UoS launches 3rd Forum for Women in Research

The opening ceremony of the forum began with a welcoming speech delivered by His Excellency Prof. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah, in which he thanked and appreciated His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah and Founder of the University of Sharjah for his continuous support of the UoS, as well as thanked Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah and President of the University of Sharjah (UoS) for supporting the third edition of the forum. His excellency also welcomed attendees and speakers of the Third Forum for Women in Research, which aims to encourage women to excel in various fields by presenting women's achievements in scientific research, as well as shedding light on prominent events that focus on the role of women in the United Arab Emirates and the Arab Region.

He added: “The University of Sharjah has made great strides in research field at the local, regional and global levels, in which a large number of UoS’s faculty members and specialists in research, about 65 research groups including female, were able to rank the first place in scientific research at the UAE level as well as achieve advanced positions at the international level”.

For his part, Prof. Maamar Bettayeb, Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies, asserted on the importance of this forum that is in line with the UAE strategy for empowering women for  global impact. He also praised achievements of women researchers at the UoS, in which 300 researches have been published in the international database “Scopus”, pointing to the UoS endeavor to expand the participation in the forum internationally, encourage women to cooperate in researches that serve the society and work on joint applied scientific research with international institutes to produce high quality research. 

The forum was organized by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies in cooperation with the Research Outreach Department at the University of Sharjah, supervised by Dr. Manar Abu Talib and the Women in Research Committee (WRC).  The forum reviewed a wide range of inspirational experience and expertise of women in various professional and research fields.

The opening session of the forum hosted keynote speakers including: Her Excellency Reem Abdel Rahim Bin Karam, Director of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, who announced during her speech that NAMA offers 7 grants for female students and faculty members to work on research in fields of medical, science, technology, engineering, mathematics and socioeconomic, Ms. Eiman Al Hammadi, Senior Vice President, Group HC Strategy & Organization Effectiveness at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Mr. Saud Al Dhawyani, Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer at Emirates NBD, Mayyada Salem Al Bardan, Manager of Researches & Studies Department at Sharjah Electricity Water & Gas Authority (SEWA), Eng. Noura Al Hammadi, R&D Technologist at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Miriam Zalzala, Site Relationship & Excellence Lead, Middle East North Africa, Pfizer and Nadine Tarcha, MD.MSC, Gulf Medical Director, Pfizer. 

Dr. Amina Al Marzouqi, Assistant Chancellor of Branch Affairs at the UoS, thanked strategic and golden partners of the forum and is looking forward to the upcoming future forum, thereafter, the Chancellor of the UoS and the Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies honored sponsors, in which they handled over memorial shields and honors certificates.
 
The keynote speakers shared a wide range of inspirational stories, experience and expertise, reviewed women’s success in the academic, research and administrative fields, as well as provided a brief overview about their workplace and services it offers to the community and Emirati women.

The forum included a panel discussion entitled “Creating Opportunities For Women In Research”, moderated by Dr. Bashair Mohammed Mussa, College of Medicine, UOS, with the participation of Dr. Marina Sokovic, Assistant Minister for Science, Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Serbia, Dr. Alya Harbi, Director of Statistics and Research, Ministry of Health & Prevention (MOHAP), UAE, Ms. Alanoud Abdulla Alhaj, Director, Education Policy, Ministry of Education, UAE, Prof. Jung Sun Kim, President of International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES), Executive Vice President, Dongseo University, South Korea, Dr. Eva Turgonyi, AstraZeneca GCC Medical Director, Dr. Wafaa Ramadan, Postdoctoral Research Associate, UOS, Recipient of the L’Oreal- UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East Fellowship Award, and Ms. Amani Abusafia, PhD Student, University of Sydney, Australia, Recipient of Zonta International Award for Women in Technology.

The forum also included specialized sessions, in which Emirati researchers and experts in the field of research delivered a range of technical workshops, moderated by Dr. Bashria Abdrubalrasoul Abdalla, Associate Professor at the College of Engineering, UOS. During the first session, Dr. Susan Petterson, Associate Professor, Griffith University, Australia, Director, Water & Health Pty Ltd, Non-Executive Director Sydney Water Corporation, discussed “Safe Water: A Risk-based Approach for Protection from Waterborne Disease”, while Eng. Khuloud Al Maeeni, Graduate Senior Technologist, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), delivered the second session titled “Autonomous Rover for Albedo Measurement”. Whereas the third session discussed “Building Integrated Photovoltaics in Hot Climates: Experimental Study of CIGS and c-Si modules in BIPV Ventilated Facades”, presented by Eng. Noura Al Hammadi, R&D Technologist, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). During the fourth session, Shaima Sharif, Innovation Programs Sprint Lead, Energy & Utilities, AWS Amazon, USA discussed “Leadership and Empowerment for Advancing Clean Energy”. 

On the sidelines of the forum, two exhibitions were organized namely “the exhibition for UoS Women's Achievements in Research” , supervised by Dr. Shaima Elbardawil, College of Fine Arts and Design, UoS and Dr. Rania Harati, College of Pharmacy, UoS, in addition to “Taebiruha” Exhibition (Her Expression), moderated by Dr. Karima Mohamed Al Shomely, College of Fine Arts and Design, UoS. During the forum, winners of the best research work were announced by Prof. Dima Rachid Jamali, Dean of the College of Business Administration, UoS, and Dr. Narjes Haj Salem, Assistant Professor at the College of Business Administration, UoS, as faculty members and students have submitted over 379 research papers from 65 universities representing nine countries from the UAE and the GCC region. The forum offered 22 grants in three research categories that addressed the most important issues, subjects, and challenges of research in a variety of fields such as medicine, scientific and engineering.