Faiza Al-Kharafi
Faiza Mohammed Al-Kharafi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 Kuwait |
| Occupation(s) | Chemist, academic leader |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Known for | First female president of Kuwait University; corrosion engineering research; vice president of the World Academy of Sciences |
Faiza Mohammed Al-Kharafi (; born 1946) is a distinguished Kuwaiti chemist and academic leader, recognized for her tenure as president of Kuwait University from 1993 until 2002. She made history as the first woman to head a major university in the Middle East. Additionally, she serves as vice president of the World Academy of Sciences.
Early life and education
Al-Kharafi was born in 1946 into an affluent Kuwaiti family and demonstrated an early passion for scientific studies. She completed her secondary education at Al Merkab High School before obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree from Ain Shams University in Cairo in 1967. During her postgraduate studies at Kuwait University, she established the Corrosion and Electrochemistry Research Laboratory, earning her master's degree in 1972 and subsequently her doctorate in 1975.
Career
Beginning her academic career at Kuwait University’s Department of Chemistry from 1975 to 1981, Al-Kharafi advanced to become department chair in 1984 and later Dean of the Faculty of Science between 1986 and 1989. She was promoted to full professor in 1987. On 5 July 1993, Emir Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah appointed her as rector, making her the first female to lead a prominent university in the Middle Eastern region. During her presidency, which lasted until 2002, she oversaw the university’s rebuilding after the First Gulf War and managed an academic community comprising more than 1,500 staff members and approximately 20,000 students.
A strong proponent of advancing scientific inquiry, Al-Kharafi evaluated Kuwait’s research progress in comparison with other developing countries, emphasizing its potential for producing significant higher education research outcomes. Her scientific investigations concentrate on corrosion engineering, exploring corrosion impacts on engine cooling systems, crude oil distillation processes, geothermal brines, contaminated water sources, and various metals such as aluminum and low carbon steel. Among her notable achievements is the identification of molybdenum-based catalysts that improve gasoline octane ratings without generating benzene by-products.
In 1998, she became a member of the Board of the United Nations University. Following the extension of voting rights to Kuwaiti women in 2005, she highlighted the critical role of political participation in voicing opinions and exercising effective electoral influence. In 2006, she co-established the American Bilingual School in Kuwait. Beyond her academic responsibilities, she holds influential positions on several boards including the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement Sciences, Alqabas, and the Kuwait-MIT Center for Natural Resources and the Environment.
Awards and honours
In 2005, Forbes recognized her among "The 100 Most Powerful Women – Women To Watch in the Middle East." She was awarded the Kuwait Prize in Applied Sciences in 2006 and was named Top Gulf Woman of the Year by the Council for Gulf Relations in 2008. Her contributions to corrosion science earned her the prestigious L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science in 2011.
Personal life
Al-Kharafi is married to Ali Mohammed Thanian Al-Ghanim and is a mother to five sons and grandmother to ten grandchildren. One of her sons, Marzouq Al-Ghanim, has served as speaker of the Kuwait National Assembly. She often spends summers at Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Her brothers include Jassem Al-Kharafi, former speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, and the late Nasser Al-Kharafi. She also holds ownership stakes in the family enterprise, M. A. Kharafi & Sons.
See also
Works
Further reading
- Bollag, Burton. "The Arab world's inaugural female president leads Kuwait University's revival." The Chronicle of Higher Education 40.24 (1994): A45.