M. Rafiqul Islam is currently the President of Emertec Research and Development Ltd., a company he co-founded in late 1980's. Previously, he spent over 20 years as Professor, Research Chair and Director for various Universities, including Killam Chair at Dalhousie University. He earned Diplome d'État in petroleum production engineering from Institut Algérien du Pétrole. He then attended graduate programs at the University of Texas Austin and the University of Alberta, from where he received a M.Sc. and a Ph.D., both in petroleum engineering. He has been awarded multiple awards, including the Einstein Gold Medal from the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, which is the highest honor. He has over 700 publications to his name, including dozens of books in several disciplines and multiple TV appearances within Canada and worldwide.