TAMUQ and HBKU student team wins Safety Award at Shell Eco-Marathon 2025
Published Mar 02, 2025
A team of students from Texas A&M University at Qatar and Hamad Bin Khalifa University received the Safety Award at the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia-Pacific and Middle East 2025 and were the only team from the Middle East to win an award during the event.
Held in Qatar for the first time, the Shell Eco-marathon is a global competition that challenges students to design, build and drive the most energy-efficient vehicles. This year’s competition saw participation from 61 teams representing 16 countries, with more than 750 students competing to design and build energy-efficient vehicles.
The Qatar team, competing in the Urban Concept category, included Imran Parvez, Mohamed Bakri, Hind Fakhroo, Roudha Al-Khaldi, Punit Pande, Musab Shaikh, Muhammed Hanif, Sai Lingampalli (HBKU), Iqra Yakub, Farah Saba, Awab Ahmed, Aseel Mohamed, Joshua Silva, and Mohammed Al-Ani (HBKU). The team was supervised by faculty advisor Dr. Marwa AbdelGawad from HBKU and technical advisor Osama Desouky from Texas A&M at Qatar.
“Texas A&M at Qatar has been participating in the Shell Eco-marathon since 2010, consistently building teams that have delivered impressive results,” said Dr. Ibrahim Hassan, mechanical engineering professor and program chair at Texas A&M University at Qatar. “This year’s collaboration with HBKU’s new engineering faculty marks an important milestone, showcasing a smooth transition and a strong partnership. This alliance reflects a shared commitment to advancing engineering education and fostering innovation, perfectly aligning with Qatar Foundation’s vision of excellence and impactful collaboration.”
Dr. Marwan Khraisheh, Head of the Mechanical Engineering at HBKU, remarked, “We are very proud of our students’ success at the Shell Eco-marathon 2025. Both institutions have collaborated closely to support the team. The dedication they have shown in passing on their knowledge and experiences to newer members is inspirational, demonstrating the mentorship and responsibility essential to sustaining their achievements. We look forward to seeing an HBKU-led team continue this legacy in future competitions.”
The Shell Eco-Marathon challenges university students to design and manufacture ultra-energy-efficient vehicles capable of traveling the farthest using the least amount of fuel. The vehicles, which are lightweight and fit only one passenger, feature futuristic designs and incorporate cutting-edge engineering concepts such as aerodynamic bodies and stop-start functionality to minimize fuel consumption.
AbdelGawad said, “The team's success at Shell Eco-marathon 2025 is a testament to their passion, innovation, and determination. Despite having limited knowledge in automotive engineering, they embraced the challenge purely out of enthusiasm, leveraging everything they have learned in their courses and applying their hands-on skills from the lab. This competition provided the perfect opportunity to bridge classroom learning with real-world application, pushing them to think critically, apply engineering principles, and collaborate to develop a safe and efficient vehicle. I am incredibly proud of their hard work and look forward to seeing them continue to push the boundaries of energy-efficient design.”
The Safety Award recognizes outstanding commitment to safety in engineering design, workplace practices, and road safety. It encourages teams to implement high safety standards by reviewing and improving vehicle design, tool use, and established procedures.
Desouky said, “Safety isn’t just a rule—it’s a culture, and the team demonstrated an outstanding commitment to embedding safety into every aspect of their vehicle’s development. As a lab instructor, I believe safety must be second nature, ingrained in every task, whether in the lab, the office, or on the shop floor. This mindset ensures a smarter, safer, and more efficient working environment. We are incredibly proud of this achievement and the dedication, teamwork, and attention to detail our students have shown.”
The Shell Eco-marathon, one of the world’s leading student engineering competitions, encourages young innovators to push the limits of what is technically possible in energy efficiency. The program serves as a platform for students to develop and apply their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills, testing their vehicles on the track against teams from around the world.
Team manager Pervez reflected on the team’s journey, saying, “Bringing this project to life required immense effort and perseverance. At every stage—from design to manufacturing and throughout the competition—our team pushed the boundaries of innovation and safety. Winning this award is a testament to our collective efforts, and we are incredibly proud of what we have achieved. We are deeply grateful to our advisors and everyone who supported us on this journey, as their guidance was instrumental in making this success possible.”
Graduate student Hind Fakhroo said, “It was truly fascinating to transform theoretical knowledge into a fully functional vehicle. The entire process—from brainstorming and designing to building and troubleshooting—was both challenging and rewarding. Every setback was an opportunity to learn and improve, making this an invaluable hands-on experience. I’m sure we will carry the lessons from this project with us throughout our engineering careers.”
