International UFAZ Conference Dedicated to Chemical Sciences Kicks Off

Organized by the French-Azerbaijan University (UFAZ) operating under the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU), the International UFAZ Conference 2025 has officially begun. The three-day event, dedicated to chemistry, process, and materials sciences, brings together international and local scientists, professors, industry leaders, educators, young researchers, and students.

The conference opened with a welcoming speech by Martin Godon, Secretary General of UFAZ. Following that, Rufat Azizov, Rector of ASOIU, greeted the guests and delivered a presentation highlighting the university’s activities, achievements of the students and alumni, success stories in international and local events, contributions to industry, and its research potential.

Next, the floor was given to one of the conference’s main partners - Fuad Ahmadov, CEO of SOCAR Polymer. He emphasized the important role of both industry professionals and young researchers in the industrial field. His speech covered SOCAR Polymer’s operations, production capacity, export contributions, internship programs for talent development, and the company’s competitive standing among global industrial producers.

Following a short welcome by Prof. Dunya Babanli, professor and chemistry lecturer at UFAZ, she served as chair of the first session, introducing the speakers and presenters. She then invited the first keynote speaker, Michael Kohler, to the stage. His lecture focused on the role of hierarchically composed particles in chemistry and engineering, followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

The first session continued with presentations by Gulnar Gahramanova (ASOIU/UFAZ), Sevinj Javadova (Institute of Catalysis and Inorganic Chemistry), Irfan Mohammad (Indian Institute of Technology Tirupat), and Lara Mikac (Ruđer Bošković Institute).

The second session, chaired by Minira Aghahuseynova, Head of the General Chemistry Department at ASOIU, began with a keynote presentation by Dunya Babanli on the physico-chemical aspects of preparing topological insulator materials based on layered chalcogenides. This was followed by talks from Elnur Orujlu (ASOIU), Kamala Badalova (Azerbaijan Medical University), and Shabnam Feyziyeva (University of Strasbourg).

The third and final session, chaired by Gulnaz Gahramanova, a lecturer at UFAZ, opened with a keynote by Stefano Bellucci on the application of advanced carbon nanomaterials for environmental restoration. The session continued with presentations by Minira Aghahuseynova (ASOIU), Pustakhanim Aghayeva (Institute of Petrochemical Processes), and Tahmina Taghi (ASOIU/UFAZ, CNRS, University of Strasbourg).