Culture & Education | Thursday 5 March, 2015 12:51 pm |

Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, is launching three new postgraduate programs within its College of Science and Engineering. Applications are now open for prospective students seeking to apply to the master's and Ph.D. programs in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), Sustainable Energy, and Sustainable Environment. Classes will begin in fall 2015.

HBKU's new master's programs will be taught over two years, with the Ph.D. programs typically taking three to four years to complete. The launch of these programs is in line with Qatar Foundation's vision of establishing education and research programs that support the human, social and economic development ofQatar. In particular, the offered programs have been tailored to focus on fields that are central to the long-term aspirations and needs of the nation and the region.

They will be taught by highly experienced faculty from around the world who have been handpicked based on their expertise and outstanding reputation in these key subject areas. Students enrolled in these programs will be given the opportunity to engage in groundbreaking, cutting-edge research and will join their faculty to work in laboratories of prestigious research institutes in Qatar and around the world. Expert faculty will integrate their research into their classes, creating an enriching academic experience for students that extend beyond the classroom.

One of these fields is biological and biomedical research and the HBKU BBS program is a multi-disciplinary program that will expose graduate students to state-of-the-art basic, clinical, and translational life sciences research, in collaboration with other universities and research entities in Qatar and elsewhere.

"The current influx of biological and biomedical researchers into Qatar as well as the establishment of various biomedical and health sciences institutes and national projects in Qatar is a testament to the potential that resides here," says Dr. Mounir Hamdi, Dean of HBKU's College of Science and Engineering. "Graduate programs in the life sciences have traditionally trained students in individual disciplines, and many programs still do. However, new connections have been established between environment, genetics, development of disease, and personalized medicine, which have prompted many of the best universities to establish multi-disciplinary Biological and Biomedical Sciences graduate programs. HBKU's BBS will train the next generation of scientist to capitalize on the full spectrum of knowledge across a range of interrelated fields and enable them to translate research findings into clinical benefits."

Similarly, the newly launched Sustainable Energy and Sustainable Environment programs will address important issues facing the region in energy and environment. The centuries to come will bring a myriad challenges brought on by inefficient and unequal supply of society's basic goods and services including food, water, energy, land, and shelter. These problems are amplified, and in some cases created, by non-sustainable practices and policies. Moving toward a sustainable society presents a series of interdependent, multidisciplinary and conflicting challenges for all professions, especially engineers, scientists, teachers, businessmen, and policy-makers.

"HBKU's newly introduced sustainability programs are designed to grow future generations of stakeholders, leaders, scientists, engineers, managers, and entrepreneurs in our society with a fundamental and solid research training, awareness and understanding of sustainability issues," explains Dr. Hamdi.

"In line with Qatar National Vision 2030, the goals of these sustainability programs are to provide students with the comprehensive educational training and research experience necessary for them to lead society and industry in finding a balance between development needs and the protection of health, wealth and the environment, thereby advancing research, education, and business practices for future generations."

The multidisciplinary aspect is again present in HBKU's Sustainable Energy and Sustainable Environment programs, as both incorporate study across a broad range of environmental sciences, social sciences, engineering and technology in their curriculum alongside exceptional opportunity for research.