Areej Mesleh is a Postdoctoral Researcher with expertise in neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. She graduated with distinction from Qatar University in 2017 and completed her master’s degree in 2019 at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, where she investigated neuroinflammation in Parkinson's disease. Mesleh earned her PhD in 2023, focusing on proteomics in autism spectrum disorder. She is currently working on developing conformation-specific nanobodies against alpha-synuclein as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic tool for Parkinson's disease.

Dr. Abeer Al-Shammari is a Scientist at the Neurological Disorders Research Center of the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute. She was awarded a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Oxford in the U.K. In 2019, she received the Education Excellence Award under the patronage of His Highness the Emir of Qatar. Her research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, with the ultimate goal of identifying potential biomarkers and developing targeted therapies.

Dr. Al-Shammari leads a dynamic research team that employs cutting-edge techniques, including immunological assays, stem cell-derived brain cells, gene editing, bioinformatic analysis of single-cell sequencing data, advanced imaging techniques, and deep learning models. Her work has been recognized with multiple research grants and awards. She actively supervises graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, fostering the next generation of scientists. With a passion for advancing scientific discovery, Dr. Al-Shammari is committed to translating her research findings into real-world applications that could improve the lives of individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Dr. Abdesselem is a Core Manager at the Office of Vice President for Research and a Lecturer at the College of Health and Life Sciences. He obtained his PhD in Neurobiology from the University of Konstanz, Germany in 2009. His doctoral training in Prof. Stürmer’s lab focused on the function of the NOGO-66 myelin-associated proteins in nervous system regeneration. He then moved to the United States to conduct postdoctoral training at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM)-New York and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where he investigated the role of neuronal guidance molecules in developing the nervous system.

In 2012, he moved to Qatar to join WCM-Q as a Research Fellow to study the function of SIRT2 in obesity. In 2016, Dr. Abdesselem was offered the position of Laboratory Manager at QBRI to manage the Neurological Disorders Research Center where he worked in El Agnaf’s research group on alpha-synuclein proteins in Parkinson’s disease.

He made very significant contributions to the success of his research group in developing novel tools to understand the molecular pathogenesis of PD. In 2019, he successfully built the new Proteomics Core Facility and transferred new biomarker technologies to HBKU, such as Olink, Sengenics, CDI, and Quanterix. He has successfully led and managed the core facility, which became certified and fully operational in 2020. In addition to his management roles, he has published many peer-reviewed papers in high-impact factor journals.

Dr. Mohammad Farhan is an Associate Professor at the College of Health and Life Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. He leads an innovative research program focused on the genomics and epigenetics of psychiatric and neurological disorders. With a PhD in transcriptomic biomarkers of acquired epilepsy from the Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology, Delhi, and postdoctoral training at the University of Oxford and A-STAR & Duke-NUS Medical School, he has cultivated a multidisciplinary expertise. At Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Dr. Farhan has established active collaborations with Sidra Medicine and Hamad Medical Corporation, investigating the genetics and biomarkers of mental health disorders in the Qatari population.

Dr. Farhan is a member of several scientific societies and serves as an editor for Translational Medicine Communications and Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience. His research endeavors are supported by various grants from QNRF, MRC, and HBKU. Dr. Farhan’s research aims to unravel the molecular underpinnings of these conditions and pave the way for precision medicine approaches. Dr. Farhan's contributions to the field have been recognized through publications in high-impact journals such as Nature Methods, Neuron, Current Biology, PLOS Biology, BMC Medicine, etc. He actively engages in scientific outreach, participating in op-eds for newspapers, magazines, and TV shows, both locally and internationally.

Lina Hassna holds the position of Planning Manager at QBRI. She has a combined technical and management experience. She started her career in 2005 at Hamad Medical Cooperation as a lab technologist. It provided her with a rich knowledge and experience of technical aspects in biomedical science, which helps in her current position. In 2009 she joined Qatar Foundation, specifically Qatar Research Leadership Program (QRLP) with an ambition to lead and actively participate in the development and administration of research and development. As part of this program, she worked in different national and international institutes where she led & participated in different projects, got hands on experience and gained important skills among the projects that she led is the development of market access plan for new drug discovered by Sanofi Aventis in Paris.

After successfully graduating from QRLP, Lina joined QBRI in 2011 as Planning Manager and played an important role in launching the institute. She actively participated in building the infrastructure and attracting highly qualified talents. In QBRI she is mainly in charge of business planning and monitoring, capacity building programs and research partnerships. She led and participated in strategically important projects e.g. QBRI integration with Shafallah Medical Genetic Center and Hamda Bin Khalifa University, the building of first QBRI Research lab, the development of Summer Research Program, the development of QBRI Risk Register, the partnership with Hamad Medical Collaboration ---etc.

Lina has multidimensional educational experiences ranging from a B.Sc. degree in Biomedical Science, Qatar University to a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA), Qatar University which has enhanced her administration knowledge and ability. She recently focused on project and portfolio management and has been certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) by the Project Management Institute (PMI), USA.

Ghada Mohammed Al-Khater has worked in diverse fields gaining relevant experience in the areas of finance, sports, and biomedical science. She began her career working for the Ministry of Economy and Finance as a Researcher of Administrative Affairs in the Public Budget Dept. where she participated in preparing the budget for the State of Qatar (2003 – 2008) . She was a member of Restructuring and Re-engineering of Financial Policies, Systems and Processes of the State of Qatar Ministry of Finance (Singapore) (2007-2008). As the Head of Development & Projects (HR Department) for the Olympic Committee, she led several important projects including HR's strategy implementation and monitoring. One of her greatest achievements is the “Automation of Performance Appraisal System & Integration with Competency Profiling”.

Al-Khater has been working with Qatar Foundation in 2010 to date. She began her stint with the HR department, successfully leading various recruitment-related projects and representing QF both locally and internationally. In 2013 she was nominated for the role of Head of Business Support at Qatar Biobank where she in charge of human resource, finance, planning, facility management and procurement. She has participated in several communication and awareness related activities and was assigned the position of Secretary of the Board of Trustees.

Al Khater served as the Project Manager for the inauguration of Qatar Biobank, which was inaugurated by HH Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, a responsibility of honor entrusted to her by the higher management. She took over as Operations Manager in QBRI in 2015, joining the leadership team. She mainly manages human resources and procurement and also ensure effective and close working relationship within the three research centers of QBRI and HBKU, as well as the various directorates within Qatar Foundation.

She was among the first batch of graduates from HBKU to receive an Executive Masters in Strategic Business Unit Management from HEC-Paris Qatar Branch Campus (in 2014). Additionally she holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from Qatar University.

Susan L. Karamanian is Dean of HBKU's College of Law. She previously held leadership positions at the American University of Sharjah and the George Washington University Law School. Susan is a member of the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) and was previously Vice President of ASIL. She was also President of the Washington Foreign Law Society. She has lectured on international law at the University of Paris, the OAS Academy of International Law, Tamil Nadu National Law School, the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, and the Hague Academy of International Law (Director of English Studies). She has presented two lectures (“The Right to Property under International Law” and “The Intersection of Public International Law and Private International Law”) as part of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law. She is a trustee of the Center for American and International Law, where she chairs the Southwestern Institute for International and Comparative Law, and a director of Texas Appleseed. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Council on Germany, the American Bar Foundation, and the Texas Bar Foundation.

Dr. Ahmed Abdala is a Chemical Engineering Professor and Program Chair at the College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University. He received his PhD in chemical engineering and fiber & polymer science from North Carolina State University. His research focuses on developing advanced materials for energy and environmental applications, utilizing polymers and nanomaterials. His work includes polymer nanocomposites, functionalized graphene materials, anti-corrosion coatings, polymeric membranes for gas separation and water treatment, and nanohybrids of metal/metal oxides and 2D nanomaterials for catalysis, adsorption, energy storage, and thermoelectric materials.

Dr. Abdala has published 120 peer-reviewed journal articles, with an H-index of 49 and 20,150 citations, and holds 7 US patents. He is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the 2023 Texas A&M University at Qatar Faculty Excellence Award, the 2019 Distinguished Researcher Award from the Indian Association of Solid-State Chemists & Allied Scientists (ISCAS), the 2016 Qatar Excellence in Innovation Award from Thomson Reuters, and the 2013 and 2014 “Science Lantern Faculty Award” from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

Eleni Polymenopoulou is an Associate Professor at the College of Law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University and an Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. She holds a diploma in Law from the University of Athens and a Master in Law and PhD in Human Rights Law/International Law from the University of Grenoble-Alpes (France).

Before her current appointment, she practiced law and collaborated with several NGOs, including the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), Article 19 (on freedom of expression) and the International Press Institute (IPI). Eleni also holds a diploma in Applied Arts, Comics and Illustration (Athens) and has published books as a children’s book author and illustrator. In 2019, she received an honorary research fellowship award at University College London (UCL-Qatar) for her project on cultural heritage and Islamic law and a research grant in 2022 to set up the ‘Art and Law’ Lab at VCUarts – Qatar (with Prof. Radha Dalal). 

Her most recent published book is Artistic Freedom in International Law (CUP 2023). Currently, she is working on a monograph on Cultural Heritage Law in the Arabian Gulf: An International and Comparative Law Perspective.
 

Dr. Indulekha P. Sudhakaran is a Research Associate at Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI). She holds BSc and MSc degrees in Biotechnology and earned her PhD from the National Centre for Biological Sciences, India. Her doctoral research focused on the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity involved in memory formation in Drosophila and the role of protein aggregation in neuronal plasticity.

In 2017, Dr. Sudhakaran joined QBRI as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Omar El-Agnaf’s group. Her current research is dedicated to developing and optimizing an ELISA-based immunoassay for the early diagnosis of synucleinopathies, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and multiple system atrophy (MSA).

Additionally, she has contributed to the characterization of in-house developed monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), nanobodies (Nbs), and DNA-based aptamers targeting specific pathogenic strains of alpha-synuclein, a protein implicated in PD. Her work has significant implications for the diagnosis and treatment of PD and related neurodegenerative disorders.