Dubai 19th March 2014 (Gulf Intelligence): The Gulf Intelligence Qatar Energy R&D Forum PhD Student Awards for the Advancement of Education, supported by ORYX GTL, today recognized four Qatari nationals for supporting the Gulf state’s ambition to transform into a knowledge economy in line with its National Vision 2030 through their contributions in building national capacity in education and R&D.
Held for the first time this year as part of The Gulf Intelligence Qatar Energy R&D Forum at the Qatar University New Research Complex, the awards seek to highlight important achievements in the country’s emerging R&D sector by recognizing current or recently-graduated PhD candidates for their outstanding accomplishments in academia in energy-related fields.
“The future of Qatar will be built on today’s young generation developing the skills and capabilities needed to support the country’s transformation into a knowledge-based economy,” said Abdulhadi Barqan, HR Manager, ORYX GTL. “The winners of the PhD Student Awards for the Advancement of Education have clearly demonstrated that Qatar has the talent to realize these ambitions and we are proud to be associated with this initiative, which is an important step towards further enhancing domestic education and industry-academia collaboration.”
The PhD Student Awards’ overarching goal is to bring together key stakeholders from academia, industry and government in an effort to collectively empower individuals to make useful contributions to fulfilling Qatar’s National Vision 2030. To this end, the next generation of Qatari thought leaders are laying the intellectual foundations to realizing the vision by pursuing careers in science and research.
In recent years, Qatar has invested heavily in developing its education and R&D capacity and capabilities by adding more advanced study programs to local universities’ curricula, opening the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) and unveiling the Qatar National Research Strategy (QNRS) among other initiatives.
Today’s award winners were chosen following a stringent selection process led by an Advisory Committee comprising academia and industry experts from ORYX GTL, Qatar Foundation R&D, Qatar University, Texas A&M at Qatar University, ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum. The selection criteria required nominees to be either Qatari Nationals; be Qatar-based for a period of at least 10 years; or be Qatar-educated, and be near completion of a PhD or be a recent PhD graduate, with the intention of or already working in Qatar.
As part of the selection process, stakeholders from industry and academia were asked to submit recommendations for top individuals along with a rationale for why they were selected and how their thesis topic and findings are relevant for Qatar.
“I am most impressed by the quality of the award winners and their outstanding research achievements, which have the potential to have a real impact on the advancement of the energy industry, in Qatar, the region and beyond,” said Dr. Wyatt Hume, Director of Education, Training and Development at Qatar Foundation’s Research and Development Division. “As Qatar’s research sector continues to evolve, initiatives such as this will support young national talent in developing and fulfilling their true potential.”
The Winners of the Gulf Intelligence Qatar Energy R&D Forum PhD Student Awards for the Advancement of Education:
Tareq Al-Ansari is a Ph.D. candidate in the Sustainability Assessment of the Energy, Water and Food Nexus at Imperial College where he is a member of the Minerals, Energy and Environmental Engineering Research Group. He received his Bachelors of Mechanical Engineering from University College London and Masters of Philosophy (MPhil.) in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the Univ. of Cambridge. He is a member of the Qatar Foundation’s Qatar Science Leadership program and served as a technical advisor in the development of the Qatar National Food Security Master plan. He has also previously worked as a mechanical engineer for Qatar Petroleum.
Dr. Ahmad Sami Abushaikha received his PhD in Petroleum Engineering from Imperial College in December 2013 and his M.S. in Reservoir Geosciences and Engineering from the Institut Francais du Petrol. He is currently an overseas trainee for the Qatar Science Leadership Program of the Qatar Foundation Research Division and has previously worked as a Reservoir Engineer at Qatar Petroleum.
Nayef Mehsin A. A. Al-Ansi is a Petroleum Engineering PhD candidate at Imperial College expected to graduate in March 2014. He also received his MSc in Petroleum Engineering from Imperial College and completed his undergraduate at TAMUQ. He has been a teaching assistant for several courses and completed internship with Qatar Shell and ExxonMobil.
Ali Al-Menhali is a PhD student in Petroleum Engineering at Imperial College expected to graduate in 2015. His research focuses on the physics of multiphase flow in porous media with application to EOR and CO2 sequestration. He received his MS in Petroleum Economics and Management from IFP School in Paris and BS from Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. He has over six years of work experience as a Reservoir Engineer. He worked with Qatar Petroleum, Total, QatarGas 3&4 (Shell, ConocoPhillips, QP JV concession block in the offshore gas North Field, Qatar), and a year and a half with ExxonMobil, Houston, TX.
Source : Gulf Intelligence Qatar Energy R&D Forum Communication.
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