Sara Fakhry Elokda

Fellow Sara Fakhry Elokda (Egypt, 2022) was recently featured in the award-winning film “Abia” (“أبية”), a documentary highlighting her path as a well-site geologist and her work advancing renewable energy in Egypt and beyond. The film premiered on the banks of the Nile during the Aswan International Women Film Festival and went on to win Best Impact Film at the festival.
The title Abia, meaning strong-willed in Arabic, reflects Sara’s determination to break barriers in a traditionally male-dominated field. “This isn’t just a personal win or a film about me,” she said. “It is a moment of recognition for every woman in geoscience who’s working hard.”
Sara’s story is not only one of personal resilience but of scientific impact. She was recently awarded the Excellence Award at the SEG IMAGE Conference in Houston for her team’s work on carbon capture in Norway and was recognized as a global finalist in the EAGE Laurie Dake Challenge for her geothermal energy research in the Vienna Basin.
These innovations, developed with her team at Helwan University, are now part of her vision for energy transformation in the MENA region. “I hope the film reaches and encourages young women who feel that their dreams are too bold,” she shared. “Because sometimes, being ‘too much’ is exactly what the world needs.”​