HBKU’s QBRI wraps up two-month intensive Summer Research Program

Sanaa Al-Marri and Kainaat Nadeem Khan are both biological sciences students from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), a Qatar Foundation partner university. Al-Marri and Khan participated in the 2022 QBRI Summer Research Program, an excellent opportunity for undergraduates to put their theoretical knowledge into practice. 

Originally published by Qatar Tribune, August 23, 2022.

DOHA: The Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) closed its Summer Research Program (SRP) 2022 with an appreciation ceremony on August 18 to exhibit student experiences through poster presentations. The event concluded two months of intensive instruction in various disciplines of biomedical research for some of the country’s most outstanding undergraduate students.

The competitive SRP drew 21 candidates from Qatar University (QU), Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar (WCM-Q), and the University of Calgary in Qatar in its sixth iteration. Students had the opportunity to spend eight weeks at QBRI learning about intriguing basic and translational scientific research fields.In addition to hands-on experience in QBRI’s cutting-edge laboratories, the students took part in professional development activities and workshops focused on topics such as research innovation, experimental design, research reproducibility, and open science. Their respective efforts received a lot of attention. These are linked to the work of leading biomedical experts at QBRI and are related to current research on stem cells, diabetes, breast cancer, and neurological illnesses.

During the appreciation event, each student presented their project in the form of a poster in front of their mentors. Sanaa Al-Marri, a Biological Sciences Program student at CMU-Q, reflected on her experience, saying, “I acquired tremendous exposure to what a researcher does after graduation. I am appreciative for this opportunity, as well as the numerous techniques and abilities I learnt at QBRI throughout the Summer Research Program.”

Rizeq Hourani, enrolled in the College of Medicine at QU, added: “The experience was exceptional. QBRI researchers were knowledgeable and willing to teach us the fundamentals of laboratory and research work. As a professional environment, it was comfortable and full of life. I could not have asked for a better programme.”

Dr. Omar El-Agnaf, QBRI Executive Director, said of the Summer Research Program, “QBRI is glad to end another successful Summer Research Program for students with an interest in the health and biomedical disciplines. Such chances allow QBRI scientists to teach the next generation of researchers by demonstrating our work, paving the road for them to contribute to improving healthcare in Qatar.”

Through the SRP and other initiatives, QBRI, as a global centre for biomedical and translational research, is totally committed to assisting the next generation of scientists in becoming highly trained researchers.