Majed Alnama describes his time at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar as enlightening, emphasizing the unique way the university prepares its science students. As a Biological Sciences major graduating with University and College Honors, Majed appreciates the broad skillset he developed.

“CMU-Q doesn’t just teach you how to think as a biologist,” he explains. “It teaches you to think like a scientist—drawing on disciplines such as coding and analytical reasoning and applying them to biological problems.”   

One highlight of his undergraduate career was presenting cancer research at a congress in Germany. “It was an honor to represent both CMU-Q and Qatar,” Majed says. “Our research on how environments affect cancer cells drew a lot of interest. Many were surprised to see such cutting-edge work coming from Qatar.” 

Majed further developed this research as part of his senior honors thesis. His exceptional work earned him the top prize at CMU-Q’s Meeting of the Minds for 2025.

Outside of the laboratory and the classroom, Majed broadened his perspective through many enriching experiences. He spent a semester on exchange at CMU’s Pittsburgh campus, exploring new fields like philosophy. Back in Doha, he engaged with the multicultural campus community, serving as vice president of the Geeks Club, where he combined his pop culture interests with event organization.   

His advice to new students reflects his own journey: “Get out of your comfort zone and take every opportunity—study abroad or try something new.”   

Looking forward, Majed would like to contribute to Qatar’s expanding research landscape, particularly in genomics and diabetes research. “I’m focused on biological research,” he confirms, “but I’m also exploring biotechnology. My background in computer science from CMU-Q prepared me well for these fields.”