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The prestigious publication Nature Index 2017 Saudi Arabia recently published an article, The gender divide: Agents of change which analyzes evolution of education in Saudi Arabia. Five outstanding women working in science are highlighted as 'Agents of change'. Prof Niveen Khashab and Dr. Dalal Alezi are both associated with Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials (AMPM) Center at KAUST. Their hard work, talent and accomplishment at a young age is an inspiration for women all over the world.

Niveen Khashab is Associate Professor of Chemical Science in  AMPM Center.  Her research is on design, synthesis, and applications of 'smart' programmable nanomaterials with emphasis on controlled release and delivery systems. These engineered materials are utilized for biomedical (delivery, sensing, and imaging), industrial (nanocomposites) and environmental (membranes synthesis) applications. Just a few months ago, Prof. Khashab received a 2017 L'Oreal-Unesco Women in Sciences Award in the field of physical science for her research in organic chemistry, particularly smart hybrid materials.

Last summer, Dalal Alezi obtained her Ph.D. in Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division supervised by Mohamed Eddaoudi, Director of AMPM Center and Professor of Chemical Science. Dalal researched novel Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), an emerging class of functional porous materials, exploring their sorption properties for gas separation and storage applications. From this work, she has three lead author papers published in the Journal of American Chemical Society (JACS).  Dr. Dalal currently works as Assistant Professor at King Abdulaziz University (KAU).

Read the full article here