HBKU holds Education City’s first doctorate thesis session

Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Science and Engineering (CSE) hosted Education City’s first-ever PhD thesis defence session recently.  The momentous event comes ahead of HBKU’s schedule to graduate its inaugural cohort of PhD students and underscores the importance of the university’s role in driving academic excellence in Qatar.HBKU’s hosting of its first PhD defence reinforces the university’s significance as a leading educational hub. Dr Mounir Hamdi, dean of CSE, said, “I am truly honoured to see CSE lead such an important milestone in the lifetime of HBKU and Education City by graduating our first PhD students. Our college has a critical role in supporting the scientific development goals of Qatar and the region, and our multidisciplinary academic programmes are based on three research-focused divisions in the fields of science, engineering, and technology – all core areas for national advancement. All of our programmes aim to create a generation of leaders, innovators, and academics who are promising and forward-thinking.”Ahmad K Fard, who is presently completing final assignments towards his PhD in Sustainable Environment, led the event by defending his thesis entitled: Novel Hybrid Absorbent – Inorganic Membrane for Qatar Treatment Applications. He said, “My sense of pride extends beyond HBKU and Education City to encompass a hope for a better tomorrow in Qatar in general and Qatar Foundation in particular. This milestone clearly shows that we are going in the right track toward accomplishing the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser for a knowledge-based economy.”The presentation was attended by several members of the advising committee, including experts and advisers, who were tasked with reading the dissertation, making constructive suggestions, and sitting in on the defence. Those in attendance included Prof Gordon McKay, Dr Hamish MacKey, dean Mounir Hamdi, Prof Muataz Hussien, Prof Nouar Tabet, and Dr Tariq al-Ansari. One member of the committee was required to advise from an external standpoint, and this perspective was offered by Prof Hazim Qiblawey from Qatar University.