Dr. Omar Al-Ansari
The seventh president of Qatar University
2023 - Present
Dr. Omar Mohamed Al-Ansari is a distinguished academic and administrative figure at Qatar University. He graduated from the College of Engineering in 1990 and subsequently became a teaching assistant in the Department of Civil Engineering. He furthered his studies at the University of Texas in the United States, obtaining his master's degree in 1993 and his PhD in Civil Engineering in 1999. Following this, he assumed a faculty position in the College of Engineering and held various administrative roles. He served as the Academic Programs Coordinator at the College of Engineering from 2001 to 2003, and then became the Dean of Student Affairs in 2003, followed by serving as an assistant to the Vice President of the University in 2004. From 2007 to 2015, he served as the Vice President for Student Affairs, and since 2015, he has been the Vice President for Academic Affairs. On 18 June 2023, he was appointed President of the University.
Throughout his extensive career spanning over two and a half decades, Dr. Omar has been involved in numerous projects, research endeavors, and committee memberships at both the university and national levels. Notably, he contributed to the Qatar University Development Project and served on the Equivalency Committee. He also held membership in several education and engineering associations and unions. Dr. Omar's significant contributions have propelled scientific research and made remarkable advancements within the university and the nation.
Under his leadership in Academic Affairs, the university has completed several research projects that have supported the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Additionally, these endeavors encompassed a wide range of areas, including infrastructure development, agricultural improvement, and the university's participation in space research. Moreover, he made significant contributions to shaping the scientific research at the university, ensuring its alignment with national priorities and the National Vision 2030 agenda.
Dr. Omar Al-Ansari played a fundamental and significant role in preparing for the university's digital transformation across various aspects and curricula, which was spearheaded by the Digital Learning and Online Education Office. He actively fostered innovation in education, learning, and research while forging stronger ties between the university and external institutions. Additionally, he worked on developing the university's vision and strategy, increasing its scientific and social
Dr. Hassan Al-Derham
The Sixth president of Qatar University
2015 - 2023
Qatar University’s 6th President Dr Hassan Rashid Al-Derham is recognized for playing a major role in advancing research activity at both university and national levels.
Dr Al-Derham assumed the position on 15 June 2015. He was previously Vice-President for Research from 2007 during which he guided QU to its current position as leader of research excellence in the GCC region, which was enhanced by its continuous success in winning the largest percentage of grants in the National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) and Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) under the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).
He also served in several earlier roles at QU including Associate VP for Research and Head of Civil Engineering at the College of Engineering.
He holds a PhD and Post-Graduate Diploma in Construction Project Management from University of Glamorgan (currently University of South Wales), UK which followed obtaining a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech, USA. His undergraduate is in Architectural Engineering from North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University, USA.
During his term as VP for Research, Dr Al-Derham successfully developed and implemented the organization’s research policies, procedures, and priorities as well as an ambitious research road map fielding strategic national priorities.
Additionally, under his leadership, several research centers were initiated including the Gas Processing Center, Qatar Road Safety Studies Center, Qatar Mobility Innovations Center, KINDI Lab for Computing Research, Laboratory Animal Research Center, and the Biomedical Research Center. He also led the inauguration of the university Research Complex.
Dr Al-Derham’s research interests include construction productivity, project optimization, legal contracts and procurement. In 2009, along with his research team, he won Best Paper of the Year in ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. He is also a member of several professional international societies and organizations.
Prof. Sheikha Abdulla Al-Misnad
The fifth president of Qatar University
2003 - 2015
Professor Al-Misnad received her Doctor of Philosophy in Education in 1984 from the University of Durham in the UK. Her doctoral dissertation on “The Development of Modern Education in the Gulf States with Special Reference to Women's Education” was subsequently published by Ithaca Press (London) in 1985. Despite her administrative duties and community involvement, Professor Al-Misnad has written more than 50 articles published in professional journals and presented at leading conferences and seminars.Professor Sheikha Abdulla Al-Misnad assumed the presidency of the Qatar University in 2003. Prior to that date, she served as Qatar University’s vice president for Research and Community Development (2000 - 2003), head of the department of Foundations of Education (1992 - 1995), and as a member of the university council (1986 -1989; 1998 - 2004).
Professor Al-Misnad was commissioned in 2003 to lead a massive reform project to transform Qatar University into a leading regional institution of higher education. Major academic reforms have been initiated in the areas of curricula, programs, and structure.
Professor Al-Misnad's involvement in educational reform is not limited to her duties at Qatar University. For many years, she has played a key role in the reform of primary, secondary, and private education in Qatar. As a member of the Board of Directors of Qatar Foundation for Education Science and Community Development since 1999, she has been instrumental in the governance and leadership of the educational institutions comprising Education City, foremost among which are Qatar Academy and The Learning Center. As an ex officio member of the Board of Governors of both institutions, she has seen Qatar Academy flourish into an accredited international school enrolling nearly 800 students from the pre-school to secondary school levels. The Learning Center was established as an educationally conducive environment that provides an option to average or above-average students with learning difficulties.
At the international level, Professor Al-Misnad is a member of several prestigious bodies and delegations; she was a contributing member of the Steering Committee of the Symposium at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education Applicability to the Arab States of the Gulf, held in Doha on December 5 - 7, 1999. Since June 2004, she has been a selected member of the United Nations University Council (UNU). Professor Al-Misnad’s long and illustrious record in education has gained her a wide and esteemed reputation not only in Qatar, but also in the Arab Gulf region and international arenas.
Dr. Abdullah Bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi
The fourth president of Qatar University
1999 - 2003
With a dissertation on 'The Demand for Money in the State of Qatar', Dr. Abdullah Bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi holds a doctoral degree in economics from Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) in the U.S.
He was president of Qatar University (1999 – 2003), as well as Secretary General for the Economic Affairs Secretariat of the GCC for the Arab Gulf States (June 1996 - October 1998).
He still is a member of the Executive Office of the International Association of Universities (IAU).
As a researcher in the areas of cash economy and economic development, he has participated in numerous conferences and symposia at both the Arab regional and global levels, with substantial research in the fields of finance, money, banking, and economy.
He holds the Gulf Cooperative Council Medal for Scientific Contributions & Achievements, France’s Palmes Acadèmiques Award, and Qatar’s Voluntary Man of the Year Award for scientific achievements.
Dr. Ibrahim Saleh K. Al-Naimi
The third president of Qatar University
1994 - 1999
Prof. Ibrahim Saleh K. Al-Naimi holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Southern California, USA (1983). He has filled many important administrative positions over the years: most notably, Dean of QU's College of Science, President of Qatar University, and President of CHN University of Professional Education. Indeed, Dr. Al-Naimi’s administrative work has dominated the majority of his career.
As a chemist and professor of chemistry for many years, Dr. Al-Naimi has published more than 40 research papers in international, regional, and local scientific journals on environmental and chemistry-related topics.
A member in several international academic societies, Dr. Al-Naimi has participated in a wide variety of conferences around the world. His most notable contributions have been: his paper, “Natural Gas Industry in Qatar”, for the Industrial, Economic and Technical Co-operation between the GCC and the Federal Republic of Germany; his Chairmanship of the first International Conference on Chemistry and its Applications in Qatar; his paper on Scientific Research in the Arab World for the International Conference on Science & Technology at the University of Sharjah; and his paper for the thirteenth Conference of the Islamic Academy of Sciences, discussing natural gas resources in Qatar and Malaysia.
Dr. Abdullah Juma’a Al-Kubaisi
The second president of Qatar University
1986 – 1994
Prof. Abdullah Juma’a Al-Kubaisi started his career as Inspector of Social Sciences in Qatar's Ministry of Education in 1971. In 1975, he embarked upon his post-graduate studies at Durham University, U.K., eventually receiving his Ph.D. in Education from the institution in 1979. He then returned to Qatar to be an instructor in the Department of Educational Foundations, and soon occupied his first administrative position as rapporteur of the Technical Office of University Reform at Qatar University. In 1980, he became deputy president of the university, and in 1986, the acting president. Today, Dr. Al-Kubaisi is an honorary professor and faculty member of QU's College of Education.
Dr. Al-Kubaisi is a renowned researcher who has held several prestigious academic positions, notably Director of the GCC States' Project of Developmental Studies (1982 – 1994), Chairman of the Founding Committee of Qatar University's College of Business & Economics (1983 – 1986), Chairman of QU's Advisory Board of Trustees (1986 -1994), and Chairman of the Advisory Committees to QU's College of Engineering and College of Business & Economics, to name just a few.
Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Kazim
The first President of Qatar University
1977 - 1986
With a Ph.D. in Education from Kansas University, Dr. Kazim began his career as a lecturer at the Teachers' College of Cairo in 1957, soon becoming a lecturer on science teaching methodology at Ain Shams University Cairo, Egypt.
After an impressive career as Egypt's Cultural Attaché to the Philippines, Associate Professor of Education in Baghdad University, founder and Dean of Al-Azhar College of Education in Cairo, and founder and first President of Qatar University, Dr. Kazim received an Honorary Ph.D. in Humanities from the Islamic University of the Philippines in 1983.
In 1986 he moved on to become the Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab World, and the regional coordinator of the Arab region, as well as the personal representative of UNESCO's Director General in the Arab World.
A keen researcher himself, Dr. Mohammad Kazim chaired several university research councils and boasts a portfolio of impressive scientific merit awards, as well as over 100 studies on various topics in the fields of scientific education, social foundations, technology and its applications, and scientific policy and organization.