Sabika Shaban is the Academic Journals and Publications Specialist at the College of Islamic Studies (CIS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), where she works across communications, project management, and strategic partnerships within the Dean’s Office. She manages the college’s graduate student journal Astrolabe, coordinates advisory board affairs, and supports the operational and outreach functions of the college.

Beyond her administrative role, Shaban is on a mission to reshape how Qatar engages with disability. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge, investigating family experiences of disability, inclusive health and education, and policy efficacy in Qatar and across the Arab Gulf. She is co-leading two HBKU-grant-funded research projects on autism and disability inclusion in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE). She also founded the Qatar Disability Resource (QADR), a platform connecting families and practitioners to information and support. She serves on multiple national boards and task forces advancing inclusion for autism and disabilities broadly, and brings her work into public life through speaking, training, and mentorship, driven by a conviction that community-centered data can shift policies and mindsets for greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in Qatar.

Shaimaa Bani Issa is a Research Assistant at Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Guidance and Educational Psychology with Excellent honors from Yarmouk University, Jordan. Shaimaa is interested in contributing to QBRI's research activities and is eager to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to advance biomedical research, with a particular focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder. She is also interested in pursuing postgraduate studies.

Abdulla Hamad Al Hawal is a founding employee of the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, Mass Communication and Information. Over the years, his experience in managing VIP relations has contributed to maintaining and strengthening the institution's reputation by carefully attending to cultural sensitivity, diplomatic etiquette, and the smooth coordination of high-level visits. His professional responsibilities have included developing and implementing security and protocol arrangements, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders, and continuously refining protocol procedures to improve efficiency and effectiveness. A strong commitment to professional growth has led to participation in various workshops, conferences, and training programs related to international protocol, economics, and global engagement. His overall approach is practical, detail-oriented, and focused on delivering consistently high standards in all protocol-related activities.

Mohammed Umar is a Research Fellow at the College of Islamic Studies (CIS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), where he has been serving since 2021. He supports the full student lifecycle, including onboarding, scholarships, stipends, and progression, and works closely with faculty, administrative units, and external stakeholders to address student needs.

Before his current role in Student Affairs, Umar worked in academic coordination and program support within CIS. He served as the administrative focal point for the Islamic Finance, Islam and Global Affairs, and Counseling Psychology programs, providing end-to-end coordination and operational support from admission through to graduation.

Umar holds a BA in Accounting and Finance from Manchester Metropolitan University and later completed an MS in Islamic Finance at CIS, HBKU. His academic background in finance supports his work in scholarship management, budgeting, and financial planning within Student Affairs.

His work focuses on building sustainable systems, improving workflows, and enhancing the overall student experience at CIS.

Ms. Satti is an accomplished and committed higher education professional with 25 years of diverse experience, including 18 years at Qatar Foundation (QF), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), and various roles across multiple academic institutions. Her expertise spans academic program operations and student services.

As an Academic Officer at the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) at HBKU, Ms. Satti manages essential functions within academic affairs, including admissions management, student registration, course coordination, and graduation procedures. She is dedicated to ensuring the seamless operation of college programs by actively streamlining processes and enhancing the overall academic experience for students and faculty.

Dr. Aria Nakissa is an assistant professor of Islam and Global Affairs at the College of Islamic Studies (CIS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). He holds a joint Ph.D. in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University, a JD from Harvard Law School, and an MA in Islamic Law from the International Islamic University Malaysia. He studies religion and law in Muslim societies across the globe. He has written extensively on premodern Islamic intellectual history, colonial and post-colonial Muslim societies, and cognitive science in relation to religion and morality. He has also conducted extensive ethnographic fieldwork in the Middle East and Southeast Asia using the Arabic and Indonesian languages. 

Dr. Nakissa is the author of The Anthropology of Islamic Law: Education, Ethics, and Legal Interpretation at Egypt's Al-Azhar (Oxford University Press, 2019). His articles have been published in various journals including Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute; Journal of Global History; History Compass; Journal of Cognition and Culture; Journal of the American Academy of Religion; Method & Theory in the Study of Religion; Religion Compass; Oxford Journal of Law and Religion; Human Rights Review; Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde; Islamic Law and Society; (Harvard Law School) Journal of Islamic Law; Muslim World; and Arabica.

Noor M. Mahfouz is an experienced higher education administrator with over fifteen years of professional practice supporting senior leadership and Dean-level offices in international academic environments. She currently serves as Executive Assistant in the Dean’s Office at the College of Islamic Studies (CIS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), where she plays a central role in academic governance, faculty administration, and executive operations. Her expertise includes committee coordination, confidential correspondence, policy documentation, faculty hiring and promotion processes, and high-level stakeholder engagement. Noor has worked extensively within institutions that require strict adherence to protocol, discretion, and accuracy. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Law from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, and brings a strong interest in institutional effectiveness, academic administration, and organizational processes within higher education.

Dr. Taniya M. Samuel was awarded her PhD in Biological Science from the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), India, with her doctoral research conducted at CSIR–National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. She holds a Master’s degree in General Biotechnology and a Bachelor’s degree in Botany.

With over six years of research experience, Dr. Taniya’s expertise spans translational cancer biology, inflammation, and bioactive-driven therapeutics. Her doctoral research centered on the in vitro evaluation of the anti-breast cancer and anti-inflammatory properties of bioactive compounds and peptides derived from quinoa and amaranth. She is proficient in apoptosis assays, cell migration, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, cytokine profiling, oxidative stress assays, and transcriptomic/proteomic analyses, including RNA isolation, NGS workflows, PPI networks, and pathway analysis. 

Dr. Taniya joined Dr. Fares Al-Ejeh’s research team at the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) as a Research Assistant, where she is currently involved in personalised/precision oncology research with a focus on multi-omics, novel biomarker and drug target discovery, and breast cancer.

Dr. Myoung-Hyoun Song is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University. He obtained his Ph.D. in Medical Science through an integrated M.S.–Ph.D. program from the College of Medicine, Seoul National University, South Korea, in August 2025. Since 2016, he has conducted extensive research on the establishment, long-term culture, and characterization of human organoid models, which formed the foundation of his doctoral work. His research focused on integrative genomic and transcriptomic analyses, primarily whole-exome sequencing (WES) and bulk RNA sequencing, using advanced organoid-based disease models to investigate intra-tumor heterogeneity, host–microbiome interactions, and disease-associated molecular signatures.

Dr. Song has hands-on experience directing the differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into vascular lineages, as well as generating intestinal organoids for functional and translational studies. He also has substantial experience with high-throughput screening (HTS) platforms combined with image-based quantitative analysis to assess cellular phenotypes and drug responses, with an emphasis on reproducible and scalable analytical workflows. Building on his expertise in multi-omics integration, organoid biology, stem cell–derived model systems, and image-based phenotyping, he is expanding his research interests toward the brain-gut axis.

At QBRI, he aims to integrate patient-specific iPSC-derived neuronal cell models with omics- and imaging-driven approaches to study neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and to advance biomarker discovery and precision disease modeling through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Ahmed Essa Al-Sulaiti is a Lecturer at the College of Law, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and a licensed attorney before the Qatari Appellate Court. He previously served (2022–2025) as Director of the Office of the State of Qatar to the WTO, WIPO, and UNCTAD, and earlier as a diplomat and legal counsel at Qatar’s Permanent Mission in Geneva (2018–2022).

With over 13 years of experience in international law and diplomacy, he specializes in trade law, intellectual property, and dispute resolution. His expertise includes international negotiations, mediation, arbitration, and strategic litigation. He has held senior leadership roles, including President of the International Law Association (ILA) – GCC Branch, President of the Executive Committee of the Berne Union, Chairperson of the WTO Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices, and President of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances.

Ahmed has represented Qatar before the WTO Dispute Settlement Body and in engagements with the European Union. He is co-editor of Trade Restrictions, Sustainable Development and the Law (Routledge, 2026) and has published in leading journals, including the Journal of World Trade and the Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice.

He holds a J.D. from Hamad Bin Khalifa University (in collaboration with Northwestern University) and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Tampa.