Abdul Karim Al Juboori

Abdul Karim Al Juboori is an Iraqi electrical engineer whose heroism during the ISIS occupation of Mosul (2014-2017) preserved critical infrastructure and saved countless lives. While working at the Mosul Dam power plant, he secretly maintained grid operations despite constant threats, ensuring hospitals and water pumps had electricity. His covert efforts involved:

• Disguising maintenance equipment as humanitarian supplies
• Training 30+ technicians in secret nighttime classes
• Creating an underground network to repair damaged infrastructure

When ISIS executed two colleagues for defiance, Al Juboori continued his work using improvised materials, once repairing a transformer with bicycle parts. His actions kept 70% of the city's critical infrastructure operational during the darkest period of the occupation.

After liberation, he led the National Grid Restoration Project, rebuilding the electrical system using innovative solar solutions. His 2020 TEDx talk Engineering Hope in Dark Times details his experiences. He now heads Iraq's first renewable energy think tank, the Mesopotamia Energy Initiative, focusing on solar microgrids for rural areas.

Awards include:

• 2019 International Energy Agency Hero Award
• 2021 Global Energy Prize for Humanitarian Engineering
• UNESCO Engineering for Humanity Medal (2022)

His memoir Wires of Resistance (2023) documents his experiences, with proceeds funding engineering scholarships for Iraqi women. Al Juboori's story exemplifies technical expertise combined with moral courage in extreme circumstances.