Jasem A Albanai

Remote sensing, dust dynamics & Human impacts

Jasem is a DPhil candidate integrating remote sensing, field, and modelling methods to investigate dust sources and the processes underlying dust emission, with the aim of better understanding their impacts on urban and human environments across southern Mesopotamia and Kuwait. He is part of the Landscape Dynamics Research Cluster and a member of Hertford College.

Prior to Oxford, Jasem earned a BA and an MSc in Physical and Environmental Geography, Geoscience, and GIScience from Kuwait University, where he also gained teaching experience. He later earned a second MSc from the University of Trieste, in cooperation with the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Italy, focusing on satellite-based approaches to blue sustainability. Jasem has received several awards for his contributions to geography, including the Esri Young Scholars Award at the Esri User Conference in San Diego, the Kuwait State Encouragement Award, and first place in the University of Oxford Social Sciences Division Poster Competition, among others.

His previous experience includes more than seven years working at an environmental agency in Kuwait, where he collected and analysed environmental data, as well as serving as a peer reviewer for leading international journals in his field. He is passionate about expanding his knowledge of remote sensing and spatial modelling applications across different subfields of geography and has completed related courses offered by Harvard University and NASA.

Selected books

• Albanai, J.A. (2025) Air Quality Atlas of The State of Kuwait. 1st ed. Kuwait centre for research and studies. ISBN: 978-9921-860-00-9
• Albanai, J.A. (2023) Remote sensing of Kuwait environment. 1st ed. Kuwait centre for research and studies. ISBN: 978-9921-750-61-4
• Albanai, J.A. (2021) Coastal Atlas of The State of Kuwait: Geomorphology from Space and Atmosphere. 1st ed. Kuwait Foundation for The Advancement of Science. ISBN: 978-9921-753-24-0
• Albanai, J.A. (2022) Climate change story. 1st ed. Natural Sciences Center. ISBN: 978-9921-781-02-1
• Albanai, J.A. (2019) The Science of Where: Introduction to GIS. 1st Ed. EsriKuwait. ISBN: 978-9921-0-0623-0
• Wegener. A. (1929) The origin of continents and oceans (Ahmad Ghali & Jasem Albanai, translators). Natural Sciences Center. (1st Arabic translation, 2020) ISBN: 978-9921-0-1407-5

Selected articles

• Albanai, J., Wiggs, G., Al-Hemoud, A. and Thomas, D. (2026) Surface‐State Controls on Dust Emission Variability in Lower Mesopotamia and Kuwait Using Field and Multi‐High‐Resolution Satellite Data. JGR: Earth Surface, 131(9): e2026JF009484.
• Albanai, J. Thomas, D. Wiggs, G. (2026) Identifying dust-emitting geomorphic units in lower Mesopotamia and Kuwait using multi-high-resolution satellite and wind data. Aeolian Research, 76: 101050. 
• Al-Ali, Z.M. et al. (2026) A regional framework for linking dust-source zones in Iraq to downwind impact in Kuwait using eco-hydro-drought indicators. Kuwait Journal of Science, 51(4): 100682.
• Badawy, H., Hassan, A. and Albanai, J.A. (2026) Accelerating Meteorological and Ecological Drought in Arid Coastal–Mountain System: A 72-Year Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Mount Elba Reserve Using Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index. Land, 15(1): 202.
• Abdo, H. et. al. (2026) Enhancing predictive modeling of interrill and rill erosion susceptibility in the Eastern Mediterranean using stacking ensemble machine learning algorithms. Soil and Tillage Research, 258: 107053.
• Hassan, A., Albanai, J.A. and Goudie, A. (2024) Modeling and managing flash flood hazards in the state of Kuwait: a hydrogeomorphological study. In, ElKenawy, A.M., ElSayed, M.R., Torab, M.M. and Hereher, M. (Eds) Hydroclimatic Extremes in the Middle East and North Africa: Assessment, Attribution, and Socioeconomic Impacts. Elsevier, 129-145.