well as the dynamics of governance and sustainability.
Abdelkbir Nainiaa is a final-year engineering student in software engineering at the National School of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (ENSIASD), Ibn Zohr University. He specialises in artificial intelligence, automation, prototype development and software quality. A regular at hackathons and innovation events, he takes part as a participant, mentor and jury member.
Architect • PhD in Geography
Lecturer-Researcher, UIR • UIH Lab
Architect, PhD in geography from the FLSH of Rabat (2016). A Lecturer-Researcher at the International University of Rabat since 2020, Nawal Benabdallah is a member of the UIH Lab. Her work sits at the interface of sustainable urban planning, health and territorial innovation. Her background includes twenty years of experience in architecture (urban projects, public facilities, redevelopment of sensitive areas) and a strong commitment to research, academic coordination and scientific development. Her expertise covers urban planning that integrates health, territorial resilience, social inclusion and educational innovation. Her research areas include the integration of urban health into public policy, the inclusion of migrants, the ecological regeneration of territories, and the promotion of women in contemporary architecture. Active in international scientific networks, she champions a vision of the inclusive and sustainable city.
Lecturer-Researcher, UIR • Co-coordinator IPORA
College of Engineering and Architecture
Oussama Marrouni Alami is currently a Lecturer-Researcher at the International University of Rabat (UIR) – College of Engineering and Architecture – School of Aerospace and Automotive Engineering. Co-coordinator of the IPORA programme (Interdisciplinary Policy-Oriented Research on Africa), he is also responsible for UIR's international rankings. Oussama Marrouni Alami held the position of R&D PMO (Project Management Office) at the same university and at UM6P. For a long time he was head of the PMO at NOVEC, a leading Moroccan engineering firm. He holds a PhD in industrial engineering from Hassan II University, a state engineering degree from the École Mohammadia d'Ingénieurs in industrial engineering, an MBA from Al Akhawayn University and a certificate of expertise in strategic and economic intelligence from the École de Guerre Économique in Paris, in addition to a Project Management Professional (PMP) certificate.
University of Angers
Sociologist • Professor (HDR)
Christophe Guibert is a sociologist, Associate Professor (HDR) at the University of Angers (UFR ESTHUA Tourism and Culture) and a researcher at the "Espaces et sociétés" laboratory at the University of Angers. He examines the many dimensions attached to surf (public policy, employment, social and cultural uses, gender, etc.) in France, but also in various other countries (China, Taiwan, Morocco, the United States, etc.). His work draws on a dispositionalist and multi-methodological sociology and aims in particular to deconstruct the spontaneous representations that characterise the world of surf. He is the author or co-author of L'univers du surf et stratégies politiques en Aquitaine (L'Harmattan, 2006) and "Les sports de nature : une catégorie de l'action politique en question" (Éditions du Croquant, 2017). He directs two bachelor's degrees and a master's in the field of coastal tourism at Les Sables d'Olonne, a satellite campus of the University of Angers.
Univ. Pau & Pays de l'Adour
Socio-Anthropologist (HDR)
Florian Lebreton is a socio-anthropologist specialising in outdoor recreational and sporting practices at the University of Pau and the Pays de l'Adour (France) and a Lecturer-Researcher at INRENT (Institute for Research and Teaching in Tourism, Coast and Heritage) affiliated with the Lab-réseau Ulysse. He is also head of the Master's in Sports Tourism and Leisure Management (Master MTLS-ULCO).
Sorbonne Univ. Abu Dhabi
Architect • Urban Planner • PhD
Simone Safe is a Brazilian architect, urban planner and researcher, holding a PhD in geography from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). A Lecturer-Researcher and head of the URBIS Master's – Urban Innovation and Sustainability at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, she specialises in the relationships between urban planning, landscape and health. Her research focuses in particular on salutogenic landscapes, biophilic cities, inequalities in access to urban green spaces and climate resilience.
EPHEC Business, Brussels
Anthropologist • Lab Ulysse
John Van Den Plas is an anthropologist (specialising in ethnographies of intercultural relations) of travel and leisure and a Lecturer-Researcher at EPHEC Business (Leisure and Tourism Management in Brussels) affiliated with the Lab-réseau Ulysse. He also works as a consultant on project analyses (tourism, non-profit, non-governmental, etc.), studying their relationships with local populations (more specifically in Western Europe, North Africa, West Africa and Cuba). He also coordinates the "Zinneguides" project of intercultural and alternative tours of Brussels.
Université libre de Bruxelles
Physicist • Professor
Denis Terwagne is a physicist and professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). He runs the Frugal Lab within the ULB Fab Lab, on the Usquare campus in Brussels, where he is also one of the coordinators. The ULB Fab Lab is an interdisciplinary space dedicated to learning, research and prototype design using digital fabrication technologies. At the crossroads of physics, biology and digital fabrication, the Frugal Lab draws inspiration from strategies developed by living organisms to create frugal, robust and accessible solutions to major societal challenges. His work focuses in particular on atmospheric water harvesting and on water analysis in resource-limited contexts.
University of Angers
PhD Candidate in Sociology
Jules Raimondo is a PhD candidate in sociology at ESTHUA-INNTO France, attached to the ESO laboratory (UMR CNRS 6590) at the University of Angers. His thesis focuses on surf wave pools in France (facilities dedicated to surfing), and more specifically on the controversies and contestations surrounding them, looking at the power and domination dynamics at play in a heteronomous field at the intersections of the political, sporting, media and economic spheres.