Four research students receive QNRF grant

Emam Sabor, Simona Azzali, Regina Padmanabhan and Amal al-Mouhamed are the grant recipients.

GSRA is created to further develop graduate studies, by supporting outstanding Qatari and international students interested in pursuing doctoral degrees in universities in Qatar.

Four female PhD candidates from Qatar University received the grants to carry out extensive research in the areas of urban planning, electrical engineering and computer science.

QNRF’s executive director Dr Abdul Sattar al-Taie, said: “The calibre of the candidates and the proposals we received from them highlights the growing research capacity and culture in Qatar. We are deeply committed to promoting candidates with the highest potential to drive research excellence across all levels and disciplines.

“The recipients from the first cycle of the Graduate Student Research Awards programme demonstrate that we are on the right track for building elite human capital in research which is much needed  for the transformation of Qatar’s economy to a knowledge-based economy.”

Awarded PhD candidates, Emam Sabor and Simona Azzali are part of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning.

They will focus their projects on incorporating environmentally-friendly practices into urban development projects in Qatar.

Sabor’s research aims to develop a framework to evaluate urban sustainability in order to enhance the quality of life and physical conditions of neighbourhoods.

Azzali seeks to identify how huge sporting events can act as innovative catalysts and boost sustainable urban regeneration and growth.

Regina Padmanabhan, a PhD candidate in electrical engineering, has received funding for carrying out research focused on improving overall patient well-being by developing technologies that optimise multiple drug interaction.

Amal al-Mouhamed is a PhD candidate in the Computer Science programme. Her research includes processing Arabic digital audio-visual data in order to facilitate its access and retrieval, and the production of new multimedia resources.

Dr Wyatt R Hume, executive director of Education, Training and Development within Qatar Foundation Research and Development, expressed confidence that the four PhD candidates to be awarded the grants, will make significant contributions to the economic diversification, improved health, environmental sustainability and improved safety and security of Qatar and its region.