Dr Khaled Machaca interacting with the trainees.

Six Qatari research trainees have completed the Biomedical Research Training Programme for nationals conducted by Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) this year.
The annual programme gives talented Qatari graduates the opportunity to spend 6 months working in state-of-the-art laboratories of WCMC-Q learning key scientific research and administrative skills.
The programme concluded with a presentation ceremony at the college with Dr Khaled Machaca, associate dean for Research at WCMC-Q, presenting  certificates of completion to interns Maryam al-Dosari, Rouda al-Qahtani, Noof al-Kuwari, Maha al-Dosari, Aisha al-Qahtani and Sharefa al-Mannai.
Dr Machaca said: “These highly talented young researchers have demonstrated great intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for learning a wide range of research and administrative skills that will prove extremely useful to them as they take the next step in their careers in research. We are privileged to have welcomed them to WCMC-Q and we wish them the very best of luck in the future endeavours in research.”
This year marked the fifth instalment of the highly successful Biomedical Research Training Programme for Nationals, which has now provided training to a total of 24 interns since its launch in 2011. Interns who completed the programme learn a variety of essential research skills, becoming proficient at practical bench work, project design and research administration, among many other key competencies.
The programme is designed to give talented Qatari nationals an opportunity to gain key skills and experiences in a challenging and rewarding research environment, helping them to establish careers in a variety fields related to biomedical research. It is co-ordinated closely with the Qatar Science Leadership Programme of Qatar Foundation.
Intern Aisha al-Qahtani, an electrical engineering graduate from Texas A&M University at Qatar, said: “I am interested and passionate about biomedical research and I believe that this programme has helped me fill the gap between my background in engineering and my work in computational biology. I have learned biostatistics, epidemic modelling and how I can apply my engineering degree to biomedical research.”
Aisha hopes to pursue her career in research further and aims to obtain a Ph.D. in biomedical and biological sciences in the future.
The online applications for next year’s programme will be open from mid-September to October.