Dr. Nariman Khalil from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department received an honorable invitation from the International Road Federation (IRF) and the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), to join them as a guest speaker on the occasion of the 18th IRF World Meeting & Exhibition, held at the Dubai World Trade Center, on November 7-10 2021. She has also served in the conference scientific committee.

Dr. Khalil’s presentation addressed the transition to a Performance Grading System for Asphalt Binders in Lebanon (SuperPave). She presented her pioneer work on developing the PG Map for Lebanon and establishing the first rheology laboratory in Lebanon and among the very first in the region. She shared her current research work on pavement sustainability: “The Effect of Crumb Rubber and Polymer Modifiers on Performance Related Properties of Asphalt Binders”, thanks to the research team on this project: Mr. Joseph Dib and Dr. Edwina Saroufim.

Dr. Khalil is a founder and a board member of the “Middle East Society of Asphalt Technologists MESAT” that organised a pre-conference workshop on “Sustainable Pavement Practices”.

The IRF World Meeting aspires to be a global summit & technology showcase that is focused on delivering solutions to the world’s pressing mobility questions.

University of Balamand was a supporting institution of the event that gathered 2500 delegates from 58 countries. ​