Sponsored Research Office | Hamad Bin Khalifa University
Hamad Bin Khalifa University

Sponsored Research Office

The Sponsored Research Office (SRO) was launched in December 2016 under the Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Vice President for Research Office. The SRO contributes to HBKU’s academic and research mission through the provision of pre-award and post-award management for all sponsored research projects.

HBKU Earns 36 Prestigious QRDIC Grants

The Office of the Vice President for Research would like to announce that Hamad Bin Khalifa University has been awarded 36 new grants by the Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council (QRDIC).

These grants are a testament to our researchers' excellence across various programs, including the Academic Research Grant (ARG), Path towards Precision Medicine (PPM), Food Security Call (MME), and Cycle of Academia-Industry Cooperation on FinTech.

Join us in extending heartfelt congratulations to our dedicated researchers for their remarkable achievements!

HBKU Awards 2023

Program Proposal Title Lead Principal Investigator Entity
PPM Polygenic, metabolic, and clinical risk score utility for cardiometabolic traits in Middle Eastern populations Dr. Mohamad Saad,
Research Scientist
QCRI
MME Salt-Based Cooling and Wastewater/Brine Reuse by Photo-Electrodialysis for Hydroponic Greenhouses Dr. Yusuf Bicer,
Associate Professor
CSE
AICC Solar Trade (ST): An Equitable and Efficient Blockchain-Enabled Renewable Energy Ecosystem – “Opportunities for Fintech to Scale up Green Finance for Clean Energy” Dr. Ameni Boumaiza,
Scientist
QEERI
ARG Next-generation Electric Vehicle Charging Station: A Sustainable Solution with Grid Support Functionalities Using Solar PV and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Dr. Sertac Bayhan,
Senior Scientist
QEERI
ARG Building the Foundation for a Scalable and Secure Quantum Internet Dr. Aiman Erbad,
Associate Professor
CSE
ARG QASR-H2: Accelerating the Energy Transition for a Sustainable Energy Future in Qatar Dr. Ahmad Sami Abushaikha,
Associate Professor
CSE
ARG Improving solar radiation forecasting by explicit inclusion of atmospheric aerosol microphysics and chemistry: Application to Education City, Doha, a 100% solar-powered community Dr. Christos Fountoukis QEERI
ARG Attention-AI: AI-Enabled Sensing for Joint Attention Detection in Children with Autism Dr. Marwa Qaraqe,
Associate Professor
CSE
ARG Functional characterization and pharmacological targeting of calcium signaling pathways for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders Dr. Yongsoo Park,
Scientist
QBRI
ARG Novel Diagnostic Applications for Disease-Associated Aggregates of Parkinson’s disease and Related Disorders Dr. Omar El Agnaf,
Principal Investigator
QBRI
ARG Towards better cancer care in pediatric oncology: exploring the biomarker and therapeutic potential of cancer testis antigens Dr. Julie Decock,
Senior Scientist
QBRI
ARG Investigating the role of DUSP22 in metabolic disease Dr. Johan Ericsson,
Associate Professor
CHLS
ARG Characterization of all SARS-CoV-2 Mpro & PLpro protease cleavage sites and variants for identifying lead dual protease inhibitor compounds using novel dual color, BRET-based biosensors Dr. Kabir H Biswas,
Assistant Professor
CHLS
ARG Investigation of the mechanisms underlying the protective effect of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor agonists on Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in mice Dr. Abdelilah Arredouani,
Senior Scientist
QBRI
ARG Light and Sound for Improved Artificial Vision Dr. Amine Bermak,
Professor and Associate Dean
CSE
ARG Dynamic solar cadaster in support of high PV penetration in urban areas in Qatar Dr. Dunia Bachour,
Senior Scientist
QEERI
ARG Factors affecting the supply of, and demand for, mental health care in Qatar Dr. Mustafa Disli,
Associate Professor of Economics and Finance
CIS
ARG Development of a state-of-the-art smart biorefinery for sustainable aviation fuel production using local waste and energy crops in Qatar Dr. Tareq Al-Ansari,
Associate Professor
CSE
ARG Industrial Policy for Digital Development (IPDD) Project: Digitalization, Sustainability and National Security in the New Geoeconomic Order Dr. Georgios Dimitropoulos,
Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
CL
ARG Physical chemistry and interfacial properties of corrosion inhibitors: Understanding fundamental processes to support inhibitor selection and successful field deployment Dr. Hanan Farhat,
Senior Research Director
QEERI
ARG Transforming Islamic Studies in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): Developing AI-Empowered “IslamGPT 1.0” for Arabic Sources Dr. Mohammed Ghaly,
Professor of Islam and Biomedical Ethics
CIS
ARG Combating Financial Fraud Dr. Mashael Al-Sabah,
Senior Scientist
QCRI
ARG Unveiling the Ethical and Safety Dimensions of AI Foundation Models: A Sandbox Approach Dr. Ala Al-Fuqaha,
Professor
CSE
ARG Elucidating the critical role of metabolic stress in central and peripheral mechanisms of adaptation to endurance exercise training in the elderly Dr. Juan Murias,
Associate Professor
CHLS
ARG ProFL: Private and Robust Federated Learning given Non-iid Data Dr. Issa Khalil,
Principal Scientist
QCRI
ARG Quantum Sensing for Highly Precise Gravity Measurement Dr. Saif Al‑Kuwari,
Assistant Professor
CSE
ARG RATIONAL - Robust And daTa-drIven Optimization for iNstAnt Logistics Dr. Roberto Baldacci,
Associate Professor
CSE

Collaborative Project Sub-Awards 2023

Program Proposal Title Lead Principal Investigator Entity
PPM Integrating metabolomics, microbiomics, and pharmacogenomics for personalized metformin treatment in Qatari type 2 diabetes patients
Led by Qatar University
Dr. Omar Albagha,
Acting Executive Director
QBRI
PPM Multi-Omics Profiling of moderate-to-severe Atopic Dermatitis and its response to systemic therapy: ‘Phenomics’ approach towards Precision medicine-based Treatment
Led by HMC

Dr. Georges Nemer,
Associate Dean Research

Dr. Houari Abdesselem,
Proteomics Core Manager

CHLS

Core Labs

PPM Exploring the Interplay of Pharmaco-genomics, Metabolomics, and Microbiomics: As a novel Precision Medicine Approach for SSRIs in Qatari with Depression
Led by Qatar University

Dr. Puthen Veettil Jithesh,
Associate Professor

Dr. Khalid Ouararhni,
Genomics Core Manager

CHLS

Core Labs

ARG The Maritime Sector and Resilience-building in a Small State: The Qatar Case Study
Led by Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar
Dr. Steven Wright,
Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
CHSS
ARG Bi-level Uncertainty-aware DER Aggregation Planning including Multi-period Load Forecasting with Electrical Transportation, Renewable Resources, and Community Batteries
Led by Qatar University
Dr. Mohd Zamri Che Wanik,
Scientist
QEERI
ARG Quantum Materials for a Sustainable Energy Future solution in Qatar
Led by University of Doha for Science and Technology
Dr. Abdelmajid Salhi,
Senior Scientist
Dr. Anas Abutaha,
Scientist
Core Labs
ARG Revolutionizing Qatar's Value-Based Surgical Care with Q-VISION: A Novel Real-Time AI Approach for Predicting and Mitigating Postoperative Complications in Robot-Assisted Nephrectomy for Kidney Cancer
Led by HMC
Dr. Zubair Shah,
Assistant Professor
CSE
ARG Synthesis And Evaluation of a Novel 2D Diphosphate Nanocrystalline Hydrogel with Antimicrobial and Biocompatible Properties for Skin Infections and Other Biomedical Applications
Led by Qatar University
Dr. Khaled Mahmoud,
Senior Scientist
QEERI
ARG Plasticizers-Containing Water: Between Toxicity Assessment and Development of Efficient Membranes for their Removal
Led by Qatar University
Dr. Viktor Kochkodan,
Senior Scientist
QEERI