Six Arab women scientists feted for pioneering research

As research continues to be indispensable, six Arab women, defying impediments, have been recognised for pioneering contributions that heighten innovation, sustainability and human capital development.

The post-graduate researchers are Dr. Marieh Bassam Al Handawi, Dr. Aljawharah Alrubayyo and Dr. Sara Al-Araimi from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman respectively. The post-graduate researchers are Jawaher Alhamaddi of the UAE, Alaa Mansour Almushaikeh of Saudi Arabia, and Hadeel Tarik Zedan of Qatar.

They expanded to 69 the list of Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM) personalities in the Gulf and Yemen given grants, valued at Dhs4 million, including mentorship from the Khalifa University of Science and Technology (KUST) in Abu Dhabi, through the 13th L’Oreal-UNESCO “For Women in Science Middle East Programme.”

The media was furnished a copy of the list of their projects way ahead of the Wednesday evening awarding ceremonies at the SEE Institute, The Sustainable City in Dubai: Learning from desert plants to improve water security in the Middle East (New York University Abu Dhabi-NYUAD) scientist Al Handawi. Harnessing human immunity to advance vaccines and immunotherapies (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, KAUST) infectious disease scientist Alrubayyo. Turning waste into cleaner water and new bio-based materials (University of Technology and Applied Sciences), biotechnologist Al-Araimi. Engineering cell models for more personalised medicine (KUST), medical engineer Alhammadi.

Developing next-generation radiation-detecting materials for safer X-ray imaging (KAUST), applied physicist Almushaikeh. Developing next-generation antivirals for coronaviruses and emerging respiratory viruses (Qatar University) biomedical researcher Zedan.

Saint Joseph University (Lebanon)-Faculty of Science-Physics Department head Prof. Marie Abboud led the 11-jury panel that chose the six from the “hundreds of women with bold scientific questions and ideas for the future. They remind us that science moves forward, when women are given the opportunity to know, think and dream. Supporting them means investing in scientific excellence, discoveries and leadership that will shape our region’s future.”

The applause for women scientists and the inevitability to identify and harness their STEM eruditism were also imparted by UAE Minister of Education Sarah Al Amiri, UNESCO-Gulf States and Yemen director Salah Khaled, and KUST president Prof. Ebrahim Al Hajri.

UAE-born second-generation scientist Syrian Al Handawi told Gulf Today that her long-implanted curiosity, regarding the potency of desert plants even in perennial aridity, as she had learnt early on, that the “very quiet and calming desert and mountain areas of the UAE is a disconnection” from life’s humdrums, factored hugely in her three-year research work.

It led her to find within four months, the Tamaryx aphylla, “adapted to living in highly saline environments, including the UAE’s sabkha regions.”

“Bioinspiration” too, co-engineered Al Handawi’s research: “Learning from nature to solve human problems. I see nature as one of our greatest teachers. Desert plants have spent thousands of years adapting to extreme conditions, including high temperatures, salinity, and very limited water. Rather than designing everything from scratch, I ask if we can learn from these natural systems and whether those mechanisms can be translated into materials and technologies.”

Al Handawi hopes that her “award” springs outcomes for the entire world concerning solutions to aridity and waterlessness.

All these speak volumes for her chemist father who inspired her to follow his footsteps; and her chemist mother who “values higher education,” and during her time, surmounted education “barriers.”

“My father would always invite me to his lab; always explaining his projects and how the research could have an impact or help solve a problem. I eventually realised that research gave me something I really valued: the opportunity to ask questions. I enjoy the freedom to explore, experiment, and sometimes discover something completely unexpected.”

From the academe, NYUAD Chemistry Prof. Pance Naumov, Al Handawi’s “principal investigator,” is another “major” influence: “He supports and creates opportunities for young researchers, including women, which has influenced my thinking about mentorship and supporting the next generation.”