College of Science and Engineering CSE Hamad Bin Khalifa University Hamad Bin Khalifa University

The College of Science and Engineering (CSE), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, is celebrating its most successful cycle of the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) Graduate Student Research Award (GSRA) program yet, with 17 students receiving a scholarship.

The program, now in its seventh cycle, was launched to promote the most deserving students QNRF believe will go on to promote a world-class research culture in Qatar, and who will contribute to the nation’s research and development mission.

Aisha Al-Rumaihi was one of the award recipients and said: “Ever since I graduated from my bachelor program at CSE, obtaining a GSRA grant has been one of my biggest dreams. I hope to repay the faith shown in me by using this scholarship for the benefit of my university, society and the country in general.”

Aisha completed a master's in Sustainable and Energy at CSE, which gave her valuable experience that has benefited her career at Qatar Petroleum. She added: “I want to become an expert in solid waste management in addition to finding the best and most sustainable techniques to be applied and adopted by countries all over the world, to better manage their waste in an environmentally safe and efficient way.” 

Shehel Yoosuf, who has an MS in Data Science from HBKU, said: “Receiving this scholarship award recognizes the work I have done, especially in the past two years as a graduate student, and it will drive me to keep learning.

“I am currently focusing on machine learning and computer vision for crowd analysis. Research is a constant learning process and it takes on new and challenging problems, incrementally adding to our collective knowledge, which is both exciting and fulfilling.

“I have benefited from Qatar and its excellent education infrastructure since childhood so it would be a privilege for me to give back to it.”  

Jassim Mohammed Almulla said: “It really is an honor to be recognized by such a respected organization and it motivates me to give my best and meet the high expectations of QNRF.”

Jassim recently graduated from HBKU with a master’s in Analytics in Health Management and added: “I am using machine learning technologies and applying them to the field of sports athletes’ performance and injury analysis, especially those related to football. I worked in the IT industry for more than 10 years and over four specifically in IT with Qatar Football Association at many local and international events.

“Studying at HBKU provided one of the best experiences in my career. The atmosphere, the faculty and the students are of very high quality.”

Bader Al-Sada completed his bachelor’s degree in Computer Networks and recently added a master’s in Cybersecurity at HBKU. He is currently working as part of the ICT team to create a prototype deployment of a blockchain-based transparent rewarding system to incentivize people to commit to confinement during COVID-19, using wireless location as a monitoring service. 

He said: “My experience of studying at HBKU has been terrific, even with the difficult circumstances we have faced this year due to COVID-19. HBKU’s management of these circumstances, and the capability of the university to accomplish high quality learning remotely, has been very impressive.

“As a Qatari citizen, it is an honor to become an active participant in achieving Qatar National Vision 2030 and I hope to accomplish something innovative on behalf of my nation.”

Maryam Haji said: “I am very proud and absolutely honored to receive a GSRA scholarship. I am confident that I will be a great exemplar to my peers and an asset to HBKU and the community.

“I believe I can contribute towards the development of Qatar through cutting edge research with the potential for impact. My research project is to develop a unique ‘resource atlas’ for Qatar based on the EWF Nexus Node concept.”

Maryam earned a bachelor degree in Industrial and System Engineering at Qatar University before receiving a master’s in Sustainability at HBKU with a GPA of 3.83. She added: “I am eager to be a contributor rather than just a learner and I want to contribute towards fulfilling the Qatar National Vision 2030.”

Noora Al-Emadi said: “My aspiration is to contribute to Qatar's vision in developing people and an economy based on knowledge and science. I hope to see Qatar become a pioneer in all fields, especially research and development.”

Noora was driven to continue studying at HBKU after receiving her master’s in Data Science and Engineering from the university earlier this year. She said:  “Studying at HBKU was a fantastic journey that opened a new horizon in my career and life, so it was an easy decision to pursue a PhD at HBKU.

“As a Senior Software Engineer in the Social Computing Group at Qatar Computing Research Institute, pursuing my PhD will help me further explore and contribute to understanding various urban informatics research in road network inference from GPS traces.”

Dr. Mounir Hamdi, Founding Dean of CSE, was delighted with the record tally of scholarships. He said: “CSE is committed to supporting the country’s endeavors in the fields of science, engineering, and technology and we are proud to see so many students receiving scholarships to study with us. It recognizes our efforts to make a significant positive impact on Qatar, the region, and globally. In particular, it illustrates CSE’s ability to attract top-notch students into its graduate programs.”

Dr. Abdul Sattar Al-Taie, Executive Director, Qatar National Research Fund, said: “QNRF would like to congratulate the 17 successful candidates and we wish them all the very best in successfully completing their proposed research towards their master’s/PhD degrees. We look forward to tracking their progress and witnessing their continued success.”

The full list of awardees is: Miss Maryam Haji (PhD in Sustainable Energy), Miss Aliya Banu (master’s in Sustainable Energy), Mr. Saif Al-Hazbi (PhD in Computer Science and Engineering), Mr. Shehel Yoosuf (PhD in Computer Science and Engineering), Ms. Hagar Hussein (master’s in Data Analytics in Health Management), Ms. Yasmin Abdelaal (master’s in Data Analytics in Health Management), Miss Hanaa Abbas (master’s in Cybersecurity), Mr. Osama Mousa (master’s in Information Systems in Health Management), Mr. Ali Abdelaal (PhD in Sustainable Energy), Miss Noora Alemadi (PhD in Computer Science and Engineering), Mr. Mishal Al-Thani (PhD), Mrs. Maryam AlHajri (master’s in Data Analytics in Health Management), Miss Aisha Alrumaihi (PhD in Sustainable and Energy), Mr. Bader Al-Sada (PhD in Computer Science and Engineering), Mr. Bashar Hassna (PhD in Logistics and Supply Chain Management), Mr. Jassim Almulla (PhD in Computer Science and Engineering), Miss Manal Alkuwari (PhD in Logistics and Supply Chain).