Qatar Foundation announces Vice President for new research division

Dr Haoudi will head up Qatar Foundation's new research division which has been established to provide a joined up and strategic approach to the extensive research activities already undertaken by Qatar Foundation's institutions. The new Qatar Foundation research division will play a major role in providing strategic planning for coordination of cutting edge research programs and initiatives across the five branch campuses located in Education City along with other Qatar Foundation centers.

Prior to joining Qatar Foundation, Dr Haoudi held a faculty position in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology at Eastern Virginia Medical School (USA). Dr Haoudi has also served as Scientist and Visiting Professor in various leading biomedical research institutes including the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Institute of Proteomics, (USA), the National Institutes of Health (USA) and Pasteur Institute (France). In 2001 Dr Haoudi was the founding Executive Editor of the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology and became a member of the National Royal Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Saif Al-Hajari, Vice Chairman of Qatar Foundation, commented, 'We are delighted to welcome Dr Abdelali Haoudi to Qatar Foundation as Vice President for Research. Dr Haoudi is a distinguished Scientist and a global leader in the field of biomedical research. I have no doubt that his expertise will be of great benefit to the new research division at Qatar Foundation.'

The new research division, will not only coordinate communication between members of Qatar Foundation, but aims to facilitate collaborative research with the wider Qatari scientific community, private companies and with institutions beyond Qatar. The research division will help ensure Qatar's growing contribution to the international exchange of scientific knowledge and the promotion of a scientific culture both in the region and a global stage. Further the new division will directly contribute to the creation of a knowledge based society and serve Qatar's larger national research strategy.

Dr Haoudi expressed enthusiasm about his new role in establishing Qatar Foundation as a national and international hub for research; 'I am very excited and honored to be involved in the creation of a state of the art research environment which will support creative scientific thinking, and that in turn will be translated into inventions, new products and technologies - providing solutions to national challenges in health, climate change, the environment, renewable energy sources and other fields.'

Dr Haoudi's other achievements include Founder and President of the International Council of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, USA. He has acted as a scientific advisor to a number of institutions including United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), US Department of Defense Medical Branch (USA).

Dr Haoudi holds a Doctorate degree in Cellular and Molecular Genetics, and a Master of Science (Honors) degree in Human, Quantitative and Population Genetics, from Paris VI and Paris XI University, France.