The Faculty of Engineering at Ain Shams University has achieved a new milestone as its team, SunGuardians, secured first place in the local qualifiers of the Global HackAtom Egypt 2026 competition, organized by Rosatom in cooperation with the Nuclear Power Plants Authority. The competition took place at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina on May 22–23, 2026.

The competition witnessed strong participation from 11 teams comprising 88 students representing several Egyptian universities, including Ain Shams University, Cairo University, Alexandria University, Helwan University, the Canadian International College, the Russian University in Egypt, Kafrelsheikh University, and Matrouh University. The Ain Shams University team earned first place through an outstanding performance and innovative ideas in the field of robotics applications related to nuclear energy.

The winning team included a distinguished group of students from various disciplines, under the participation of Prof. Dr. Aya Khairy Hassan Diab, Professor and Head of the Mechanical Power Engineering Department, demonstrating an excellent model of teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration:

• Youssef Mohamed Attia – Electrical Power Engineering (Team Leader)
• Abdelrahman Mahmoud – Electrical Power Engineering
• Youssef Mohamed Youssef – Mechanical Power Engineering
• Sara Nasser El-Refaie – Energy and Renewable Energy Engineering
• Amin Mostafa Fadel – Mechatronics Engineering
• Adham Walid Fayyad – Mechatronics Engineering
• Youssef Mohamed El-Naggar – Mechatronics Engineering
• Basma Mostafa El-Sayed – Computer Science

Cairo University secured second place, while Alexandria University came in third.

The Ain Shams team presented an innovative project based on the use of robotic systems to reduce the impact of jellyfish on water intake systems of coastal nuclear power plants, thereby helping maintain the efficiency of cooling systems within nuclear facilities.

The competition featured an intensive 24-hour technical challenge under the theme “Robotic Systems in Nuclear Energy,” aiming to encourage students to develop innovative engineering solutions that support the future of nuclear energy and advanced technologies.

With this achievement, the Ain Shams University team has officially qualified to represent Egypt in the international finals of the competition, scheduled to be held in Russia next September. This accomplishment reflects the excellence of Ain Shams students and their ability to compete globally in the fields of innovation, engineering, and technology.

The Faculty of Engineering at Ain Shams University extends its sincere congratulations to the team members and wishes them continued success and further distinguished achievements at both the national and international levels.