Dubai: The Emirates Scientists Council has been reshuffled following a meeting of the UAE Cabinet, chaired by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai.
The new council will now be headed by Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, according to a statement issues on Monday.
The new members of the Emirates Scientists Council expressed their gratitude for being entrusted with the duty of representing the UAE’s scientific community by Shaikh Mohammad. The members reiterated their commitment to implementing the leadership’s vision to promote the UAE as a prime global destination for the science and knowledge industries.
“The advancement of science and technology through research is a key element in shaping the future of the UAE, and achieving the vision of our wise leadership in sustaining development and creating a better future for coming generations,” said Al Amiri.
The Emirates Scientists Council, which now includes distinguished experts in the science and technology sector, will empower scientists and experts to create innovative science-based solutions to our challenges and implement research outputs into projects that impact our everyday lives.
The new council includes Prof. Ghaleb Ali Al Hadrami Al Breiki, an Emirati researcher in the field of food science who was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies at UAE University in 2016, and Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Director and Executive Vice-President of Khalifa University for Science and Technology, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Emirates College for Advanced Education, Chair of the Steering Committee of the UAE Graduate Students Research Conference (GSRC), and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the UAE Advanced Network for Research and Education (ANKABUT).
Also on the council is Dr Alawi Alshaikh-Ali, consultant cardiologist and electrophysiologist, and Dean of the Institute of Cardiac Sciences at the College of Medicine of the Mohammad Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Science. He has written nearly 150 research papers and received several awards for his academic and research efforts. The council will also include Prof. Sehamuddin Galadari, Research Professor of Biology and Biochemistry, Senior Vice Provost of Research Outreach, and Managing Director of the NYUAD Research Institute at New York University Abu Dhabi; in addition to Dr Ali Al Zarouni, Executive Vice-President in charge of Midstream Operations at Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) since 2016.
Dr Habiba Al Safar is also a member of the council. She is director of the Khalifa University Centre for Biotechnology (KUCEB) and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the university, and is credited with identifying the genomes responsible for the spread of one of the most common diseases in the UAE — Diabetes Type I and II. The council also includes Mariam Rashid Al Shamsi, Director of Space Science at the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Center, who is also involved in the Emirates Mars Exploration Project.
