Prof. Abou El-Magd is currently acting as the President of the National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, Egypt and the Counsellor for the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for Space Technology and African Affairs. Prof. Abou El-Magd has worked as a scientific researcher for the National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, Cairo, Egypt, which focuses on applied research using earth observation and geo-informatics in environmental-related issues.
He has also been involved in developing many international, regional and national GIS projects in different disciplines. He was a GIS consultant for the Centre of Environment and Development for Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE), Arab League. Prof. Abou El-Magd spent five years of his career in the UK as a GIS Program Coordinator for the University of Southampton and Gifford Excellence. He has been selected as an international consultant for a short-term consultancy to some of the UN Programs, including the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Saudi Arabia, the World Health Organisation in Sudan, and the United Nations Development Programme in Kuwait.
On the other hand, Prof. Abou El-Magd is acting as the general secretary of the space council of Egypt, which is responsible for setting up the policy and strategy of space and earth observation applications in Egypt. He represents Egypt as a focal point in some European-African space initiatives and partnerships such as GMES and Africa. He was also a co-chair of the Implementation Plan Working Group – Group on Earth Observation that developed the ten-year implementation plan for GEO (2016-2025). Moreover, He is also an acting member of the AUC-SWG that developed the African Space policy and strategy. Finally, he is the Vice-President of the African Association of Remote Sensing and the Environment, the largest remote sensing and geo-informatics association and network in Africa.
Since 2017, Prof. Abou El-Magd has been acting as Advisor to the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for African Affairs and Space Technology, which is responsible for all related education, science and technology in Egypt with Africa either on bi-lateral, multi-lateral and AUC agreements. He is a member of the EU-AU HPLD and a member of the Bureau of STC-EST.
Prof. Abou El-Magd chaired the high-level national committee to strategise and develop the National Space Program, which the Egyptian Space Agency currently implements. He was also appointed for a short period as the Vice Executive President of the Egyptian Space Agency before being appointed president of the National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, which was the cradle of the Egyptian Space Program.