Dr. Faisal Wali is the Manager, Water and Energy at KAUST@NEOM team. In his current role, he has connected KAUST faculty members working in Energy and Water field with the NEOM Energy and Water sectors. He worked as a Strategic Partnership and Operations Manager to the KAUST Solar Center (KSC). He also initiated PV Design school for the development of KAUST/KSA students and engineers. He also supervised the complex operations of 3400 sqm lab area including clean room along with the team of eight highly professional members. In his previous role as Business Manager to the KSC, he managed the center’s operational budget, research grants and other competitive research funding as well as took care of the hiring in the center.​

​He has also worked for the Water Desalination Research Center in KAUST as Center Operations Manager, during his tenure of seven years in the center, he has established the water center lab and pilot facilities and managed the center budget and operations. He is one of the pioneers of KAUST who has contributed significantly to constructing and operating number of facilities at KAUST such as clean room core lab, WDRC labs, and KSC labs. During his Master and PhD, he has gained the required knowledge and research experience in the field of water and energy while working with academia (Friedrich Alexander University and University of Twente) as well as industry (BASF The Chemical Company, IMEC, and Philips/NXP Semiconductor). ​