The College of Public Policy (CPP) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) will be leading discussions at one of the largest annual gatherings of Middle East scholars when the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) hosts its 55th annual meeting from November 29 to December 3. The virtual meeting will draw scholars from across the world to discuss the most pressing issues facing the region and the field of higher education.

The global burden of neurological disorders is rapidly increasing, particularly due to the rise in the aging population worldwide. The Neurological Disorders Research Center (NDRC), one of the key research centers at Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), housing research focused on neurological disorders of high prevalence in Qatar and the Pan-Arab region.

September marks Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and Dr. Omar El-Agnaf, Executive Director of Qatar Biomedical Research Institute at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, explains why the first approved treatment for the disease for nearly 20 years must go hand in hand with biomarker-supported diagnosis and personalized therapies.

In the decade since it was established, Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) has fostered innovative research in fields that span water, energy, and environment.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) celebrated the European Day of Languages 2021, a close cooperation between the Language Center at the Translation and Interpreting Institute (TII-LC), the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) cluster in Doha, Institut Francais du Qatar, and the Embassy of France. 

The College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) recently presented a talk by Dr. Vishva M. Dixit, Vice President of Early Discovery Research at Genentech Inc. and one of the world’s most eminent biomedical science researchers. 

There are over 50 million people worldwide living with dementia. As the proportion of older people in the population is increasing in nearly every country, the number of people with dementia is projected to triple by 2050, reaching over 152 million, and a predicted cost of 2 trillion USD by 2030 [1].

The restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated the ill-being of people with dementia. According to the 2020 Alzheimer’s disease report, more than a quarter of people who died in the first wave of COVID-19 had dementia [2].

Qatar’s contemporary urban environment tells the story of the country’s remarkable economic growth and development journey over the past decades. Cognizant of the environmental and sustainable development challenges that accompany such rapid growth, Qatar has taken firm steps to balance its economic activities with environmental protection and long-term sustainable development. 

The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) and Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) were recognized with several awards for their specialized expertise during the recent 47th International Conference on Very Large Data Bases (VLDB 2021). VLDB is a preeminent international forum that facilitates discourse on the latest research and development in database management and related fields.

What was your first involvement with Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI)?

My story with QBRI goes back around 15 years - so before the institute or even Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) was even launched - as I was part of the Arab scientific forum that was held here, so I came here several times.

There were 100 or so invited scientists, Arab scientists mainly from the West. They invited accomplished scientists and I was really pleased to be involved. To find a country that was so committed to developing Arab science was very exciting.