The 2nd International Conference on Sabkha in Qatar - Agenda
Qatar University, Research Complex Auditorium (H10) January 26 - 28, 2026
Day 1: January 26, 2026
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| 8:30 – 9:00 | Registration
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| 9:00 – 9:30 |
Opening Session |
| 9:30 – 10:00 | Coffee Break and photo exhibition |
| 10:00 – 12:00 |
Session 1: Biological and geological processes of the Sabkha system |
| 10:00 – 10:45 | Sabkha system in space and time –
Prof. Fadhil Sadooni |
| 10:45 – 11:10 | Limits of life: effects of saturation-level salinity on metabolic processes in microbial mats from coastal Sabkhas –
Prof. Raeid Abed |
| 11:10 – 11:35 | Microbiology of Sabkhas of the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea: From Biodiversity, to Biotechnology, and Astrobiology –
Prof. Andre Antunes |
| 11:35 – 12:00 | Microbial Controls on Carbonate and Sulfate Formation in Sabkha Environments –
Dr. Zulfa Al Disi |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00 – 15:00 |
Session 2: Modern Sabkha as analogs for ancient evaporate-carbonate systems |
| 13:00 – 13:4 | The Sedimentary Record of Microbial Mats in Sabkhas – Archean to Modern –
Prof. Nora Noffke |
| 13:45 – 14:10 | The preservation potential of the clumped isotope composition of poorly ordered dolomites to determine their origin in the sedimentary record –
Prof. Stefano Bernasconi |
| 14:10 – 14:35 | Deciphering Archean Biosignatures: Modern Analogues Reveal the Role of Motile Bacteria in Tufted Microbial Mats –
Dr. Martin Homann |
| 14:35 – 15:00 | The Northern Extension of Arabian Plate Sabkha Systems: Evidence from the Cudi Group Evaporites, SE Türkiye –
Prof. NAZAN YALÇIN ERIK |
| Day 2: January 27, 2026 |
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| 9:00 – 11:00 |
Session 3: Dolomite problem advancement and challenges |
| 9:00 – 9:45 | Decoding dolomite: microbial mastery and abiotic alchemy across time –
Dr. Daniel Petrash |
| 9:45 – 10:10 | Low-Temperature dolomite formation and biosignatures: Evidence from sabkha systems and laboratory experiments -
Dr. Monica Sanchez-Roman |
| 10:10 – 10:35 | Dolomites of the Dolomites and other Mesozoic sabkha depositional systems of Italy –
Dr. Nereo Preto |
| 10:35 – 11:00 | Hyperspectral imaging and Spectroscopy of Carbonate minerals in the microbial mats of Arid Environment: Mapping Early Diagenesis and Dolomitization –
Dr. Rajendran Sankaran |
| 11:00 – 11:20 | Coffee Break |
11:20 – 13:55
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Session 4: Sabkhas as an analogue for extraterrestrial life |
| 11:20 – 12:05 | From the sabkhas of Qatar to Mars: modern analogs for biosignature formation and preservation –
Prof. Tomaso Bontognali |
| 12:05 – 12:30 | Searching for Signs of Life with ExoMars Rosalind Franklin –
Prof. Jorge Vago |
| 12:30 – 12:55 | Close-UP Imager (CLUPI) part of the science payload of the ExoMars Rover. First images results of Sabkhas Samples Observation using CLUPI Flight Model Representative -
Prof. Jean-Luc Josset |
| 12:55 – 13:20 | Sabkhas sulfates as analogues to preserve biomolecules on Mars –
Prof. John Brucato |
| 13:20 – 13:55 | A Framework for Tracking Sabkha Evolution With RPAV–Satellite Fusion for Environmental and Planetary Science –
Prof. Nikolaus Kuhn |
| 13:55 – 14:40 | Lunch |
| 14:40 – 15:40 |
Sabkha’s future research trends – panel discussion/closing session |
| Day 3: January 28, 2026 |
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| Field Trip |