Doha: Qatar, which hosts more tier-one US universities than any other country in the Middle East and North Africa, plans to lead the region in developing engineering PhD programmes, the first study on the availability of postgraduate education in Doha has reported.
Last year, Qatar Foundation (QF) launched its first PhD programme — QF Interdisciplinary Doctoral Programme in Energy Sciences (QF IDPES), in collaboration with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), providing graduates with a regional platform to develop careers in the energy field.
“Qatar is also developing PhD programmes, an essential next step in progress towards the country becoming a sustainable, knowledge-based and creative economy,’’ said Dr. Wyatt Hume, Director, Education, Training & Development, QF Research & Development.
“PhD programmes in Qatari institutions will add substantially to new intellectual property and enterprise development and accelerate the growth of Qatar’s research capabilities,” he added.
The QF supports individual PhD students and the development of PhD programmes in three main ways. First, Qatar National Research Fund provides financial support for PhD students to study in approved Qatari institutions through National Priority Research Programme and Graduate Student Research Awards. Second, QF Research Institutes can now employ individuals 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. Third, HBKU, part of the QF, is establishing PhD programmes.
A 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, which honour Masters and PhD students for commitment to further engineering education for the advancement of Qatar’s energy sector.
The awards were developed by Gulf Intelligence in support of Qatar’s ambition to transform into a knowledge economy in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.
The award programme seeks to highlight achievements in the country’s emerging R&D sector by recognising current or recently-graduated Masters and PhD candidates for their accomplishments in academia in energy-related fields.
“The Qatar Post Graduate Student Awards are an important initiative to empower Qatari youth and recognise their contributions to Qatar’s energy industry, said Dr. Hume.
“I am honoured to again be a member of the Selection Committee for these awards.”
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 multi-phase 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 to analyse the energy, water and food nexus.
The awards ceremony will take place in Doha on Tuesday, April 28 next year at Qatar University New Research Complex. The 2015 Selection Committee comprises academia and industry experts in research and Qatar post graduate studies: Dr. Wyatt Hume, Dr. Mounir Hamdi, Dean, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, HBKU, Dr. Mark Weichold, Dean & CEO, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Dr. Rashid Al Ammari, Dean, College of Engineering, Qatar University, Dr. Iain Macdonald, Senior Programme Manager, Qatar Carbonates and Carbon Storage Centre, Imperial College London and Mohamed Al Enazi, Quality Manager, Oryx GTL.
To submit a nomination and find out details about the awards, please visit http://bit.ly/QatarStudentAwards
The Peninsula
