List of modern Arab scientists and engineers explained

The following is a non-conclusive list of some notable modern Arab scientists and engineers. For medieval Arab scientists and scholars, see List of pre-modern Arab scientists and scholars

A

• Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian-American chemist, 1999 Nobel Prize laureate.^[1]
• Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, Saudi pediatric surgeon specializing in the separation of conjoined twins.^[2]
• Ali Moustafa Mosharafa, Egyptian theoretical physicist.^[3]
• Ahmad Zaki Pasha, leading Egyptian philologist.^[4]
• Amin J. Barakat, Lebanese-American physician, known for the diagnosis Barakat syndrome.^[5]
• Abbas El Gamal, Egyptian electrical engineer, information theorist and the 2012 recipient of Claude E. Shannon Award^[6]
• M. Amin Arnaout, Lebanese physician-scientist and nephrologist, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.^[7]
• Ali Al-Wardi, Iraqi Social Scientist specialized in the field of Social history.
• Adah Almutairi, Saudi chemist and inventor, Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at University of California.^[8]
• Ali H. Nayfeh, Palestinian-Jordanian-American mechanical engineer and the inaugural winner of the Thomas K. Caughey Dynamics Award.^[9]
• Abdul Jerri, Iraqi American mathematician.^[10]
• Ali Chamseddine, Lebanese physicist known for his contributions to particle physics, general relativity and mathematical physics.^[11]

B

• Kamal Benslama, Moroccan-Swiss Experimental Particle Physicist. He is known for his contributions to the ATLAS Experiment at CERN. In 2020, he received the award "Person of Extra-Ordinary Ability in Science" from the US Government.

C

• Charles Elachi, Lebanese-American professor of electrical engineering and planetary science at the California Institute of Technology. Former Center Director of NASA.^[12]

D

• Dennis W. Sciama, British physicist of Syrian descent. One of the fathers of modern cosmology. He was the PhD supervisor of over 70 students, of whom were Stephen Hawking.
• Dina Katabi, Syrian-American Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT.^[13]

E

• Essam E. Khalil, Egyptian engineer and professor at Cairo University.
• Essam Heggy, Egyptian NASA scientist.^[14]
• Edward Said, Palestinian-Lebanese-American, a former professor of literature at Columbia University, a literary critic, and a founder of the academic field of postcolonial studies.^[15]
• Elias James Corey, Lebanese-American organic chemist. The recipient of 1990 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.^[16]

F

• Frank Harary, American mathematician of Syrian descent; known as the father of the Modern Graph Theory. He invented the Signed graph.
• Farouk El-Baz, Egyptian American space scientist and geologist who worked with NASA.^[17]
• Fawwaz T. Ulaby, Syrian-American Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan, 2006 recipient of IEEE Edison Medal.^[18]

H

• Hassan Aref, Egyptian physicist and former professor at Virginia Tech.^[19]
• Hunein Maassab, Syrian-American professor of Epidemiology, inventor of Live attenuated influenza vaccine^[20]
• Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah, Lebanese electrical and electronics research engineer, mathematician and inventor^[21]
• Huda Zoghbi, Lebanese geneticist and medical researcher, the recipient of 2016 Shaw Prize in medicine.^[22]
• Huda Akil, Syrian neuroscientist and a professor at the University of Michigan Medical School.^[23]
• Hassan K. Khalil, Egyptian-American scientist and a University Distinguished Professor at the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) of Michigan State University.

I

• Ibrahim Abouleish, Egyptian professor and the L. Lau Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto^[24]

J

• Jerrier A. Haddad, American computer engineer of Syrian descent. The co-developer and designer of the IBM 701 series which was IBM’s first commercial scientific computer and its first mass-produced mainframe computer.
• Joanne Chory, Lebanese-American plant biologist and geneticist. 2018 Breakthrough Prize laureate and winner of the 2019 Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research.^[25]
  • • Jorge Sahade, Argentine astronomer of Syrian descent. The first Latin American to become the president of the International Astronomical Union.

L

• Lina J. Karam, Lebanese-American engineer and IEEE Fellow known for her contributions to signal processing, image/video processing and compression, computer vision and perceptual-based processing. She is the first woman to be appointed as Dean of Engineering in the Middle East region.^[26]

M

• Mostafa El-Sayed, Egyptian chemical physicist, a nanoscience researcher, and a US National Medal of Science laureate.^[27]
• Michel Aflaq, Syrian philosopher, sociologist and Arab nationalist.^[28]
• Munir Nayfeh, Palestinian-American particle physicist, working in nanotechnology.^[29]
• Mario Hamuy – Chilian professor of astronomy of Syrian descent. He teaches at University of Chile.
• Mona Nemer, Lebanese Canadian scientist specializing in molecular genetics and cardiac regeneration who is Canada's Chief Science Advisor and a former Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Montreal.^[30]
• Mohamed Atalla, Egyptian engineer and physical chemist, inventor of the MOSFET (MOS transistor), and National Inventors Hall of Fame laureate.^[31]
• Mohamed Sanad, Egyptian antenna scientist and professor in the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University.^[32]
• Ma Haide, Lebanese-American doctor who practiced medicine in China.^[33]
• Mourad Ismail, Egyptian mathematician, known for Rogers–Askey–Ismail polynomials, Al-Salam–Ismail polynomials and Chihara–Ismail polynomials^[34]
• Peter Medawar, Lebanese-British biologist, recipient of 1960 Nobel Prize in Medicine.^[35]
• Michael Atiyah, Lebanese-British leading mathematician of the 20 century. Recipient of both Fields Medal and Abel Prize.^[36]
• Magdi Yacoub, Egyptian-British cardiothoracic surgeon.^[37]

N

• Nadia Awni Sakati, Syrian pediatrician known for Sakati–Nyhan–Tisdale syndrome, Sanjad-Sakati syndrome and Woodhouse-Sakati syndrome.^[38]
• Nayef Al-Rodhan, Saudi philosopher, neuroscientist, geostrategist, an Honorary Fellow of St. Antony's College at Oxford University.^[39]

O

• Omar M. Yaghi, Palestinian-American chemist, the recipient of the 2018 Wolf Prize in Chemistry.^[40]
• Omar Fakhri, Iraqi medical scientist.
• Oussama Khatib, Syrian roboticist and a professor of computer science at Stanford University.^[41]

R

• Rachid Yazami, Moroccan engineer and scientist, and co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery.^[42]
• Rolando Chuaqui – Chilian mathematician of Syrian descent, spearheaded the creation and expansion of mathematics departments across multiple Chilean universities.
• Rachid Guerraoui, Moroccan computer scientist and a professor at the School of Computer and Communication Sciences at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), known for his contributions in the fields of concurrent and distributed computing. He is an ACM Fellow.^[43]

S

• Salem Hanna Khamis, Palestinian economist and statistician known for the Geary-Khamis method of computing purchasing power parity of currencies.^[44]
• Shadia Habbal, Syrian-American astronomer and physicist who worked with NASA.^[45]
• Samir Amin, Egyptian-French Marxian economist.^[46]
• Steve Jobs, Syrian-American inventor, and industrial designer. He was the chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), and a co-founder of Apple Inc.^[47]

T

• Taha Baqir, Iraqi archaeologist, linguist, historian, and former curator of the National Museum of Iraq.^[48]
• Taher Elgamal, Egyptian cryptographer known for his ElGamal discrete log cryptosystem and ElGamal signature scheme.^[49]
• Tony Fadell, Lebanese-American inventor, designer, and Computer Engineer. One of the co-inventors of the iPod and the iPhone.^[50]

V

• Victor Assad Najjar, Lebanese pediatrician and microbiologist known for Crigler–Najjar syndrome

w

• Waleed Al-Salam, Iraqi mathematician who introduced Al-Salam–Chihara polynomials, Al-Salam–Carlitz polynomials, q-Konhauser polynomials, and Al-Salam–Ismail polynomials.^[51]
• Wafaa El-Sadr, Egyptian physician, Professor at Columbia University.^[52]

Y

• Yusuf Ibrahim (doctor), Egyptian physician known for Congenital cutaneous candidiasis.^[53]

Z

• Zaha Hadid, Iraqi-British architect. The first woman to receive Pritzker Architecture Prize.^[54]
• Zoghman Mebkhout, French-Algerian mathematician known for his work in algebraic analysis, geometry, and representation theory.^[55]
• Zaki al-Arsuzi, Syrian philosopher, philologist, sociologist, historian, and Arab nationalist.^[56]

See also

• List of Arab scientists and scholars

Notes and References

1. Web site: Ahmed Zewail: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1999. NobelPrize.org. en-US. 2019-01-18.
2. Web site: Biography and Synopsis: HE Abdullah-Abdulaziz M. Al Rabeeah. Ministry of Health & HIMSS Middle East Conference and Exhibition 2013. 2019-01-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20180901005919/http://www.himssme.org/13/programme/topics/PL1.aspx. 2018-09-01. dead.
3. Web site: Dr. Ali Moustafa Mosharafa. 1 August 2016. www.us.sis.gov.eg. en. 2019-01-18.
4. Book: Goldschmidt, Arthur. Biographical Dictionary of Modern Egypt. Lynne Rienner Publishers. 2000. 9781555872298. Boulder, CO. 236–237. en.
5. 2004-03-13. Amin J Barakat. The Lancet. en. 363. 9412. 908. 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)15766-8. 0140-6736. 15031057. Barakat. A. J.. 54234866.
6. Web site: LIDS Welcomes Visiting Scholar Abbas El Gamal Fall 2018 MIT LIDS. lids.mit.edu. 6 September 2018 . 2019-01-18.
7. Web site: M. Amin Arnaout, MD, bestowed Homer W. Smith Award. October 26, 2018. www.healio.com. en. 2019-01-18.
8. News: FaceOf: Adah Almutairi, scientist and entrepreneur. 1 July 2018. Arab News. 18 January 2019.
9. Web site: Prof. Ali H. Nayfeh - The University of Jordan - InTheSpotLight. www.ju.edu.jo. 2019-01-18.
10. Web site: Clarkson University Prof. Emeritus Abdul Jerri to Deliver Lecture to Honor Father of Information Theory Clarkson University. www.clarkson.edu. 2019-01-18.
11. Web site: Ali H. Chamseddine. IHES. en-US. 2019-01-18. 2019-04-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20190417212640/https://www.ihes.fr/en/professeur/ali-h-chamseddine-2/. dead.
12. Web site: Charles Elachi. ArabianBusiness.com. en. 2019-01-18.
13. News: Soon your doctor will be able to wirelessly track your health—even through walls. Metz. Rachel. 12 September 2018. MIT Technology Review. 18 January 2019.
14. Web site: NASA - Essam Heggy Science team member. www.nasa.gov. en. 2019-01-18.
15. Burney. Shehla. 2012. CHAPTER TWO: Edward Said and Postcolonial Theory: Disjunctured Identities and the Subaltern Voice. Counterpoints. 417 PEDAGOGY of the Other: Edward Said, Postcolonial Theory, and Strategies for Critique. 41–60. 42981699.
16. Web site: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1990. NobelPrize.org. en-US. 2019-01-18.
17. Web site: Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Director » Center for Remote Sensing » Boston University. www.bu.edu. 2019-01-18. 2019-08-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20190824211045/http://www.bu.edu/remotesensing/faculty/el-baz/. dead.
18. Web site: Prof. Fawwaz T. Ulaby. GRSS IEEE Geoscience & Remote Sensing Society. en-US. 2019-01-18. 2019-04-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20190417212640/http://www.grss-ieee.org/editors/prof-fawwaz-t-ulaby/. dead.
19. Nystrom. Lynn A.. 2003-01-17. Hassan Aref Named Dean Of Engineering At Virginia Tech. 10919/20751. en.
20. News: Hunein Maassab, Who Developed FluMist Vaccine, Dies at 87. Yardley. William. 2014-03-11. The New York Times. 2019-01-18. en-US. 0362-4331.
21. Web site: Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah,a genius mind,from Lebanon.His early death was a great loss for the world of invention. www.ulcm.org. 2019-01-18. 2019-01-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121415/http://www.ulcm.org/archives/news/by-category/2014/02/01/hassan-kamel-al-sabbah-a-genius-mind-from-lebanon.his-early-death-was-a-great-loss-for-the-world-of-invention. dead.
22. News: Genetic Neurologist: A Profile of Huda Zoghbi. Anna. Azvolinsky. 1 November 2018. The Scientist. 18 January 2019.
23. Web site: Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute Faculty: Huda Akil. www.mbni.med.umich.edu. 13 February 2018. 2019-01-18. 2015-11-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20151119224918/http://www.mbni.med.umich.edu/mbni/faculty/akil/akil.html. dead.
24. Web site: Ibrahim Abouleish / SEKEM. The Right Livelihood Award. en-US. 2019-01-18.
25. Web site: Plant genetics pioneer Joanne Chory wins $3 million Breakthrough Prize. 2017-12-05. Genetic Literacy Project. en-US. 2019-01-18.
26. Web site: Dr. Lina Karam, Dean, School of Engineering . LAU . 27 February 2020.
27. Web site: El-Sayed, Mostafa A. UCLA Chemistry and Biochemistry. www.chemistry.ucla.edu. 2019-01-18.
28. Web site: A brief history of the Ba'th Party. Introduction to Michel Aflaq's ideology.. Stegagno. Carlotta. 11 April 2015. Asfar. en-GB. 2019-01-18.
29. Web site: Munir H Nayfeh — University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. experts.illinois.edu. en. 2019-01-18.
30. Web site: Biography of Dr. Mona Nemer. www.ic.gc.ca. 2019-01-18. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20190628233141/https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/052.nsf/eng/00003.html. dead.
31. Web site: Martin (John) M. Atalla . . 2009 . 21 June 2013.
32. Web site: Mohamed Sanad, Amant-Antennas, Giza, Egypt; Noha Hassan, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. www.microwavejournal.com. 2019-01-18.
33. Ryan. T.J.. 1989. Ma Haide (1910-1988). A dermatologist to emulate.. International Journal of Dermatology. 28. 6. 413–414. 10.1111/j.1365-4362.1989.tb02492.x. 2670787. 44613218.
34. Web site: Mourad Ismail's home page. www-liphy.ujf-grenoble.fr. 2019-01-18.
35. Web site: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1960. NobelPrize.org. en-US. 2019-01-18.
36. News: Sir Michael Atiyah obituary. Stewart. Ian. 2019-01-15. The Guardian. 2019-01-18. en-GB. 0261-3077.
37. Web site: Andrew Fisher on Magdi Yacoub: The icon at the heart of UK organ transplantation. 2018-06-06. The BMJ. en-US. 2019-01-18.
38. News: Faisal Prize laureates to address two-day conference at Alfaisal University. 28 November 2018. Saudi Gazette. 18 January 2019.
39. Web site: Professor Nayef Al-Rodhan is a Philosopher, Neuroscientist and Geostrategist: Biography. SH. en-US. 2019-01-18.
40. Web site: Omar M. Yaghi - James and Neeltje Tretter Chair Professor of Chemistry, UC Berkeley. yaghi.berkeley.edu. en. 2019-01-18.
41. Web site: Prof. Oussama Khatib. springer.com. en. 2019-01-18.
42. Web site: IEEE Medal for Environmental and Safety Technologies Recipients . . . 29 July 2019.
43. Walther. Alexandra. 2012-12-14. Prof. Guerraoui and Prof. Sifakis elected as ACM Fellows.
44. Web site: Dr Salem Hanna Khamis Educational Fund. 2014-04-11. CSK Strategies. en-GB. 2019-01-18.
45. Web site: No. 18 - 2006: Faculty Profile: Shadia Rifai Habbal. www2.ifa.hawaii.edu. 2019-01-18.
46. News: Theoretical contributions of Samir Amin (1931-2018). Azikiwe. Abayomi. 24 September 2018. Pambazuka News. 18 January 2019.
47. News: Steve Jobs of Apple Dies at 56. Markoff. John. 2011-10-05. The New York Times. 2019-01-18. en-US. 0362-4331.
48. D.J.W.. 1984. Taha Baqir. Iraq. en. 46. 1. i. 10.1017/S0021088900006963. 0021-0889. free.
49. Web site: Taher A. Elgamal. www.bloomberg.com. 2019-01-18.
50. Web site: Inventor Tony Fadell praises 'the Lebanese spirit' - TK Maloy-. 2016-11-07. An-Nahar. 2019-01-18.
51. Book: Classical and Quantum Orthogonal Polynomials in One Variable. Ismail. Mourad. Ismail. Mourad E. H.. van Assche. Walter. 2005-11-21. Cambridge University Press. 9780521782012. 375. en.
52. Web site: Wafaa El-Sadr Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. www.mailman.columbia.edu. 2019-01-18.
53. Strous. Rael D.. Edelman. Morris C.. March 2007. Eponyms and the Nazi era: time to remember and time for change. The Israel Medical Association Journal. 9. 3. 207–214. 1565-1088. 17402342.
54. News: Dame Zaha Hadid obituary. Sudjic. Deyan. 2016-04-01. The Guardian. 2019-01-18. en-GB. 0261-3077.
55. Mebkhout. Zoghman. September 2003. La théorie des équations différentielles p-adiques et le Théorème de la monodromie p-adique. Revista Matemática Iberoamericana. en. 19. 2. 623–665. 10.4171/RMI/363. 0213-2230. free.
56. Watenpaugh. Keith D.. August 1996. "Creating Phantoms": Zaki al-Arsuzi, the Alexandretta Crisis, and the Formation of Modern Arab Nationalism in Syria. International Journal of Middle East Studies. en. 28. 3. 363–389. 10.1017/S0020743800063509. 162435380 . 1471-6380.