Dlawer Ala'Aldeen (; born 1960), is the Founding President of the Middle East Research Institute, a policy-research institute, based in Arbil,

Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous Federal regions of Iraq, federal region of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurds, Kurdish-majority governorates of Arabs, Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. He is a former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the

Kurdistan Regional Government The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is the official executive body of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. The cabinet is selected by the majority party or list who also select the prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdish poli ...

Home , Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
/ref> (2009–2012) and former professor of Medicine (Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Disease) at the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

in the UK.Molecular Bacteriology and Immunology Group
/ref> His current focus is on policy research in the fields of good governance, rule of law, national security, governance reform and promotion of human rights.

Background and career

Dlawer Ala'Aldeen was born in the town of Koya (

Koy Sanjaq Koy Sanjaq is a town and district in Erbil Governorate in Kurdistan Region, northern Iraq. Etymology The name of the town is derived from "köy" ("village" in Turkish) and " sanjaq" ("flag" in Turkish), and thus Koy Sanjaq translates to "village o ...

), near Arbil (

Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...

), in

Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...

. His father (Abdul-Aziz) was a primary school teacher and author of several books published in

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

, including "The Life of

Mohammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Mose ...

" and "

Exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (philosophy), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern us ...

(

Tafsir Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...

) of

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

". Ala'Aldeen grew up in and around the city of Arbil, and studied medicine in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. He immigrated to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 1984 where he furthered his education and specialised in

infectious diseases infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

and clinical

microbiology Microbiology () is the branches of science, scientific study of microorganisms, those being of unicellular organism, unicellular (single-celled), multicellular organism, multicellular (consisting of complex cells), or non-cellular life, acellula ...

. He studied

tropical medicine Tropical medicine is an interdisciplinary branch of medicine that deals with health issues that occur uniquely, are more widespread, or are more difficult to control in tropical and subtropical regions. Physicians in this field diagnose and tr ...

at the

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The institu ...

and trained for PhD in

molecular microbiology Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. Though cells and other microsco ...

at the MRC Clinical Research Centre, Harrow-London, UK. He was awarded MRC Research Fellowship before being appointed as a clinical academic in the

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) is one of England's largest acute teaching trusts. It was established on 1 April 2006 following the merger of Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen's Medical Centre NHS Trusts. They provide acut ...

in 1992 and Professor of clinical microbiology in 2002. He founded the Meningococcal Research Group in 1995, which then expanded into the Molecular Bacteriology and Immunology Group at the

in 1999. He was also the Founding Director of the MSc course in Clinical Microbiology in Nottingham University He was seconded to the

Health Protection Agency The Health Protection Agency (HPA) was a non-departmental public body in England. It was set up by the UK government in 2003 to protect the public from threats to their health from infectious diseases and environmental hazards. The HPA's role w ...

(later renamed

Public Health England Public Health England (PHE) was an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in England which began operating on 1 April 2013 to protect and improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. Its formation came as a ...

and now

UK Health Security Agency The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a government agency responsible for all health security in England, and some reserved public health protection matters across the whole of the United Kingdom. It is an executive agency of the Department ...

) as Deputy Director of the Centre for Infection in

Colindale Colindale is a district in the London Borough of Barnet; its main shopping street on the A5 forming the borough boundary with neighbouring Brent. Colindale is a suburban area, and in recent years has had many new apartments built. It is also ...

, London. Dlawer was a member of the MRC Infection and Immunity Board and the Specialist Advisory Committee of the

Royal College of Pathologists The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) is a professional membership organisation. Its main function is the overseeing of postgraduate training, and its Fellowship Examination (FRCPath) is recognised as the standard assessment of fitness to p ...

for a number of years. He was appointed as the Royal College's Director of Research in 2009. On 28 October 2009, Ala'Aldeen was sworn in as the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the 6th Cabinet of the

, Iraq. After cabinet change on 5 April 2012, he returned to his University position in Nottingham. He later founded a new policy-research institute (The Middle East Research Institute, MERI) in

Kurdistan Region of Iraq Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous federal region of the Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurdish-majority governorates of Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Duhok Governorate, and Halabja Governora ...

Lobbying for human rights

Ala'Aldeen has long lobbied for

Kurdish people Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

's human rights and campaigned for a global ban of

chemical A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...

and

biological weapons Biological agents, also known as biological weapons or bioweapons, are pathogens used as weapons. In addition to these living or replicating pathogens, toxins and biotoxins are also included among the bio-agents. More than 1,200 different kin ...

. His own parents and siblings were among the survivors of the chemical weapons used in Iraq. He was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, lobbying within the British Parliament, media, and government. With UK-based colleagues, he founded the Kurdish British Scientific and Medical Support Group (KBSMSG) in 1988, which later became the Kurdish Scientific and Medical Association (KSMA) in 1989. He was elected as the founding Secretary and later the Chairman of KSMA, before the organisation expanded into the Kurdistan Medical and Scientific Federation. He was also an active member of the British academic group, The Working Party on Chemical and

Biological weapons Biological agents, also known as biological weapons or bioweapons, are pathogens used as weapons. In addition to these living or replicating pathogens, toxins and biotoxins are also included among the bio-agents. More than 1,200 different kin ...

between 1988 and 1996. Ala'Aldeen met Mrs

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

, the former British Prime Minister, and Dr

George Carey George Leonard Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton (born 13 November 1935) is a retired Anglican bishop who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002, having previously been the Bishop of Bath and Wells. During his time as archbishop the C ...

, the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

, in April 1991 and persuaded them to put pressure on

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. Following his defeat to Ton ...

(then British Prime Minister) and George HW Bush (then President of the USA) to help end Saddam Hussein's attack on the Kurds, protect the fleeing civilians and ensure they return to their homes under international protection. This was in the aftermath of the second

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

, when almost two million displaced Kurds fled to the borders with Iran and Turkey. As a consequence of this intervention, a "

no-fly zone A no-fly zone, also known as a no-flight zone (NFZ), or air exclusion zone (AEZ), is a territory or area established by a military power over which certain aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in an enemy power's terri ...

, Safe Haven" was established in Iraq, north of

36th parallel north Following are circles of latitude between the 35th parallel north and the 40th parallel north: 36th parallel north The 36th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 36 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, th ...

that lasted from April 1991 until the fall of Saddam regime. The Safe Haven allowed the Kurds in Iraq to return to their homes, elect their own

and

Kurdistan Parliament The Kurdistan Regional Parliament, also known as Kurdistan Parliament – Iraq (; ), or simply Perleman, is the parliament of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. It is made up of representatives from the various parties, lists or slates that are elec ...

. Ala'Aldeen has published a book on 'Lobbying for a Stateless Nation'; and investigated the use of chemical weapons in Kurdistan, and the poisoning of Kurdish refugees in Turkey (published in the Lancet, 1990 Feb 3;335, p. 287-8). Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Ala'Aldeen assisted the Kurdistan Government in capacity- and nation-building projects, and supported the institution-building process, particularly in the areas of education, health and institutions of democracy. He also acted as a critical observer, advocating good governance, rule-of-law and democracy in Kurdistan, which were reflected in his extensive publications in local newspapers and international platforms.

Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research

Ala'Aldeen has long been involved in capacity building for Iraqi and

Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...

Universities and establishing academic links with British universities. On 28 October 2009, he joined Dr

Barham Salih Barham Salih (; ; born 8 September 1960) is an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the eighth president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022. He is the former prime minister of the Kurdistan Region and a former deputy prime minister of the Iraqi feder ...

's Cabinet of

as Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research. He initiated a major reform process in the system of Higher Education, with the aim to raise standards and help Universities gain total independence. He led a major and highly transparent scholarship program for sending thousands of students abroad for Masters and PhD studies. His first-year report (A roadmap to quality) in 2010 and a second year report (On route to quality) in 2011 outline the process of reform, including the first introduction of teaching

quality assurance Quality assurance (QA) is the term used in both manufacturing and service industries to describe the systematic efforts taken to assure that the product(s) delivered to customer(s) meet with the contractual and other agreed upon performance, design ...

in Universities, continuous academic development for teachers, split-site PhD programs, restructuring university management in preparation for independence, introducing electronic system for student applications, converting technical institutes to Polytechnic Universities and modernising postgraduate (specialised) clinical training. He introduced the process of appointing staff on merit via open competition, and took measures to ensure

equal opportunity Equal opportunity is a state of fairness in which individuals are treated similarly, unhampered by artificial barriers, prejudices, or preferences, except when particular distinctions can be explicitly justified. For example, the intent of equal ...

and

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

in the system of higher education. He submitted two legislative drafts for reforms in higher education and postgraduate clinical training. Ala'Aldeen faced fierce resistance from anti-reformists and interest groups, particularly when he closed down five private dental and pharmacy Colleges in 2010 and four previously licensed private Universities in 2011.

Middle East Research Institute

Ala'Aldeen is the Founding President of the Middle East Research Institute (MERI), an independent, grant-funded and non-profit think tank which is focused on policy-issues and governance reform in Iraq and Kurdistan Region. MERI became operational on 18 May 2014 and has been ranked the first in Iraq and 35th in the Middle East and North Africa (among 507 institutions, top 7%) according to the Global Go To Think Tank Index report issued by the

Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) was a non-profit program at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that operated from 1989 to 2021. TTCSP was originally established at the Foreign Policy Research Insti ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

’s

Lauder Institute The Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies (The Lauder Institute) is an institution that offers a joint degree program at the University of Pennsylvania, combining an MA in international studies from the School of Arts ...

. Ala'Aldeen and colleagues have published numerous policy papers and reports on refugees, Internally Displace persons (IDPs), security dynamics in the Middle East, EU policies in the Region, post-ISIS Iraq, conflict resolution (e.g. the future of Kirkuk), prevention of violent extremism, promoting human rights (protecting minority's rights, prevention of violence against women prevention of violence against women) and state-building and institutional reform (Judiciary system, public prosecution, interior ministry and Ministry of Peshmarga).

Scientific work & leadership in Medicine

From 1988 to 2014, Ala'Aldeen has worked on

pathogenesis In pathology, pathogenesis is the process by which a disease or disorder develops. It can include factors which contribute not only to the onset of the disease or disorder, but also to its progression and maintenance. The word comes . Descript ...

molecular epidemiology Molecular epidemiology is a branch of epidemiology and medical science that focuses on the contribution of potential genetic and environmental risk factors, identified at the molecular level, to the etiology, distribution and prevention of disease w ...

and vaccine development of various bacterial pathogens, particularly ''

Neisseria meningitidis ''Neisseria meningitidis'', often referred to as the meningococcus, is a Gram-negative bacterium that can cause meningitis and other forms of meningococcal disease such as meningococcemia, a life-threatening sepsis. The bacterium is referred to a ...

'' (causes

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...

and

sepsis Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...

) and ''

Campylobacter jejuni ''Campylobacter jejuni'' is a species of pathogenic bacteria that is commonly associated with poultry, and is also often found in animal feces. This species of microbe is one of the most common causes of food poisoning in Europe and in the US, w ...

'' (most common cause of

food poisoning Foodborne illness (also known as foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the contamination of food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites, as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease), and toxins such ...

). He and his research group discovered a number of bacterial virulence factors and identified their human target receptors. These virulence factors have been investigated for their vaccine potential. They have also studied the human genetic response to bacteria as well as the

population genetics Population genetics is a subfield of genetics that deals with genetic differences within and among populations, and is a part of evolutionary biology. Studies in this branch of biology examine such phenomena as Adaptation (biology), adaptation, s ...

and

genome evolution Genome evolution is the process by which a genome changes in structure (sequence) or size over time. The study of genome evolution involves multiple fields such as structural analysis of the genome, the study of genomic parasites, gene and ancient ...

of ''N. meningitidis'', ''

Staphylococcus aureus ''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a Gram-positive spherically shaped bacterium, a member of the Bacillota, and is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It is often posi ...

'' and ''

Pseudomonas aeruginosa ''Pseudomonas aeruginosa'' is a common Bacterial capsule, encapsulated, Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-negative, Aerobic organism, aerobic–facultative anaerobe, facultatively anaerobic, Bacillus (shape), rod-shaped bacteria, bacterium that can c ...

''. Ala'Aldeen has published extensively in international scientific journals and co-authored several books in microbiology, such as ''Staphylococcus Aureus'': molecular and clinical aspects; Molecular and Clinical Aspects of Bacterial Vaccine Development; and Medical Microbiology. He also holds numerous patents for anti-Campylobacter agents and meningococcal vaccine candidates. He was chairman or member of a number of prestigious National learned societies and committees in the United Kingdom, which included: * Editorial board of three international microbiology/infection journals: Journal of Medical Microbiology, Journal of Infection, BMC Microbiology. * Director of Research,

The Royal College of Pathologists , Home
/ref> (2009–10) * Chairman, RCP/RCPath Infection Research Subcommittee (2007–09). * Chairman, Clinical Microbiology Group of the

Society for General Microbiology The Microbiology Society (previously the Society for General Microbiology) is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with a worldwide membership based in universities, industry, hospitals, research institutes and schools. It is the large ...

(2005–2009) * Chairman, Federation of Infection Societies Scientific Committee (2007) * Examination Board of the Royal College of Pathologists (2005–10) * Medical Research Council's Infection and Immunity Board (2007–2010) * Specialty Advisory Committee of the

(RCPath) (2006–10) *

's Meningococcus Forum (1998–2010)

Writer

As a writer on policies and current affairs, Ala'Aldeen has published numerous articles on the impact of global politics on Kurdistan and on strategic issues relating to Kurdish human rights, governance, institutionalisation, rule-of-law, health and higher education He has published several books on politics and governance including: "Lobbying for a Stateless Nation" (2007); "Nation Building and the system of self-governance in Kurdistan Region" (2013); and "State-Building: A roadmap for the rule of law and institutionalisation in Kurdistan Region" (2018). He comments regularly on local, regional, and international news channels offering his insight and analysis on current Kurdish, Iraqi, and Middle Eastern issues. Finally, Ala'Aldeen has a special interest in genealogy and has published a book on his family tree and history of his ancestors: The Heritage of Aziz and Nasreen, A History of The Ahmedi Malazada Family (London, 2021).

References

External links

A list over some of his publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ala'Aldeen, Dlawer Living people 1960 births Iraqi Kurdish people Iraqi microbiologists Iraqi emigrants to the United Kingdom Academics of the University of Nottingham British microbiologists Iraqi writers in Kurdish Alumni of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Fellows of the Royal College of Pathologists Kurdish scientists