Qatar Foundation Excellence Award winners thrive through innovation and leadership

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Foundation (QF) celebrated the achievements of its Class of 2026 at a convocation ceremony yesterday, highlighting not only strong academic performance but also a growing emphasis on innovation, research, and real-world impact.

A total of 16 students were honoured with the prestigious Qatar Foundation Excellence Award, recognising individuals who have gone above and beyond in their educational journey across the branch campuses. This year’s cohort stood out for its diversity and accomplishments, representing nine countries across five continents.

“This year we are quite proud of 16 different awardees. Eight of them are Qatari,” Director of Academic Affairs at QF Higher Education, Dr. Samah Gamar told The Peninsula.

“What’s really distinctive about the graduates and the awardees this year is that 30% of them are entrepreneurs. They have established ventures, and 80% of them have already published in Q1 peer-reviewed journals.”

Dr. Gamar said that a broader shift in how excellence is defined at QF. “We have a shift from just academic excellence to performance and application,” she explained. “These awardees have already established a local impact and a global reverberating impact at the same time.”

She added that students benefit from the unique Education City ecosystem, where they can take courses across multiple institutions. “They’re not students in one university. They have taken and registered in courses within eight different institutions. So excellence here has both breadth and depth.”

Among the awardees is Ahmad Abdulla Al-Ansari, a graduate of Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar, who was drawn to medicine for both its humanitarian and scientific dimensions.

“I chose medicine from the humanity aspect and also from the discipline side of it,” he said. “It has a high potential for research and a strong impact on the community.”

Reflecting on his award, Al-Ansari said, “It feels amazing. I’m honoured to represent my classmates and Qatar Foundation.” During his studies, he co-founded an innovation club that developed a surgical camera cleaning device, which won two national entrepreneurship competitions and is now patent registered.

Looking ahead, he plans to pursue a career in orthopaedics. “I want to continue to develop not just clinically and serve my community, but also stay involved in innovation and research,” he said.

For Talyta França, a journalism and strategic communication graduate from Northwestern University in Qatar, the journey to success was far from easy. Originally from Brazil, she grew up in a Favela in Rio de Janeiro and taught herself English to pursue higher education abroad.

“I’ve always been passionate about communicating with people and advocating for others,” she said. “Journalism felt like the right way to tell people’s stories and raise voices from marginalised communities.”

Winning the Excellence Award remains surreal for her. “It still doesn’t feel real,” she admitted. “My path to education was very challenging… so being able to graduate from one of the best universities in the world with this award feels amazing.”

França hopes to remain in Qatar and pursue a career in sports broadcasting. “I love journalism and broadcasting, so I see myself staying here as a sports journalist,” she said.

Another awardee, Nada Abdo, who graduated in interior design from Qatar: Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar, said her passion began at a young age. “I used to design spaces around my parents’ house, and I realised this is something unique about me,” she said.

She praised the opportunities provided during her studies. “I gained experiences I don’t think I would have had in another country,” she noted, citing academic support and international exposure.

Receiving the award, she said, was both a recognition and a motivator. “It’s a great honour… it shows my academic achievement and how people recognise me. It’s not my last step—it’s something that will push me to grow further.” She hopes to work in Qatar’s design sector, potentially with cultural institutions.

Wei Quan, an Executive MBA graduate from HEC Paris, Doha, described her academic journey as transformative. “It made me a stronger person and guided my career to a higher position,” she said.

Working in regulatory frameworks to attract Chinese investment to Qatar, she sees her role as bridging cultures and markets. “The feeling of being seen and acknowledged is really important,” she said of receiving the award. “It motivates me to contribute more to society.”

Meanwhile, Noora, a Juris Doctor graduate from Hamad Bin Khalifa University, credited the QF environment for enabling her growth. Having previously studied journalism at Northwestern University in Qatar, she said her academic path was driven by a desire to understand and influence systems.

“I just love understanding how the world works—laws, society, administration,” she said. “Law is a continuation of journalism for me, giving me a stronger voice for the causes I care about.”

She described the award as both a goal and a driving force. “I worked for it because I wanted something that would push me toward greater excellence,” she said. “Even if I didn’t win, I wanted to be worthy of something this great.”

Now working as a legal and policy officer, she plans to continue her academic journey, potentially pursuing a PhD in the future.