Dr. Jean Henri Thomas – President of Beni-Suef Technological University in lines

 

Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ashour, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, has approved the appointment of Dr. Jean Henry Thomas as Acting President of Beni-Suef Technological University.

Dr. Jean Henry Thomas earned his Ph.D. in Automatic Control Engineering from the University of Paris, France, in 2004, a Master’s degree in Process Control from Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands, in 1997, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the same university, and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Power Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering, Minia University, Egypt, in 1991.

Throughout his career, Dr. Thomas has held several leadership and academic positions. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Beni-Suef Technological University for Education and Student Affairs. He also previously acted in the positions of Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Beni-Suef University, Director of the Integrated Technological Education Complex Project in Abu Ghaleb under the Education Development Fund, Consultant for the Strategic Planning Committee at Beni-Suef University, Director of the Center for Talents, Creativity, and Innovation Development, and Strategic Planning Expert at the Ministry of Higher Education’s Strategic Planning Unit.

Dr. Thomas has played a pivotal role in graduating the first cohort of students from Beni-Suef Technological University and establishing the Alumni Follow-up Unit. He successfully signed multiple cooperation agreements with leading industrial corporations to enhance student training and graduate employability. Additionally, he oversaw the establishment of an Integrated Technological Education Complex in Abu Ghaleb, Giza, which includes a Technical Secondary School and a Technological Faculty granting a Bachelor’s degree in Technology. The project, funded jointly by the Egyptian and Italian governments, developed its curricula based on the latest competency-based educational systems, leveraging Italian expertise. The initiative aims to modernize technical and technological education in Egypt to better respond to labor market demands and enhance the competitiveness of Egyptian technicians and technologists.

Furthermore, Dr. Thomas served as the National Coordinator of the Higher Technical Education System Review Project in Egypt, conducted in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The project aimed to improve the quality and responsiveness of higher technical education to meet labor market needs. As part of this initiative, a comprehensive national report was prepared, along with international benchmarking and policy recommendations. The project was implemented across 22 countries.

Dr. Thomas also actively participated in several OECD National Expert Committee meetings on technical education held in Paris and contributed to the development of the Egyptian Higher Education Strategic Plan (2014). He participated as well in preparing an analytical study on the engineering education sector in Egypt and attended numerous international workshops, conferences, and official meetings focused on technological and technical education. These engagements covered key areas such as education quality enhancement, linking education with labor market demands, improving student skills, and adopting competency-based curricula.

In addition, Dr. Thomas joined the Community Colleges and Technical Institutes Leadership Program in the United States (2022), where he visited several American community colleges to explore their educational models and administrative frameworks. He also participated in the Policy Makers Training Program in South Korea (2015), which focused on understanding the Korean technical and technological education system and its rapid development.

Dr. Thomas has also made significant scientific and research contributions, including:

* Developing a Model Predictive Control (MPC) program for managing a PMSG wind turbine generator, a project funded by the Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF) at the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology in Egypt.

* Designing the primary control system for the Eidbäcken Power Plant in Nyköping, Sweden, in collaboration with Vattenfall Energy Company.

* Serving as the Principal Investigator of the Egyptian research team in an Egypt-France collaborative project under the Imhotep Program of the Academy of Scientific Research, focusing on designing a robust control system for hybrid systems that are subject to disturbances and parameter variations.

* Contributing to the development of algorithms for predictive fault detection and water-level control in steam-based power generation systems operated by Électricité de France (EDF).