Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development, will play a significant role in this year’s Annual Research Conference (ARC ’16). At the event, which will take place on March 22nd – March 23rd at the Qatar National Convention Centre, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), and Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) will come together for the first time at a major event under the auspices of the university. HBKU will have a unified, sizeable presence at the conference, indicative of its consistent growth and development into an important player in the research landscape of Qatar

Three of the five parallel sessions on the first day of the conference will be moderated by HBKU officials, with Dr. Said Ahzi from QEERI chairing the session on Energy and the Environment, Dr. Mounir Hamdi, Dean of HBKU’s College of Science and Engineering, chairing the session on Computing & Information Technology, and Dr. Hilal Lashuel from QBRI chairing the session on Health. Dr. Ahmed Elmagarmid, Executive Director of QCRI will share insight from the some of the university’s research projects in the field of data science, and Dr. Khalid Al-Subai, Executive Director of QEERI, will discuss the HBKU research institute’s work relating to Qatar’s environment and energy grand challenges.

Dr. Ahmad Hasnah, President of HBKU, noted: “I am proud that so many faculty members and students from HBKU will be showcasing their work at QF’s Annual Research Conference. As a research university in Qatar, HBKU is focused on academic research degrees as well as pursuing innovative, interdisciplinary research that will address national priorities and foster major developments, ultimately impacting national and regional growth.

“Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Qatar Computing Research Institute, and Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute are an integral part of HBKU, so I’m particularly proud that our three research institutes along with our College of Science and Engineering are all part of ARC ’16.”

Representatives from across the university will be presenting their research at ARC ’16. The presentations will focus on a diverse range of specialized research areas such as Novel Tri-Hybrid Desalination Plants, the Characterization of Circulating MiRNAs in Insulin-sensitive and Insulin-resistant Arab Individuals in Qatar, Cost Optimization for Software Defined Measurement, and Big Data Analytics in Diverse Data Processing Platforms. Dr. Omar El-Agnaf, Acting Executive Director of QBRI, will share insight from his research on “Biomarkers for Parkinson’s Disease and Disorders”, an area in which he continues to explore with the support of a research grant from the New York-based Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. In addition, students from HBKU’s Juris Doctor (JD) law program will assist Dr. Clinton Francis, Founding Dean of HBKU’s Law School, in his presentation on “Crowd Inventing: An Innovation about Innovation”.

Conference attendees are invited to visit the university’s booth in the Exhibition Hall in order to learn more about research being conducted at HBKU College of Science and Engineering, as well as QBRI, QCRI, and QEERI. Those interested in investigating publishing opportunities may also meet representatives of QScience.com, the innovative and collaborative, peer-reviewed, online publishing platform of HBKU Press, at the booth.

Those interested in attending QF’s Annual Research Conference are asked to register online at http://www.qf-arc.org/.