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Dr Khalid Al Subai is the Scientific Director, Special Projects, at Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute (QEERI). He and his team—based in Qatar, the US and the UK—are behind the discovery of the exoplanets Qatar 1 and Qatar 2. The investigators recently were recently awarded QNRF’s prestigious National Priorities Research Program-Exceptional Proposals (NPRP-EP) grant, of approximately US$ 5m, spanning five years of research. Dr. Al Subai graciously spoke to us about the field of exoplanetary research, the field of astronomy in Qatar, specifically, and what his team aims to do in the years ahead.

Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) has awarded three new research grants to junior scientists, in the fifth cycle of its Junior Scientists Research Experience Programme (JSREP).

The three projects will receive total funding of almost half a million dollars over the next three years.
 

Mr. Faisal Alsuwaidi's illustrious career began almost four decades ago when he began working for Qatar Petroleum (QP), rising to become QP's Administration Director. In 1997, he became the Vice Chairman and CEO of Qatargas, where he oversaw the construction and realization of LNG trains that are still the largest in the world, while Laffan is the largest condensate refinery in the world. As Qatar Foundation's President of Research and Development, Mr. Alsuwaidi brings a wealth of management and strategic experience to the research sector of Qatar Foundation. This interview highlights his transition, his vision for more collaboration among institutions and the power of the recently-unveiled National Research Strategy.

Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) today announced a new cycle of grants worth $1,570,088 for undergraduate students in Qatar.

The grants are part of a Program that provides recipients with hands-on experience conducting original research under faculty mentorship. Since its inception more than 2,200 students have taken part in the Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP), now in its 14th cycle.

A senior delegation from Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) recently visited the UK and Ireland for a week of high-level engagements, designed to raise awareness of the unique range of research programs and collaborative opportunities available in Qatar.

At a special session in London, Dr Abdul Sattar Al-Taie, QNRF's Executive Director, and Dr Munir Tag, its acting Director Technical, presented to an audience of over 50 senior officials from universities and research institutions. The session, organised by the UK Higher Education International Unit and hosted by the British Library, focused on the opportunities and challenges for UK researchers applying for QNRF grants, and included speakers from UK government agencies as well as universities that have already been awarded QNRF grants.

Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) will hold its fifth Annual Forum today at the Qatar National Convention Centre, where the national funding agency will share its five year strategy and announce the results of its sixth National Priorities Research Program cycle.

Under the patronage of Mr Faisal Alsuwaidi, President of Research and Development at Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, the fifth QNRF Annual Forum has embraced the theme ‘Researchforward’. Within this theme, senior representatives from QNRF will share details on the agency's plans and future initiatives to lead a new phase of research development for Qatar over the next five years.

Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) has announced new research grants worth a total of $121 million today, under its flagship funding program, the National Priorities Research Program (NPRP).

The announcement came in the eagerly-anticipated finale of QNRF’s fifth Annual Forum, held this morning at Qatar National Convention Centre, where more than 350 members of Qatar's research community gathered to learn the results of proposals submitted for the sixth cycle of the NPRP. The fifth QNRF Annual Forum was held under the patronage of Mr Faisal Alsuwaidi, President of Research and Development at Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

Qatar National Research Fund awards three exceptional research projects worth $10.4 million

Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) has awarded funding to three major research projects that will expand the Qatar Exoplanet Survey, improve solar power conversion systems and evaluate a novel weight management programme for Qatari school children.

The winning project, which examined the effects of ultra-high pressures and temperatures on oil–based drilling mud, was one of five undergraduate projects competing at the QNRF event on March 27, held under the patronage of Mr Faisal Alsuwaidi, President of Research and Development at Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

Student representatives presented their research, which had been selected through an extensive review process from 88 UREP projects completed in 2012, to a panel of seven judges. They were ranked on the quality of their presentations and the relevance of their data for Qatar.

Dr. Thomas Zacharia received a PhD in Engineering from Clarkson University in the field of computational materials science. Prior to his new role at Qatar Foundation, he served as Deputy Laboratory Director and Chief Research Officer of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, overseeing annual expenditures of $1.6 billion throughout a range of sectors, including energy and engineering sciences, computing and computational sciences, life and environmental sciences, and national security.