Mohamed Wanas’ MEng journey to a career in clean energy
Mohamed Wanas is a technical leader for Nuclear Island Hydraulic Systems at GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy- a role that caps an interesting career path. His journey brought him to Canada, where a pivotal decision to pursue an MEng degree in the Department of Chemical Engineering helped lay the foundation for his current role in clean energy production.
Wanas completed his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at the University of Alexandria in Egypt. He worked on design, commissioning and normal operation phases in the oil and gas industry for eight years while he completed a Master of Applied Science (MASc) degree in Egypt.
Wanas had family in Canada and often travelled to Canada as a child, always hoping to return as an adult. In 2017, he came back with plans to pursue a PhD. However, he had a strong desire to return to work in industry and began considering doing an MEng degree to return to work sooner.
Mohamed Wanas and his family
Wanas initially considered applying to several Canadian universities; however, he was ultimately drawn to the University of ݮƵ—not only because of its renowned engineering program, but also due to a connection he established with Chemical Engineering Graduate Studies Manager Judy Caron.
“Judy was really welcoming; she offered flexibility with admit terms. I wanted to start my MEng as soon as possible as I had a wife and small child to consider,” said Wanas. “Judy worked with me so that I could start in the fall term instead of waiting for the winter term. That was a deciding factor for me.”
Wanas made many friends in the Department of Chemical Engineering and enjoyed pursuing his degree. He was happy to be able to complete his MEng in a year and return to work in industry.
After graduating in 2018, Wanas soon found employment at a company called Green Mantra Technologies. The company has clean technology which takes different types of plastics (polyethylene and polystyrene) and uses chemical processes to produce value-added synthetic waxes and specialty polymers. Wanas became senior process and projects engineer at Green Mantra Technologies. The company expanded from two to four lines of production under his supervision.
“This company was doing something that was the first of its kind, thinking outside the box and that has always interested me,” said Wanas.
Reflecting on his experience in the MEng program, it has served him well in his diversified career. The courses prepared him for his roles in industry. For example, the course on polymers helped him with his job at Green Mantra.
He expanded his MEng degree to take graduate level courses from the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business.
“My studies at the University of ݮƵ helped me a lot. The diversified knowledge from the chemical engineering courses as well as leadership courses and other courses definitely added value to my career,” said Wanas.
After a couple of years, Wanas found a new opportunity at his current employer, GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy. He joined the balance of plant (BOP) team which manages the water and air-cooling systems, the pneumatic systems and several water/condensate cleaning systems.
“The project was in an early stage; it began because of concern over carbon emissions and the drive to have clean energy production here in Canada,” said Wanas.
After leading the design on four systems on the BOP team, Wanas was promoted to senior engineer and moved to the Nuclear Island Hydraulic Systems (NIHS) team where he is now technical leader. He is part of a team that is building a nuclear plant in Ontario that will have a 60-year lifespan.
Wanas’ advice to prospective MEng students would be to never stay focused on just one area of knowledge because at this point in his career, he’s worked in different sectors spanning from oil and gas to wastewater treatment, to upcycling of plastics and now in the field of nuclear energy. The depth and multifaceted knowledge gained through his education enabled him to move seamlessly between sectors and thrive in each one.