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Who I am.
Who I am.
I am a committed young researcher with a strong foundation in thermal energy storage and phase change materials(PCMs), successfully defended my PhD thesis on 12 Feb 2026 "Integration of Phase Change Material in Cold Room Walls: Evaluation of Energy Consumption and Product Quality Impact".
My PhD research represents a collaborative partnership between Oniris VetAgroBio (France) and Moulay Ismail University (Morocco), under the PHC Toubkal 2022 program with the support of the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR-IIF). My work focuses on enhancing cold room energy efficiency through the innovative development and integration of phase change materials (PCMs), with a clear focus on sustainable solutions.
Working at leading French institutions (GEPEA, Oniris, and IMT Atlantique), I developed valuable expertise in characterizing key thermophysical properties of materials using different techniques (DSC, Hot-wire, Pycnometer, T-history). A key aspect of my research involves valorizing glycerol –a biodiesel byproduct– and exploring its potential as an environmentally friendly phase change material for cold thermal energy storage applications.
Throughout my academic journey, I have built a broad set of skills in multiple disciplines: heat transfer, fluid dynamics, energy efficiency, sustainable energy solutions, refrigeration systems modeling, and computational modeling (including zonal and CFD approaches). This diverse and multidisciplinary background strengthens my commitment to advancing eco-friendly energy solutions and contributing to a more sustainable future.
Thesis Subject:
Integration of Phase Change Material in Cold Room Walls: Evaluation of Energy Consumption and Product Quality Impact.
(Intégration d'un matériau à changement de phase sur les parois d’une chambre froide : évaluation de l’impact sur la consommation d’énergie et la qualité des produits)
PhD Defense · 2026
Thesis Defense
📍 Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco · 12 Feb. 2026
"Integration of Phase Change Material in Cold Room Walls: Evaluation of Energy Consumption and Product Quality Impact"
"The road was long — built on sweat and tears, failed experiments, and long nights staring at simulation outputs. There were moments of real doubt, where the finish line felt impossibly far away. But every word of encouragement from my professors and the unwavering support of my family and friends carried me through when I needed it most. I am proud of what this work represents, and deeply grateful to everyone who believed in it before I could see the end."
— Dr. Zakaria Ouaouja
Ph.D. Thesis
Ph.D. Thesis
My PhD thesis tackles a question that sits at the heart of two urgent global challenges: food waste and climate change. Refrigeration systems are essential to the cold chain, yet they are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions, around 60% of which come from energy consumption alone. My work explored the potential of Phase Change Materials (PCMs), substances that store and release energy through melting and solidification, integrated directly into cold room walls. The research spanned three axes:
Experimental: At the core of this work was a commitment to circular economy principles. Instead of relying on petroleum or commercial materials, I developed and optimized a bio-based PCM using glycerol, an industrial byproduct of biodiesel production. By valorizing this waste-derived material, the research closes a resource loop: a byproduct of one energy process becomes a useful material for Cold Thermal Energy Storage (CTES).
Numerical: Using a co-simulation approach combining EnergyPlus and MATLAB, I modeled a refrigerated warehouse integrating PCMs and evaluated their effect on energy consumption, carbon footprint, and food product quality across multiple configurations and energy management strategies.
Ph.D. Project
Ph.D. Project
The PhD project is a collaboration between ONIRIS, France, and the University of Moulay Ismaïl, Morocco, which is financed by the Franco-Moroccan Partnership Hubert Curien TOUBKAL 2022. The research project titled “Improving the Energy Efficiency of Cold Rooms: Integration of PCMs” (N°: Toubkal/22/146 – Campus France: 47347RL) was launched in January 2022 and continued for three years until December 2024.
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Brief Description of the Research Topic
Brief Description of the Research Topic
Everyone knows that to keep food fresh for a long time,, the refrigeration systems (refrigerators, freezers, refrigerated warehouses etc) are the solution. However, few people know that these systems contribute to the global CO2 emission, as they generate 261 Mt of CO2eq*, 60% (156.6 Mt of CO2eq) is related to their electric consumption. Therefore, the idea of my topic is to minimize the energy consumption of these systems using Phase Change Materials (PCMs), and thus reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. What are Phase Change Materials?
PCMs are simply any material that undergoes a phase change from solid to liquid during the melting process and from liquid to solid during the solidification. This phase change is associated with the absorption (melting) and the release (solidification) of heat called latent heat. By that we use PCMs to store cold energy as latent heat and release it when needed. This technique has proved to be a good way to reduce the refrigeration system energy consumption, reduce the fluctuations of the air temperature within the case, and thus better preservation of the stored products.
The goal of my work is to valorize bio-based waste in Morocco, study it, and use it as a PCM for cold energy storage applications. This way, we can develop a sustainable PCM and reduce the refrigeration system’s emissions.
* Sarr, J., Dupont, J. L., & Guilpart, J. (2021). The carbon footprint of the cold chain, 7th Informatory Note on Refrigeration and Food. International Institute of Refrigeration: Paris, France, 31-32.
Partnership Hubert Curien Toubkal
Partnership Hubert Curien Toubkal
PHC TOUBKAL is the Franco-Moroccan Hubert Curien Partnership (PHC). It is implemented in France by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR), and in Morocco by the National Center for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST), and funded by the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation (MESRSI).
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