Mixed Research Unit

Analysis and Modelling
for Environment and Health

Advanced mathematical methods, statistics and artificial intelligence to address environmental and public health challenges in Mauritania.

33 Researchers
4 Research axes
40+ Publications
5 Partners

About UMR-AMES

An interdisciplinary research unit at the heart of Mauritanian scientific challenges

The UMR-AMES (Analysis and Modelling for Environment and Health) is a mixed research unit established by Decree No. 001045, attached to the Institut Supérieur de Génie Industriel (ISGI) in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Our mission is to apply advanced mathematical methods, statistical tools and artificial intelligence techniques to understand, model and contribute to solving environmental and public health problems affecting Mauritania and the West African region.

The unit brings together 33 researchers — 15 permanent and 18 associate members — from several Mauritanian higher education institutions and research organizations: ISGI, University of Nouakchott (FST, FSEG), ENS, IMROP, PNBA and ONISPA.

The first Joint Research Unit in Mauritania dedicated to the environment and health, UMR-AMES develops an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to these two major challenges facing the country. It brings together the most recognized scientific expertise in these fields and maintains close collaboration with Mauritania's leading institutional and academic partners.

Our work is organized around four interdisciplinary axes combining mathematics, statistics, computer science, environmental and health sciences.

Supervising Institution

Institut Supérieur de Génie Industriel (ISGI)
Nouakchott, Mauritania

Established

Decree No. 001045 — Ministry of Higher Education

Members

15 permanent members · 18 associate members

Location

ISGI, P.O. Box 880, Nouakchott, Mauritania

Governing Bodies

Institutional organization and governance of the unit

Directorate

Director Dr. Marbe Begnoug
Deputy Director Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Sambe

Scientific Council

President Dr. Marbe Begnoug
MemberDr. Jyda Moustapha
MemberDr. Mohamed Saad Bouh Elemine Vall
MemberDr. Zeinebou Zoubeir
MemberDr. Yahya Mohamed
+ administrative staff representatives, PhD students and external experts

Steering Committee (CoPil)

MemberDr. Marbe Begnoug
MemberDr. Jyda Moustapha
MemberDr. Mohamed Saad Bouh Elemine Vall
MemberDr. Zeinebou Zoubeir
MemberDr. Yahya Mohamed
+ one representative from each founding institution (ISGI, UN, ENS, IMROP, ONISPA, PNBA)

Research Axes

Four interdisciplinary axes at the crossroads of mathematics, environment and health

Environment & Natural Resources

Modelling pollutant transport in aquifers and surface waters, coastal ecosystem dynamics, and water resource management using lattice Boltzmann methods and finite elements.

Public Health & Epidemiology

Construction and analysis of compartmental models (SEIR, SEIJR) for infectious disease dynamics, public health decision support and evaluation of vaccination strategies.

Mathematical Modelling

Partial differential equations, functional analysis, Laplacian systems and advanced numerical methods. Development of theoretical tools for modelling complex physical phenomena.

Statistics & Artificial Intelligence

Machine learning, deep learning and reinforcement learning. Classification of biomedical data, handwritten Arabic character recognition, and AI-driven environmental data analysis.

Research Teams

Four complementary teams structure the unit's scientific activities

Mathematical Environmental Modelling

Leader: Dr. Mohamed Saad Bouh Elemine Vall
Mathematical and numerical modelling of environmental phenomena: pollutant transport, ecosystem dynamics, groundwater flow. Numerical methods (FEM, FDM, LBM).

Geomatics and AI Applied to Environment

Leader: Dr. Zeinebou Zoubeir
Remote sensing, GIS and artificial intelligence for natural resource monitoring, environmental mapping and surveillance of coastal and marine zones.

Epidemiological Modelling

Leader: Dr. Yahya Mohamed
Design and analysis of compartmental models for infectious and non-communicable disease dynamics. Quantitative evaluation of control strategies and decision-support tools.

Spatial Epidemiology and Data Science

Leader: Dr. Aziza Ahmedou
Spatial analysis of health data, epidemiological mapping and biostatistics. Application of data science and machine learning to public health surveillance.

Unit Members

33 researchers from several Mauritanian institutions

MB
Marbe Begnoug
Associate Professor (MC)
ISGI
Applied Mathematics
MS
Mohamed Ahmed Sambe
Assistant Professor (MA)
ISGI
Applied Mathematics
ZZ
Zeinebou Zoubeir
Assistant Professor (MA)
ISGI
Computer Science
AA
Aziza Ahmedou
Associate Professor (MC)
ISGI
Statistics
ME
Mohamed Saad Bouh Elemine Vall
Assistant Professor (MA)
ISGI
Applied Mathematics
MD
Mohamed El Hacen Dilla Bouna
Associate Professor (MC)
ISGI
Computer Science
JM
Jyda Moustapha
Assistant Professor (MA)
FSEG / UN
Statistics
YM
Yahya Mohamed
Assistant Professor (MA)
FSEG / UN
Applied Mathematics
BK
Bedin Mohamed Lemine Kerim
Assistant Professor (MA)
FSEG / UN
Computer Science
DB
Mohamed Douh Begnoug
Habilitated Professor (PH)
FST / UN
Mathematics
MH
Mohamed Hemmidy
Assistant Professor (MA)
FST / UN
Applied Mathematics
EB
El Banany Mohamed Mahmoud
Assistant Professor (MA)
FST / UN
Computer Science
MS
Mouna Hadrami Saleck
Assistant Professor (MA)
ENS
Biology
DM
Dia Mamadou
Researcher
IMROP
Environment
EH
El Hacen Mohamed El Hacen
Researcher
PNBA
Environment
MD
Marième Denna
Researcher
ONISPA
Environment

Research Projects

High-impact projects for environment and health in Mauritania

Projects funded by the National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation — ranked among the top 10 national projects (December 2025)
Award-winning Project 01

Mathematical Methodology and AI for Modelling Hydrogen Storage in Porous Media

Applied mathematics · Artificial intelligence · Energy

This project develops advanced mathematical approaches and AI tools to model and optimize hydrogen storage in porous media — a strategic topic for the energy transition in Mauritania.

Coordinator Dr. Marbe Begnoug Director of UMR-AMES
Team Dr. Mohamed Saad Bouh Elemine Vall · Dr. Bedin Mohamed Lemine Kerim · Mohamed Lemine Mohamed Abdel Fattah (PhD student)
MathematicsAIPorous mediaHydrogenEnergy
Award-winning Project 02

Analysis of Certain Epidemiological Models

Mathematical epidemiology · Public health

This project focuses on the rigorous mathematical analysis of epidemiological models to better understand infectious disease dynamics in Mauritania and contribute to developing effective control and prevention strategies.

Coordinator Dr. Yahya Mohamed (Jiddou)
Team Dr. Aziza Ahmedou · Dr. Mohamed Saad Bouh Elemine Vall · Ahmed Jiddou El Bechir (PhD student)
EpidemiologySEIRPublic healthModelling

Publications

Publications by UMR-AMES members (2019–2025)

2025Environment & Mathematical Modelling
A 3D lattice Boltzmann – phase-field model of three-phase contact line dynamics on curved boundaries
M. Benioug
Applied and Computational Mechanics, 19(1)
2025Mathematical Modelling
Multiplicity analysis of positive weak solutions in a quasi-linear Dirichlet problem inspired by Kirchhoff-type phenomena
A. Ahmed, M.S.B. Elemine Vall
IJNAA, 16(1), 359–369
2024Statistics & AI
Digitalization and Classification of Scanned ECG Using Convolutional Neural Network
A. Choumad Fall, M.H. Mohamed Dyla, M. Mohamed Saleck, N. Taleb, T. Gadi, M. Farouk Nanne
Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 102(1), 287–296
2024Health & Epidemiology
Analysis of COVID-19's dynamic behavior using a modified SIR model characterized by a nonlinear function
F. Habott, A. Ahmedou, Y. Mohamed, M.A. Sambe
Symmetry, 16(1448)
2024Health & Epidemiology
Global analysis for a modified SEIR model with general non-linear incidence function
Y. Mohamed, A. Ahmedou, M.S.B. Elemine Vall
Nonlinear Dynamics, 112(13), 11661–11678
2024Statistics & AI
Transfer Learning Implementation on Bi-LSTM with Optimizer to Improve Non-Ferrous Metal Prices Prediction
Adji Pratomo, Muhammad O. Jatmika, Bedine Kerim, Rahmat Budiarto
Collabits Journal, 1(1), 40–49
2024Statistics & AI
Transformer-based Model for handwritten recognition Arabic words Al-Soudani Maghrebi script
S.A. Maouloud, M.H. Mohamed Dyla, C. Ba
Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 101(24), 8093–8103
2024Mathematical Modelling
Multiplicity of weak solutions for a (p(x), q(x))-Kirchhoff equation with Neumann boundary conditions
A. Ahmed, M.S.B. Elemine Vall
Journal of Applied Analysis and Computation, 14(4), 2441–2465
2024Environment
The chronology of overfishing in a remote West-African coastal ecosystem
Lemrabott, Sidi Yahya et al.
Ecology and Society, 29(1)
2023Environment
Prey availability and diet composition of wintering Black-tailed Godwits in Nijhum Dweep, Bangladesh
Naim Khandakar, Delip K. Das, El-Hacen M. El-Hacen, Md. Shoeb Ali, Theunis Piersma
International Wader Study Group Annual Conference, Sylt, Germany
2023Environment
To See, Hear and Speak: How Counts of Birds in Individual Trees Help Address the Environmental Causes of the Sahel
Theunis Piersma, El-Hacen M. El-Hacen
Ardea, 111(1), Netherlands Ornithologists' Union
2023Environment
Twenty years of monitoring reveal overfishing of bony fish stocks in Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania
Lemrabott, Sidi Yahya Cheikhna et al.
Senior journal, 33(8), 833–844
2023Environment
Growth and population structure of bloody cockles Senilia senilis at Banc d'Arguin et Bijagós with different environmental conditions and harvesting regimes
El-Hacen M. El-Hacen et al.
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 710, 71–83
2023Mathematical Modelling
Minimization of elliptic non-local functionals involving p→(·)-Laplacian
A. Ahmed, M.S.B. Elemine Vall
J. Elliptic Parabol. Equ., 9(1), 331–354
2023Mathematical Modelling
Existence of three weak solutions for an anisotropic quasilinear elliptic problem
A. Ahmed, M.S.B. Elemine Vall
IJNAA, 14(10), 85–93
2023Mathematical Modelling
Existence results for some generalized Sigmoid Beverton–Holt models in time scales
M. Mohamed Abdelahi, M.A. Sambe, E. Moulay Ely
Nonautonomous Dynamical Systems, 10(1)
2022Mathematical Modelling
Spectral inclusions between C0-quasi-semigroups and their generators
A. Tajmouati, Y. Zahouan, M.B. Mohamed Ahmed
Boletim da Sociedade Paranaense de Matemática, 40, 1–7
2022Mathematical Modelling
Semi-Fredholm and semi-Browder spectra for C0-quasi-semigroups
A. Tajmouati, Y. Zahouan, M.B. Mohamed Ahmed
Boletim da Sociedade Paranaense de Matemática, 22(2), 1–13
2022Mathematical Modelling
Local spectral theory for α-times integrated semigroups
A. Tajmouati, F. Barki, M.B. Mohamed Ahmed
Rendiconti del Circolo Matematico di Palermo Ser. 2, 71, 21–37
2022Mathematical Modelling
Perturbed nonlinear elliptic Neumann problems in anisotropic Sobolev spaces with variable exponents
M.S.B. Elemine Vall, A. Ahmed
Le Matematiche, 77(2), 465–486
2022Environment
Fossilized diatoms as indirect indicators of the origin of carbon stored in intertidal flats
El-Hacen M. El-Hacen et al.
Frontiers in Marine Science, 9
2022Environment
Microbial communities in developmental stages of lucinid bivalves
Zauner, Sarah et al.
ISME Communications, 2(1)
2022Statistics & AI
Otsu's Thresholding for Semi-Automatic Segmentation of Breast Lesions in Digital Mammograms
Moustapha Mohamed Saleck et al.
IJACSA, 13(10), 368–375
2022Statistics & AI
A Study for Remote Monitoring of Water Points in Mauritania Based on IoT (LoRa) Technology
Hassine Ali Abeidi et al.
IJEEI, 10(2), 398–409
2021Environment
Mangrove-mudflat connectivity shapes benthic communities in a tropical intertidal system
Kasper J. Meijer et al.
Ecological Indicators, 130, 108030
2021Environment
Coastal protection assessment: a tradeoff between ecological, social, and economic issues
Ewan Trégarot et al.
Ecosphere, 12(2)
2021Statistics & AI
Important Features of CICIDS-2017 Dataset For Anomaly Detection in High Dimension and Imbalanced Class Dataset
Kurniabudi Kurniabudi et al.
IJEEI, 9(2), 498–511
2021Statistics & AI
Securing IoT Network against DDoS Attacks using Multi-Agent IDS
Bedine Kerim
Journal of Physics: Conf. Ser., ICCAI 2020
2021Statistics & AI
A Comprehensive Overview of Privacy and Data Security for Cloud
Nikhat Akhtar et al.
IJSRSET, 8(5), 113–152
2021Mathematical Modelling
Strongly nonlinear elliptic unilateral problems without sign condition and with free obstacle in Musielak–Orlicz spaces
A. Talha et al.
Revista Colombiana de Matemáticas, 55, 43–70
2021Mathematical Modelling
New extensions of Cline's formula for the generalized Drazin–Riesz inverses
A. Talha et al.
Revista de la Unión Matemática Argentina, 60(2), 567–572
2019Mathematical Modelling
Some new properties on λ-commuting operators
A. Talha et al.
Italian Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics, 41, 149–157
2019Mathematical Modelling
Existence of Renormalized Solutions for Some Strongly Parabolic Problems in Musielak–Orlicz–Sobolev Spaces
A. Talha, A. Benkirane, M.S.B. Mohamed Ahmed
Nonlinear Dynamics and Systems Theory, 19(1), 97–110
2019Mathematical Modelling
Entropy solutions for strongly nonlinear parabolic problems with lower order terms in Musielak–Orlicz spaces
A. Talha, M.S.B. Mohamed Ahmed
Acta Math. Univ. Comenianae, 2, 201–228
2019Mathematical Modelling
Multiplicity of solutions for a class of Neumann elliptic systems in anisotropic Sobolev spaces with variable exponent
M.S.B. Mohamed Ahmed, A. Ahmed
Adv. Oper. Theory, 4(2), 497–513
2019Environment
Interaction between biofilm growth and NAPL remediation: A pore-scale study
M. Benioug et al.
Advances in Water Resources, 125, 82–97

News & Events

Events, seminars and latest news from UMR-AMES

12
December
2025
Project Funding

UMR-AMES wins 2 grants among the top 10 national research projects

UMR-AMES has secured funding for two research projects among the ten best projects selected by the National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation — a national recognition of the unit's scientific excellence.

26
Jan – 6 Feb
2026
Research School

CIMPA Research School — Mathematical Modelling

UMR-AMES hosts a CIMPA research school dedicated to mathematical modelling applied to environment and health, with lectures and workshops by international experts.

15
May
2025
Workshop

Epidemiological Modelling Workshop

Scientific day on recent advances in mathematical modelling of epidemics, with presentations by PhD students and researchers of the unit.

Institutional Partners

UMR-AMES brings together expertise from several Mauritanian institutions

University of Nouakchott LogoUniversity of Nouakchott
IMROP LogoIMROP
PNBA LogoPNBA
Banc d'Arguin National Park
ONISPA LogoONISPA
ENS LogoENS
École Normale Supérieure

Contact Us

For any question about our research, collaborations or to join the unit

UMR-AMES Contact Details

Address

Institut Supérieur de Génie Industriel (ISGI)
P.O. Box 880, Nouakchott, Mauritania

Availability

Sunday – Thursday
08:00 – 17:00 (Mauritanian time)

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