Karim Badr received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Alexandria University in Egypt in 1996, and an M.S. degree in engineering management, materials science from Sheffield Hallam University, U.K., in 2000. In 2007, he earned his Ph.D. in reduction metallurgy (reduction of iron ore fines by hydrogen plasma) from University of Leoben in Austria. Badr began his professional career as a DRI operation engineer for ANSDK, now called EZDK, in Egypt. In 2004, he took a post at the University of Leoben as a research assistant for four years and joined the ULCOS. After leaving academia in 2008, he was named global marketing and sales manager for RHI AG in Austria and then Kuettner GmbH in Germany. His current function is the technical director at RHI Magnesita in the MENA region. Badr is currently the chair of the youngest Member Chapter of AIST, serving the MENA region. He has published papers on iron ore reduction, refractory solutions and electric arc furnace operations.