Qatar aims to lead Mena region in engineering PhD

Qatar is taking steps to lead the Mena region in developing engineering PhD programmes, according to a report  released  by a regional business organisation.

The report also highlights that Qatar hosts more tier-one US universities than any other country in the Middle East and North Africa.

A special report, “The What-Where-When-How & Why of Post Graduate Education for the Qatar Energy Industry”, published by The Gulf Intelligence highlights the strides made by the the country in developing more engineering PhD programmes.  

Last year, Qatar Foundation launched its much-anticipated and first-ever PhD programme, titled the Qatar Foundation Interdisciplinary Doctoral Programme in Energy Sciences, in collaboration with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), providing graduates with a unique regional platform to develop their careers in the energy field.

“Qatar is now also developing PhD programmes inside the country, an essential next step in progress towards Qatar becoming a sustainable, knowledge-based and creative economy,’’ said Dr Wyatt Hume, director of Education, Training & Development, Qatar Foundation Research & Development.

“PhD programmes in Qatari institutions will add substantially to new intellectual property and new enterprise development inside Qatar, and will greatly accelerate the growth of Qatar’s overall research capabilities.”  

Qatar Foundation actively supports both individual PhD students and the development of PhD programmes in Qatar in three main ways.

First, the Qatar National Research Fund provides financial support for PhD students to study in approved Qatari institutions both through the National Priority Research Programme and through the Graduate Student Research Awards. Secondly, the Qatar Foundation Research Institutes can now employ individuals who are enrolled as PhD students in partner universities in Qatar or elsewhere, to work as part of Qatar-based research groups focused on national research priorities. Finally, HBKU, a key component of Qatar Foundation, is establishing PhD programmes.

In recent years, Qatar has invested heavily in developing its education and R&D capacity and capabilities by adding more advanced study programmes to local universities’ curricula, opening the Qatar Science & Technology Park and unveiling the Qatar National Research Strategy, among other initiatives.

The report outlines the basic principles behind obtaining a PhD and provides a summary of available programmes within Qatar and abroad.

Nominations invited for postgraduate awards

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 group of Qatari students will be recognised for their achievements in postgraduate studies with the second annual Oryx GTL Post Graduate Student Awards in April 2015.

Nominations for the award will be accepted until December 15. The award honours Masters and PhD students for their commitment to further engineering education for the advancement of the Qatar energy sector.

The award programme seeks to highlight important achievements in the country’s emerging R&D sector by recognising current or recently-graduated Masters and PhD candidates for their outstanding accomplishments in academia in energy-related fields.

“The Qatar Post Graduate Student Awards are an important initiative to empower Qatari youth and recognise them for the contributions they have made to the Qatar energy industry,” said Dr Wyatt Hume, director of Education, Training & Development, Qatar Foundation Research & Development.

Stakeholders from industry and academia as well as students are invited to nominate top individuals for the Masters or PhD award category, along with a rationale for why they were selected and how their research findings are relevant for Qatar.

Previous winner research areas included oil and gas reservoir stimulation and management of Qatar’s hydrocarbon resources; the characterisation of multiphase flow properties, capillary pressure, residual trapping, wetting and relative permeability, for gas injection processes, CO2 storage and enhanced oil recovery; the investigation of recovery processes from mixed-wet carbonates typical of the Middle East; and the development of a life cycle assessment model for the analysis of the energy, water and food nexus.

The student awards ceremony will take place in Doha on April 28 at the Qatar University New Research Complex. The 2015 Selection Committee comprises senior academia and industry experts invested in research and Qatar postgraduate studies.

The members of the committee are Dr Hume; Dr Mounir Hamdi, dean at College of Science, Engineering and Technology, Hamad Bin Khalifa University; Dr Mark Weichold, dean & CEO of Texas A&M University at Qatar; Dr Rashid al-Ammari, dean at College of Engineering, Qatar University; Dr Iain Macdonald, senior programme manager at Qatar Carbonates and Carbon Storage Centre, Imperial College London; and Mohamed al-Enazi, quality manager at Oryx GTL.