Basma Khallaf A method of recovering Ascaris eggs from sludge samples
PhD student, RMIT Basma has developed a method of recovering Ascaris eggs from sludge samples. Basma’s project was funded by the Australian government and published on IWA’s magazine. A number of Saudi universities and Australian corporations have shown great interest in the project and recognized the discovery, expressing as well their willingness to co-operate with Basma in future and share her expertise and knowledge in this area.
Wesam Alsabban Solar data collecting drone and a scientific experiment on a smart self-controlled submarine
PhD graduate, Queensland University of Technology Wesam invented a solar data collecting drone which helps in collecting information about bush fires, air analysis, transmitting information about environmental pollution and other civil purposes. The drone attracted many local and international awards and prizes. Wesam also managed to conduct a scientific experiment on a smart self-controlled submarine for scientific research purposes. The experiment was conducted in collaboration with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Fawzi Bokhari New genetic treatment for cervical cancer
PhD graduate, Queensland University of Technology Fawzi won a golden medal (Medicine) at the International Exhibition of Inventions, Geneva, Netherlands held in April 2013, for his discovery of a new genetic treatment for cervical cancer.
Hajar Aloqaili Portable interpreting device for blind people that can transform texts into “Braille” language
PhD graduate, University of Adelaide Hajar won Queensland University of Technology’s award for inventing a portable interpreting device for blind people, which can transform texts into “Braille” language. The device, which carried the name “TAP CONNECT”, can be used any time and everywhere, whether for academic purposes or in everyday life.
Mamdooh Alqathami New method to increase the power of radiation used in the treatment of cancer using gold Nanoparticles
PhD graduate, RMIT Mamdooh has discovered a new method to increase the power of radiation used in the treatment of cancer using gold Nanoparticles. He used a specially invented device named (dosimeter SMART) for his new discovery. The device shows to what extent the patient’s body can absorb the radiations and distribute them in a three-dimensional manner. The project was conducted in collaboration with the British Institute for Cancer Research, Department of Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering at the University of Melbourne, and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).
Tariq Al-talhi A method for safe recycling of plastic wastes using nanotechnology
PhD graduate, University of Adelaide Tariq has discovered a method for safe recycling of plastic wastes using nanotechnology. The method recycles non-biodegradable plastic bags into blocks of membranes of carbon nanotubes which help in molecular transport. Plastic bags are used as a source of carbon atoms during the recycling process.
Ebrahim Khalil A method for safe recycling of plastic wastes using nanotechnology
Masters student, University of Queensland Ebrahim was nominated by the University of Queensland ambassador for Saudi and international students in Brisbane for 2013. The nomination took place at an event held by the university in collaboration with the City Council. The nomination is a voluntary honorary post granted by the City Council for one year to university nominees of distinct students who actively contribute to the society.
Talal Qadah Discovered genetic mutation causes the Thalassemia
PhD graduate, University of Western Australian Talal has discovered a genetic mutation that causes the thalassemia which is common in the Arabic Gulf, Mediterranean basin and other countries. The research was published as a reference research on the “Hemoglobin” scientific journal. The research will also be registered in the medical database of the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). The discovery will pave the way toward more knowledge about causes of the disease, and will increase the possibility of bringing about an effective cure for it. Tala Qadah also discovered and described a number of genetic mutations that are now registered in the medical database of the American National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
Muath Alduhishy Published Scientific article in “Nature” journal, and established scientific website
Bachelor student, University of Queensland Muath has co-published a scientific article entitled: “Middle East: Popular uprising spreads science” on the international scientific journal “Nature”. The article was published online on 23 September 2015. Nature is one of the world’s most highly cited interdisciplinary science journal, publishing the finest peer-reviewed research and significant advances in all fields of science and technology. Muath also manages scientific website “Scientific Saudi”, which can be viewed on http://www.scientificsaudi.com/main.
Hosam Zowawi ROLEX Awards for Enterprise, 2014 Young Laureate, Science & Health
PhD student, University of Queensland Hosam Zowawi is a clinical microbiologist with an interest in antibiotic resistant bacterial diseases, the so-called “superbugs”. He has developed a fast diagnostic tool called “Rapid Superbug” that identifies the type of infection more quickly, facilitating appropriate treatment in the early stages of the infection. The rapid diagnostic test is a quick tool to identify bacterial infections, which takes only three or four hours to detect superbugs rather than the current average of three days.
Talal bin Hussein Qadah Discovered genetic mutation causes the Thalassemia
PhD student, University of Western Australian Talal has discovered a genetic mutation that causes the Thalassemia which is common in the Arabic Gulf, Mediterranean basin and other countries. His research was published as a reference research on the “Hemoglobin” scientific journal. The research will also be registered in the medical database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
Tala Qadah also discovered and described a number of genetic mutations that are now registered in the medical database of the American National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
Nada Abdullah Altheyab Won a medical innovative award
PhD student, University of Queensland Nada won RBWH Innovative Award for her project “Anthropometric Measurements Predicting Adiposity in Pre-term and Full-term Infants” presented at the 24th annual RBWH Healthcare Symposium in 2015 in Brisbane, Queensland. The symposium was organized by RBWH Education Centre Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, under the title: “Integrity and Integration in Healthcare Delivery”. The Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital hosts this annual symposium to showcases the hospitals strengths in research and education, attract world renowned presenters, foster partnerships and reinforce the hospital’s commitment to providing development opportunities for physicians, nurses and allied health professionals.
Khalid Aboalshamat Invented a new dental hand instrument for dental clinics
PhD student, Queensland University of Technology Khalid Aboalshamat and engineer Atif Khojah have invented a new dental hand instrument for dental clinics. This design is presented as a kit, which allows the dentist to use the instrument in a unique venue by combining multiple parts to be able to use different angulations the three dimension space. The pieces are designed to fit using the hexagonal geometrical design and the magnetic forces for retention.
The invention received the filing number 502994360 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Nada Ibrahim Townsi Research to identify role of respiratory viruses in the development and progression of chronic lung disease
PhD student, University of Western Australia Nada’s research is about the disease burden of respiratory viruses during the first year of life in a high risk population of very preterm infants. The main focus of her PhD is to identify the role that respiratory viruses may play in the development and progression of chronic lung disease and how early life infections may relate to the development of lifelong respiratory morbidity. Nada was awarded $15,000 seed funding from the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccine and Infectious Diseases. This award recognizes and funds outstanding research projects undertaken by selected PhD students and early career researchers.
Badr Ali Alzahrani Discovered that the level of a receptor is significantly elevated during liver fibrosis development
PhD student, The University of Sydney Badr is a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Lionel Hebbard and Prof. Jacob George. In his PhD studies, Alzahrani has discovered that the level of a receptor was significantly elevated during liver fibrosis development. And after using transgenic mice, it was found that the liver fibrosis level was significantly supressed after silencing the gene that responsible for the expression of that receptor compared to wild-type mice. Stopping the actions of this receptor can be used as a therapeutic strategy to treat liver fibrosis. Liver fibrosis is responsible for over 1.5 million deaths each year world-wide. Over time liver fibrosis can cause liver cirrhosis and cancer. Liver transplantation is the golden therapy for liver fibrosis, and finding a drug that can be used to treat liver fibrosis is required. Therefore, what was found in this project can be applied as a therapeutic agent to treat liver fibrosis.

Badr and his supervisors applied to obtain a patent. Also, the student was one of Young Investigator Award Finalist at Australian Gastroenterology Week 2014, Gold Coast, QLD.
Othman Al Ghamdi Prize winning study research about new use of the biosensor DiS-C3-(3) to measure dipeptide transport across the apical membrane of the renal proximal tubule
PhD student, University of New England The aim of this study was to develop a novel use for the potential sensitive fluorescent dye [DiS-C3-(3)] as a biosensor for dipeptide transport across the renal proximal tubule. The potential use of this method is to measure changes in the membrane potential difference with scope for broad range of applications (e.g. nutrients, ions, and peptide mimetic drug transports). This study was awarded a prize by the prestigious Springer, as one of the best promising research in USA, ICAPP.
Betoul Baz Award winning research to identify the genetic factors that influence the speed and outcome of skin wound healing.
PhD student, The University of Queensland Betoul’s PhD project aims to identify the genetic factors that influence the speed and outcome of skin wound healing. Betoul is performing a genome-wide scan to look for genetic variations between individuals and the interactions underlying the different responses to injury. Betoul’s work has been orally presented locally and internationally, and has won several prizes in recognition of its novelty and significance. In 2014, Betoul won the 3 minute thesis competition in UQCCR and School of Medicine as well as People’s choice in the Faculty of Health and Biomedical Sciences final competition. Betoul was also awarded “Best Student Poster” in The Australasian Society for Dermatology Research, Cutaneous Biology Meeting.
Faisal Alshammari Research about building an effective e-learning education
PhD student, University of Queensland Faisal’s project describes an experiment to build an effective e-learning education. The project was implemented on Faculty of Education students of Almajmaah University, Saudi Arabia, as part of “Producing e-Learning Sources” subject. The project consists of five phases: 1) Analysis 2) Continued Encouragement 3) Tools of Technology (Nearpod, Teacher-Kit, Anatomy 4D – cloud computing) 4) Teacher-student Co-operation 5) Electronic Evaluation.