Tricia Anne Alcantara Gomez holds a diploma from College of the North Atlantic, Qatar (CAN-Q), where she majored in Environmental Health. Tricia previously worked with Dr. Khaled Mahmoud in the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute’s (QEERI) Water Center lab through a service contract with CNA-Q, and she has now joined QEERI as a lab technician to support the Water Quality Program in the Environment and Sustainability Center.

Mohammad Tariq received his diploma in Mechanical Engineering Technology from the College of the North Atlantic, Qatar (CNA-Q).

He joined Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) as a laboratory technician and has been involved primarily in providing lab support for research and development projects and root cause failure analysis. His secondary responsibilities include equipment procurement, maintenance/calibration, managing laboratory workflow, and IMS and LAP accreditation of the Corrosion Center.

Dr. Wouter Hendrickx is the principal investigator of the Tumor Biology and Immunology lab in the research branch at Sidra Medicine. He joined Sidra Medicine as a senior postdoctoral fellow and has led his lab since 2017. He has gained experience in stem cell and cancer research by working at the University of Brussels, the University of Leuven, and the University of Norwich. Dr. Wouter Hendrickx has over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals and an h-index of 27.

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. Abdulfatah Mohamed is an assistant professor of Islam and Global Affairs at the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) in Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), and a former senior research fellow at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. He was also a senior advisor for the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in Qatar and a consultant for the World Humanitarian Summit at the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs. He is a visiting professor at the Graduate Institute in Geneva. He combines both corporate sector and non-profit NGO experience, having worked for numerous corporations, including Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC), Dallah Al Baraka Group in Islamic Finance, and Savola Edible Oils in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. He has worked as Director General for Al-Muntada Trust in London, supervising all operations in London and Africa. 

Dr. Mohamed has also acted as a consultant for several government institutions in Qatar, including advisor for the Minister of Labour in Qatar, advisor for the International Cooperation Strategy of Qatar 2024–2030, and a consultant for the Islamic Development Bank, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), among many other NGOs and philanthropic institutions. He has organized and participated in several international and regional conferences.  
 

Logan is a Professor in the College of Public Policy at HBKU. His research includes diverse geographic and disciplinary foci, covering broad thematic areas of food security, climate change, social justice and governance. For the last 15 years, he has worked in non-governmental organizations internationally, including in Afghanistan, Benin, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Logan has served as a director for two non-governmental organizations, and worked as a consultant with clients such as Global Affairs Canada, International Development Research Centre, Save the Children, Management Sciences for Health, the Liaison Office, UNICEF and UNAIDS. 

Dr. Puthen Veettil Jithesh holds a Master’s degree in Microbiology, an Advanced Diploma in Bioinformatics, and received his PhD in Bioinformatics from Queen’s University Belfast, UK. He has over 20 years of research and development experience in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at several prestigious institutes in India, Qatar, and Russell Group research universities in the UK.

Before moving to Qatar, he was the Head of Bioinformatics for the Oxford Translational Molecular Diagnostic Centre at the University of Oxford and held honorary appointments with the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics and the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.

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.