Faiza Mohammed Al-Kharafi ( ar, فايزة الخرافي, translit=Fāyzah al-Kharāfī; born 1946) is a Kuwaiti chemist and academic. She was the president of

Kuwait University Kuwait University ( ar, جامعة الكويت, abbreviated as Kuniv) is a public university located in Kuwait City, Kuwait. History Kuwait University (KU), (in Arabic: جامعة الكويت), was established in October 1966 under Act N. 29 ...

from 1993 to 2002, and the first woman to head a major university in the Middle East. She is the vice president of

the World Academy of Sciences The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable devel ...

Early life and education

Faiza Al-Kharafi was born to a wealthy family in Kuwait in 1946 and developed an interest in science from a young age. She attended Al Merkab High School. She received her BSc from

Ain Shams University Ain Shams University ( ar, جامعة عين شمس) is a public university located in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 1950, the university provides education at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels. History Ain Shams University was fou ...

in Cairo in 1967. She then attended

where she founded the Corrosion and Electrochemistry Research Laboratory while in graduate school. She received her master's in 1972 and her PhD in 1975.

Career

Al-Kharafi worked in Kuwait University's Department of Chemistry from 1975 to 1981. In 1984 she became chair of the department and served as Dean of the Faculty of Science from 1986 to 1989. She became a professor of chemistry at Kuwait University in 1987. On 5 July 1993, Emir

Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (29 June 1926 – 15 January 2006) ( ar, الشيخ جابر الأحمد الجابر الصباح, translit=ash-Shaykh Jābir al-ʾAḥmad al-Jābir aṣ-Ṣabāḥ) was Emir of Kuwait and Commander of the Kuwait ...

issued a decree appointing Al-Kharafi as rector of the university, and she became the first woman to head a major university in the Middle East. Al-Kharafi helped reconstruct Kuwait University after the First Gulf War, which ended in 1991. She served as president from 1993 to 2002 where she oversaw 1,500 staff members, over 5,000 employees, and over 20,000 students. Al- Kharafi has demonstrated to be an advocate for research in Kuwait. In 1986 Al- Kharafi and her colleagues explored and compare the rich development of Kuwaiti scientific research in comparison to other nations in the third world. In her publication Al- Kharafi was able to demonstrate the ability of Kuwait higher education institutions to engage in relevant scientific research. Al-Kharafi has studied the impact of

corrosion Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engine ...

on engine cooling systems, distillation units for

crude oil Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude ...

, high temperature geothermal brines, and tap water. She has also studied corrosion in polluted water and metal corrosion caused by pollution. As an electrochemist, she has studied the electrochemical behavior of metals and metal alloys including aluminum, copper, platinum, niobium, vanadium, cadmium, brass, cobalt, and low carbon steel. She collaborated on the discovery of a class of

molybdenum Molybdenum is a chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42 which is located in period 5 and group 6. The name is from Neo-Latin ''molybdaenum'', which is based on Ancient Greek ', meaning lead, since its ores were confused with lea ...

-based catalysts that improve gasoline octane without benzene by-products. She joined the Board of the

United Nations University The (UNU) is the think tank and academic arm of the United Nations. Headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, with diplomatic status as a UN institution, its mission is to help resolve global issues related to human development and welfare thro ...

in 1998. Following the passage of

women's suffrage in Kuwait The first bill which would have given women the right to vote in Kuwait was put to the parliament in 1963. It was ultimately overturned due to pressure from conservatives. Bills continued to be denied through 1985 and 1986. Kuwait then became heavi ...

in 2005, she said " en we have political rights, we can express our opinion and vote for the correct person... This gives us the chance to express our ideas." In 2006, she helped to found the American Bilingual School in Kuwait. She is the vice president of

The World Academy of Sciences The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable devel ...

. She serves on many boards, including the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement Sciences,

Alqabas ''Al-Qabas'' ( ar, القبس) (English: ''the Firebrand'' or ''the Starbrand'') is an Arabic daily Kuwaiti newspaper and tabloid published by Dar Al Qabas Press Printing Publishing and Distribution Company in Kuwait City. History and profile ...

, the Kuwait-MIT Center for Natural Resources and the Environment.

Works

* * * *

Awards and honours

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' magazine named her as one of "The 100 Most Powerful Women – Women To Watch In The Middle East" in 2005. She received the Kuwait Prize in Applied Sciences in 2006. The Council for Gulf Relations named her Top Gulf Woman of the Year in 2008. In 2011 she was the recipient of the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science for her work on corrosion.

Personal life

Al-Kharafi is married to Ali Mohammed Thanian Al-Ghanim and has five sons and ten grandchildren. Of her sons,

Marzouq Al-Ghanim Marzouq Ali Mohammed Al-Ghanim ( ar, مرزوق علي محمد ثنيان الغانم, Marzūq ʿAlī Muḥammad Ṯunayān al-Ghānim, born 3 November 1968, Abdullah Al-Salem, Kuwait) is a former speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, re ...

is the current speaker of Kuwait National Assembly. She spends her Summers at

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

, Switzerland. Her brothers are

Jassem Al-Kharafi Jassem Al-Kharafi, ( ar, جاسم محمد عبدالمحسن الخرافي, 1940 – May 21, 2015) was a Kuwaiti oligarch who was the speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly from 1999 to 2011. In his capacity as Speaker in 2006, Al-Kharafi pl ...

, former speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, and the late Nasser Al-Kharafi. She shares in the family fortune from M. A. Kharafi & Sons.

References

External links

Video of Faiza al-Kharafiفيديو النقاش الذي دار بين د. فايزة الخرافي ود. رولا دشتي في مؤتمر البدون
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kharafi, Faiza Al- 1946 births Living people Ain Shams University alumni Electrochemists Kuwait University alumni Kuwait University faculty Kuwaiti scientists Kuwaiti Sunni Muslims Women chemists L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science laureates 21st-century women scientists