Dr. Renuka Prasad Gurunanjaiah is a Post-doctoral researcher at the Neurological Disorders Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI). He earned his PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Seoul in 2020. He then joined the Korea University College of Medicine, where he investigated rare genetic disorders such as Cohen Syndrome using organoid-based models and functional implications of novel gene mutations.

Dr. Prasad’s research integrates patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells with organoid platforms, focusing on neurodevelopmental disorders. He is proficient in neural organoid culture, genome editing, molecular biology, and confocal imaging, and has presented his work at international conferences such as ISSCR, ISN-APSN, KSBMB, and IFAA. His research aims to advance human brain disease modeling and develop safer therapeutic strategies using neural organoid systems.

Dr. Salim Bougarn is a multidisciplinary clinical and translational research scientist with over 15 years of experience in immunology, oncology, infectious diseases, and cellular therapy. He has led pioneering research at the intersection of cancer biology, immune engineering, and host-pathogen interactions.

From 2015 to 2023, Dr. Bougarn served as a staff scientist associate at Sidra Medicine, Doha, where he led projects on primary immunodeficiencies, pediatric infectious diseases, immune profiling in rare diseases, cancer stem cells, and cellular therapy. His work advanced functional genomics in neonates and children, and deepened understanding of genetic susceptibility to infections.

His oncology research includes adoptive cell therapy, CAR-T and CAR-NK engineering, microRNA roles in tumorigenesis, and cancer risk modeling in IBD. He previously held a postdoctoral position at Weill Cornell Medical College (Qatar and New York) and served as a research assistant/lecturer at the Universities of Amiens and Tours in France, contributing to vaccine development and innate immunity research.

Dr. Bougarn holds a Ph.D. in Immunology and Infectious Diseases from INRA, France, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), and a Master’s in Drug Toxicology.

His research interests include cancer immunotherapy, cancer stem cells, pediatric immunology, host-pathogen interactions, precision medicine, and functional genomics.
 

Professor Omneya Abdelsalam is a professor of ethical finance & sustainable Development, a certified educator accredited by the UK Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS), and a fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (Advance HE) since 2004. She obtained her PhD from Edinburgh Business School and held academic positions in triple-accredited UK business schools for 25 years. She has also assumed various academic leadership roles in top international universities over the last 15 years. She is the founding director of the International Research Centre “Ethical Finance, Accountability & Governance” (EFAG) at Durham University (top 100) and the founding and lead director of Durham University Sustainable Development Goals Implementation Network, funded by the British Council (Newton Fund). She received multiple awards and secured substantial research funding totalling £2.25 million from UK and international research councils and industry. She is currently working on two funded international research projects. She published her research in top international academic journals such as the Journal of Corporate Finance, British Accounting Review, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Banking & Finance (All A* rated) as well as Journal of Business Ethics (Financial Times top 50), Journal of Financial Services Research, Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions & Money, and Journal of Financial Stability (All A rated). She is a subject editor of the Journal of International Financial Markets Institutions & Money (A rated) and Emerging Markets Review (A rated). She supervised 126 Master's, MBA & PhD students up to successful completion, and her students have progressed well in academic, research, as well as professional careers in many countries around the world (UK, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Egypt, Germany, UK, Morocco, etc).

Skander Charni is a Research Assistant at Qatar Computing Research Institute and a master’s student in the College of Science and Engineering at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science with distinction from Qatar University. His current research centers on scalable particle-based variational inference.

Mohamed Chaker received his Ph.D. in Physics from the Université de Montréal (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) in 1986. He has been a professor at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) in Varennes, Quebec, since 1989. From 2003 to 2024, he held a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Plasmas Applied to Micro and Nanomanufacturing Technologies.

Professor Chaker has published more than 370 peer-reviewed journal articles (over 20,700 citations, H-index = 81, Google Scholar) in diverse research areas, including advanced plasma source characterization, such as high-density and laser-induced plasmas, and their applications to thin-film and nanomaterials synthesis, nanometer-scale pattern transfer, and device fabrication.

He served as Director of the Centre Énergie et Matériaux (1999–2002) and later as Director of the Centre Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications (EMT) (2002–2005) at INRS. Professor Chaker has played a key leadership role in developing major Quebec research consortia, such as Prompt-Québec and NanoQuébec. At the international level, he is frequently invited to participate in expert evaluation committees. Notably, he chaired the Scientific Committee of the Laboratory of Excellence SEAM – Pres Sorbonne Paris Cité (Science and Engineering for Advanced Materials and Devices) from 2011 to 2023. Since 2005, he has also served as Director of the Laboratory of Micro and Nanofabrication (LMN) at INRS.
 

Dr. Ghanimeh El-Taweel is an Affiliate Instructor at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar. She is a disability advocate and activist whose work centers on media accessibility and inclusive communication in the Arab world. She holds a PhD in Translation Studies: Media Accessibility from the University of Antwerp. Ghanimeh teaches courses in Translation for Access, covering topics such as audio description, subtitling for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences, and easy-to-understand language. Her research explores the intersection of disability, deafness, and accessibility within Arabic media and cultural contexts.
 

Rayan Khalil is an architect and architectural researcher with over five years of experience in academic research and an equal tenure as a lecturer and design studio instructor. She began her teaching career at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Khartoum, as a teaching assistant, later serving as a lecturer at the National University, which holds accreditation from the British Accreditation Board. 

Alongside her academic career, Rayan has built a long, intermittent practice in architectural and interior design, with her most recent project completed in Cairo, Egypt, in July 2024. She has also contributed as a researcher and writer with Studio Urban, collaborating on multidisciplinary projects with the Goethe-Institut and the British Council.

In addition to her architectural work, Rayan is an accomplished visual artist, having participated in numerous regional and international exhibitions, most recently in Doha in 2024. Her professional journey reflects a commitment to bridging architectural practice, research, and creative expression across diverse cultural and disciplinary contexts, combining scholarly depth with practical design expertise.
 

From 2022 to today, Dr. Beka has served as a consultant for the Digital Sīra Project at the College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, where he leads multilingual research and digital teams in producing innovative 3D and VR educational content on the Prophet’s life. 
 

Sarah Zuhair has over ten years of experience teaching Arabic to non-native speakers. She has worked at Qasid Institute, Sijal Institute, and the Language Center at the University of Jordan. Additionally, she has been part of the Arabic teaching programs at Middlebury College and Al Jazeera Media Institute.

Alongside teaching, Sarah is a professional translator from English to Arabic, specializing in academic and literary translation. She regularly contributes translations to Al-Thaqafa Al-Alamiya, a magazine published by the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters in Kuwait. She is proficient in Arabic, English, and Turkish, and enjoys working in a team and engaging in diverse, dynamic activities.

Dr. Salman M Toor graduated in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Bradford, UK, and obtained his PhD in Tumour Immunology and Teaching Certification from the University of Portsmouth, UK. Dr. Toor worked at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, as a Research Assistant from 2014, and joined Qatar Biomedical Research Institute as a Research Associate in 2017, focusing on Cancer Immunology. He then joined Dr. Omar Albagha’s research group focusing on Genomic Medicine at the College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, as a Post-Doctoral Researcher.

Dr. Toor is presently working as a Research Fellow at Qatar Biomedical Research Institute in Dr. Omar Albagha’s group. His current research is aimed at understanding the genetic determinants of complex diseases with an emphasis on Cardiovascular diseases and Diabetes. Dr. Toor is an Associate Editor for Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports (Elsevier) and an Editorial Board member of Discover Oncology and Discover Immunity (Springer Nature).

With more than 50 research publications in reputed scientific journals, Dr. Toor aspires to excel in academia and in biomedical research.