Raian Ali has been a Professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and a UNESCO chair in digital technologies and human behaviour (June 2025–June 2029). He obtained his PhD from the University of Trento, Italy, in 2010, and has previously worked at the University of Limerick in Ireland and Bournemouth University in the UK. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Latakia (formerly Tishreen University), Syria.

His research primarily focuses on technology and human behaviour, encompassing topics such as digital addiction, responsible technology use, and the impact of technology design on human well-being. He is a member of the steering committee for the Society of Persuasive Systems, and of the steering committee of the Behaviour and Social Computing community.

He has led projects with academic and industry partners, resulting in significant impact, outreach, policy change, and scientific publications. Notably, he leads the $3.8 million cluster on digital citizenship in Qatar (2022–2027), supervising six projects, collaborating with over 15 national and international partners, and managing a team of 50 personnel. Raian also provides consultancy both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Samer Rashwani is a senior researcher at the Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE) at the College of Islamic Studies (CIS). He pursued his BA in Islamic Studies from the Faculty of Sharia at Damascus University in 1998. In 2003, he earned his MA in Qurʾanic Studies from Cairo University, followed by a PhD from the same university in 2007.

Between 2007 and 2011, Dr. Rashwani was a faculty member at the Faculty of Sharīʿa at Damascus and Aleppo Universities. From 2011 to 2013, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Berlin-based Forum Transregionale Studien. Since 2013, he has served as a research fellow and lecturer at the Center for Islamic Theology at the University of Tübingen, Germany.

During his academic career, Rashwani developed a wide range of research interests and academic publications within the field of Islamic studies, including tafsīr, hermeneutics, Islamic theology, and Islamic ethics. In addition to his book Manhadj al-Tafsīr al-Mawḍūʿī [The Methodology of Thematic Interpretation of the Qurʾān: a Critical Approach] (Aleppo 2009), he has edited several volumes on Qurʾanic studies and modern Muslim thought.

Dr. Dalal Aassouli is a distinguished academic and development finance leader with extensive international experience across Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Renowned for pioneering innovative solutions in SME finance, humanitarian finance, sustainable food systems, Islamic and sustainable finance, and digital transformation, she specializes in leveraging emerging technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence to drive systemic financial innovation.

Throughout her career, Dr. Aassouli has advised global organizations, including multilateral agencies, governments, charities, and financial institutions, on designing and implementing advanced Islamic and sustainable finance strategies. Her work focuses on integrating market-based solutions, expanding financial inclusion, and utilizing digital financial services to efficiently empower vulnerable communities, refugees, and host populations. She is an authority in sustainable capital markets, digital sustainable finance, social and humanitarian finance, and AI-driven solutions critical to supporting robust humanitarian responses.

In addition to her advisory roles, Dr. Aassouli has led large-scale research initiatives on food security, SME finance, generative AI, and humanitarian and development finance, advancing capacity building and executive education for both public and private sectors. Her strategic vision, cross-sector leadership, and unwavering commitment to financial innovation have established her as a trusted advisor in forging more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable financial ecosystems worldwide.

Dr. Dalal Aassouli holds master’s degrees from NEOMA Business School and Paris Dauphine University, as well as a PhD from ENS de Lyon in France.

In addition, Dr. Aassouli is a respected invited speaker at international sustainable and Islamic finance conferences and events, regularly sharing insights and consultancy expertise with global audiences. Her involvement at conferences, workshops, and industry gatherings further highlights her role as a thought leader and recognized authority in the fields of sustainable and Islamic finance.

Dr. Nasim Shah Shirazi is a Professor at the College of Islamic Studies (CIS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU. Before joining CIS, he served as Lead Economist and Acting Manager of the Islamic Economics and Finance Research Division at the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), Islamic Development Bank. He previously held key academic and administrative positions, including Deputy Dean at Suleyman Demirel University (Almaty) and Dean, Director of Research, and Director General of the International Institute of Islamic Economics (IIIE) at the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), Pakistan. He also taught as a Professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

Dr. Shirazi has designed, developed, and taught graduate and postgraduate courses in Economics, Finance, Islamic Economics, and Decision Sciences at leading national and international universities. He is widely recognized for his contributions to development economics, public finance, and Islamic social finance. He has supervised numerous PhD, M.Phil., and Master’s theses and has undertaken consulting assignments for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, PPAF, and various private organizations.

Dr. Mustafa Disli serves as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and is an Associate Professor of Economics and Finance at the College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University. He received a BA in Economics, an MA in Economics, an MA in Banking and Finance, and a PhD from Ghent University in Belgium. His research interests are Islamic banking and finance, energy and sustainable economics, and behavioral economics and finance. His scholarship examines Islamic banking and financial intermediation, the links between energy markets, credit, and investment, and behavioral drivers in Islamic finance that shape household and institutional financial choices.

At HBKU, he teaches Islamic Banking and Financial Markets, Behavioural Islamic Economics & Finance, and Advanced Topics in Islamic and Sustainable Finance. His work has appeared, among others, in Economic Modelling; Emerging Markets Review; Energy Economics; Finance Research Letters; Journal of Comparative Economics; Journal of Financial Services Research; Journal of Financial Stability; Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money; Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews; and The World Economy. He supervises master’s and doctoral students, contributes to curriculum design and the college’s research and impact agenda, and collaborates with industry and public institutions to translate research into practice.

Dr. Alberto de la Fuente van Bentem obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Netherlands. He went on to earn his Master’s degree in General Biology at the University of Amsterdam , and a PhD in Systems Biology at the Free University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. He undertook post-doctoral research at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, USA, and was a researcher at CRS4 Bioinformatica in Sardinia, Italy, and at the Leibniz Institute in Germany. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles and chapters in books – including Nature Biotechnology, Bioinformatics and Diabetes. Dr. van Bentem is currently a postdoctoral researcher at QBRI, HBKU.

Dr. Nathan Townsend is an applied exercise physiologist with extensive industry, research and academic teaching experience, with over 40 research publications and international conference presentations. He obtained his PhD from the Australian Institute of Sport and the University of Sydney. He has held positions at the New South Wales Institute of Sport, Deakin University and Aspetar Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Hospital, Qatar. Dr. Townsend has worked with several world championship gold medalists in his career.

Mounir Hamdi is the founding Dean of the College of Science and Engineering at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). He is an IEEE Fellow for contributions to design and analysis of high-speed packet switching, which is the highest research distinction bestowed by IEEE.

As founding Dean of the College of Science and Engineering, Dr. Hamdi led the foundation of 15 graduate programs and 1 undergraduate program and all the associated research labs and activities. In particular, 6 of these programs are the first PhD programs in HBKU. Currently, the College has more than 350 students including 150 PhD students, and has already graduated MS and PhD students.

Before joining HBKU, he was Chair Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and the Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. 

He received the B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering - Computer Engineering minor (with distinction) from the University of Louisiana in 1985, and the MS and the PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 1987 and 1991, respectively.

He was a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology since 1991, where he was a founding member of the University. He became the Head and Chair Professor of the Department. Under his Headship tenure, his Department was ranked 13th in the world by QS World Ranking (2013) and 21st in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) in 2013. He was the Director of the Computer Engineering Program, Director of the Master of Science in Information Technology, and Director of the Computer Networking Research Lab. He was involved with HKUST administration such as the University Senate, University Council, and University Administration Committee. In 1999 to 2000 he held visiting professor positions at Stanford University, USA, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland as well as Honorary Professor in various Chinese Universities such Nanjing University and Chinese Southeast University. His general area of research is in high-speed wired/wireless networking in which he has published more than 350 research publications, received numerous research grants, and graduated more 50 MS/PhD students. In addition, he has frequently consulted for companies and governmental organizations in the USA, Europe and Asia. He is also a frequent keynote speaker in International Conferences and Forums on matters related to cutting-edge research and education.

Prof. Hamdi is/was on the Editorial Board of various prestigious journals and magazines including IEEE Transactions on Communications, IEEE Communication Magazine, Computer Networks, Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, and Parallel Computing as well as a guest editor of IEEE Communications Magazine, guest editor-in-chief of two special issues of IEEE Journal on Selected Areas of Communications, and a guest editor of Optical Networks Magazine. He has chaired more than 20 international conferences and workshops including The IEEE International High Performance Switching and Routing Conference, the IEEE GLOBECOM/ICC Optical networking workshop, and the IEEE ICC High-speed Access Workshop, and has been on the program committees of more than 200 international conferences and workshops. He was the Chair of IEEE Communications Society Technical Committee on Transmissions, Access and Optical Systems, and Vice-Chair of the Optical Networking Technical Committee, as well as member of the ComSoc technical activities council. He received the best paper award at the IEEE International Conference on Communications in 2009 and the IEEE International Conference on Information and Networking in 1998. He also supervised the best PhD paper award amongst all universities in Hong Kong.

In addition to his commitment to research and professional service, he is also a dedicated teacher and renowned quality-assurance educator. He received the best 10 lecturers award (through university-wide student voting for all university faculty held once a year), the distinguished engineering teaching appreciation award from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and various grants targeted towards the improvement of teaching methodologies, delivery and technology. He is frequently involved in higher education quality assurance activities as well as engineering programs accreditation all over the world.

Dr. Georges Nemer is a Professor of genomics and translational biomedicine and the Associate Dean for Research at the College of Health and Life Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. With a PhD in Pharmacology from the Université de Montréal, Dr. Nemer has an extensive academic and research background, particularly in genomics and molecular genetics. Before his current role, he served as the Interim Dean of the College of Health and Life Sciences and led the Genomics and Translational Biomedicine division at HBKU.

Dr. Nemer's research is highly regarded, with numerous publications in prestigious journals. His work spans genetic determinants of diseases, including congenital heart disease, hypercholesterolemia, cardio-cutaneous diseases, and Vitamin D deficiency. He has been recognized with several awards, including the Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award and the Wayne G. Watson Award for Biologic or Experimental Research.

In addition to his research, Dr. Nemer has contributed significantly to academic administration and faculty mentoring. He has held pivotal roles at the American University of Beirut, where he directed the Molecular Core Facility and co-directed the Congenital Heart Disease Genetic Program. Dr. Nemer's commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and education is reflected in his numerous editorial activities and service on various academic and governmental committees.