Professor Rafid Alkhaddar, the former Director of Department of Civil Engineering & Built Environment at Liverpool John Moores University UK, will start 25th April 2021.
Oryx Universal College in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University is proud to announce the appointment of Professor Rafid Alkhaddar as the new Dean of Academic Affairs starting as of 25th April 2021. As the former Director of School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment at LJMU (UK), Prof. Alkhaddar joins the team with vast years of experience, expertise and extraordinary achievements, vital to his role as a successful leader of the academic team and as a senior management team member at OUC.
Prof. Alkhaddar has been actively involved in developing a number of collaborative programmes with international universities, including University of Babylon, International College for Business and Technology and most recently Oryx Universal College (Qatar) where he was “involved in the setting up of the college and the validation of its programmes while working with LJMU.”
Seeking further growth by contributing to the educational landscape of the region, Prof. Alkhaddar states that “it is an excellent pace of progress and we have the foundation as set by the President and Co-founder Mr. Azmy Ameer and the outgoing Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Anthony Charles Auchterlounie. My plans are to work on further developing OUC to achieve its vision in becoming one of the best university education providers in Qatar and the region.”
Joining the college with extensive experience in Water and Environmental Engineering, Prof. Rafid Alkhaddar graduated from the University of Basra, Iraq as a Civil Engineer and completed his MSc and PhD in Civil Engineering Hydraulics from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow (UK).
Since 2000, Prof. Alkhaddar has attracted over £1.5 Million in research and consultancy funding. He has also been appointed as a Visiting Professor at several international universities in Turkey, Egypt and Iraq and an Honorary Professor at Amity University in India.
As a highly skilled and acclaimed individual, Prof. Alkhaddar has been associated with professional bodies including CIWEM (the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) where he was the President of the Institution in 2015-16. He is also a Fellow of the Institution and an Honorary Vice President of the Institution. He is also a member of the Joint Board of Moderators, the professional body responsible for accrediting Civil Engineering Degrees in the UK and all around the world.
Moving forward, OUC aims to “thrive towards the next level of growth by expanding and enhancing its contribution to the community’s knowledge future” stated Mr. Azmy Ameer, when asked about the upcoming plans. He further added that “our priorities will include enhancing the portfolio, the learning experience of our students and catering to the ever-increasing demand for high quality university education in Qatar and the wider region with innovative strategies and proactive approach to delivery of our programmes. I am confident that Professor Rafid Alkhaddar will play a key role in this journey in the months and years to come.”
