Future Economies Kuwait Research Lab (FEKR)
Future Economies Kuwait Research Lab (FEKR) is dedicated to pioneering sustainable economic transformation through advanced, human-centered research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, clean energy, and social policy. Our mission is to empower government agencies, scientific institutions, and global development organizations with actionable insights, transparent analytics, and inclusive innovation strategies that accelerate climate resilience and equitable economic growth in Kuwait and across the region. We foster interdisciplinary partnerships, uniting technical experts, policy leaders, and community stakeholders, to co-design solutions that not only achieve national development goals but also advance global best practices and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Through our collaboration with world-class academic and research centers, FEKR serves as a catalyst for data-driven policy innovation, public-private cooperation, and knowledge exchange, positioning Kuwait at the forefront of responsible energy transition and long-term prosperity regionally and globally.
Dr. Yaaqoub Malallah
Principal Investigator.
Yaaqoub Malallah (Member, IEEE) received the B.S. degree (Summa Cum Laude) in electrical engineering from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA, in 2010, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in ferroics and applications in tunable RF circuits from Drexel University, Philadelphia, in 2012 and 2018, respectively.,He worked as a Teacher Assistant and an Adjunct Instructor with Drexel University, during his graduate studies and after his graduation, where he also did his post-doctoral research. From 2019 to 2022, he worked as an Assistant Research Scientist with the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Shuwaikh, Kuwait, where he is currently an Associate Research Scientist. His current research interests include electromagnetics, energy-efficiency technologies, renewable energy, energy harvesting, and nanotechnology.
Ashkaan Daneshi
Senior Researcher.
Ashkaan Daneshi is a dual-degree graduate student at Columbia University, pursuing a Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) in International Security Policy and a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (QMSS), with a specialization in macroeconomics. His thesis, “Edge AI and Hybrid Cloud Integration for U.S. Federal Digital Public Infrastructure,” takes a systems approach to strengthening citizen services and national security. Ashkaan has interned as a Digital Transformation Specialist at the AI Lab at the United Nations Development Coordination Office (UNDCO), and as a Strategic Engagements Specialist at the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and Strategic Partnerships Specialist the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the UN. Across these roles, he leveraged technology to advance inclusive development and enhance digital public infrastructure. He also led a Columbia SIPA Capstone Project with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), titled “Assessing the Global Landscape of International Development Cooperation.” Ashkaan holds a B.A. in International Economics and a B.S.B.A. in Project Management from California State University, Chico.
Haakon Huynh
Senior Researcher.
Haakon Huynh is a researcher at the AI Collective Institute and an M.A. graduate of Columbia University. His work bridges AI, digital public infrastructure, and political economy, with recent projects on AI trust frameworks in U.S. legislation and multilateral compute sharing. He has experience from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in India and the UN Human Rights Council Geneva. Fluent in English, Norwegian, French, German, and Vietnamese, he focuses on translating complex research into actionable insights for decision makers. In addition to his activities as a researcher, Haakon advises startups and nonprofits on fundraising and product strategy. Earlier in his career, Haakon performed across Europe as a professional violinist and orchestra conductor.
Randall Schmollinger
Senior Researcher.
Randall Schmollinger is a computer scientist and a graduate of Master of International Affairs (MIA) in International Security Policy at Columbia University's prestigious School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). Currently working at the Eurasia Group, he publishes articles about Eurasia's changing energy security environment. Prior to attending Columbia University, Randall worked as an AI researcher for IBM and a software engineer developing business solutions for clients across multiple sectors including clean energy, legal-tech and civic-tech.
Federica Pennino
Senior Researcher.
Federica Pennino is a Fulbright scholar from Italy
and a graduate student in the Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences program (QMSS) with a focus on economics at Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). Her current research is on labour trajectories, aging, and cognitive outcomes. Before attending Columbia, she graduated with a Bachelor’s in Economics and Finance from Bocconi University.
Oualid el-Ouardi
Senior Researcher.
Oualid is a French-Moroccan economist, engineer, and transformation executive with over a decade of experience driving macro-financial innovation across European regulatory bodies and global institutions. Based in New York, he has led initiatives for the European Central Bank, contributing to AnaCredit and Digital Euro frameworks, as well as for the UN, Accenture, Allianz, and Candriam. His expertise includes global operating model design, capital markets strategy, and policy transformation, with $16M+ in revenue impact and up to 40% efficiency gains. Oualid has advanced academic degrees in global tech policy at Columbia SIPA and MIT Economics, developing frameworks in quantitative evaluation, risk management, and digital resilience. He has integrated emerging technologies, AI, ESG analytics, and FinTech, into regulatory systems across the EU, US, and North Africa. Fluent in Arabic, French, and English, he supports central banks in designing resilient, innovation-ready policy frameworks. Oualid holds degrees from Columbia University (MPA, Global Leadership), MIT (MA, Economics & Policy), and École Polytechnique de Paris (MS, Mathematical & Technology Engineering).
Yousef al-Qattan
Senior Researcher.
Yousef Al-Qattan is a graduate student at Columbia University pursuing an M.S. in Electrical Engineering with a focus on Power Electronics. He holds a dual degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Before joining Columbia, he worked as a Research Associate at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), where he collaborated with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to analyze Kuwait’s energy system, develop data-driven demand forecasting models, and create optimization models to assess long-term energy infrastructure expansion pathways. Besides his technical expertise, Yousef is personally interested in energy policies, geopolitics, and the larger forces influencing energy transitions. His interdisciplinary perspective allows him to connect technical work with broader human and global issues.