Annual Report
2019-2020
Message from our dean
As we reflect on the past year, it is clear that we are resilient because of our connections. We have risen to the challenges by working together. To our faculty, students, staff, alumni, Qatar Foundation partners, Education City colleagues, the CMU faculty, staff and leadership, and our supportive partners in Qatar’s academic, government and industry sectors, thank you.
Michael Trick
Dean, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
Our Alumni
Since our first class graduated in 2008, nearly 1000 men and women have completed their undergraduate education at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. As they build their careers, we follow their successes, connect them to one another, and encourage them to mentor the next generation of CMU-Q students.Class of 2020
86
Graduates
5
Academic programs
19
Nationalities
47%
Qatari citizens
The 86 graduates in CMU-Q’s class of 2020 were scheduled to cross the stage at a formal ceremony, but the pandemic’s social distancing restrictions called for a creative solution. Instead, CMU-Q honored the class at a series of virtual events, which included a senior celebration and the formal conferral of degrees for Carnegie Mellon graduates worldwide.
The Global Alumni Network
Our graduates are integral members of their communities, both within Qatar and across the globe. Alumni members are professionals, leaders and innovators who apply the skills they learned at Carnegie Mellon to shape the world around them.
13
Graduating classes
935
Alumni
5
Alumni live on 5 continents
55
Nationalities
Most CMU-Q alumni live and work in Qatar
A Year of Accomplishments
The first graduating class at CMU-Q was in 2008, and each year our alumni network grows in both numbers and achievements. In the last year, here are just a few of our alumni accomplishments.
Entrepreneurs Maryam Al-Naemi (Information Systems 2018) and Min Kyung Kang (Biological Sciences 2017) were selected for the “20 women on the move in 2020” list for Doha Learning Days. The list was compiled by WISE to recognize influential women in Qatar.
A startup that began as a student project raised $2.5 million in Series A funding. Haris Aghadi (Information Systems 2014) and Abdulla Al-Khenji (Information Systems 2015) launched the physician booking platform, Meddy, in 2016. In response to COVID-19, they added tele-health services that include video medical consults and a symptom checker.
Mohammed Al-Matwi (Business Administration 2015) started the first perfume factory in Qatar in 2017, earning him the silver medal for Best Startup at the 2019 Reyada Awards. In response to COVID-19, Al-Matwi shifted his business focus to personal disinfectants—including hand sanitizers—for the Qatar market.
Sabih Bin Wasi (Computer Science 2015) and Rukhsar Neyaz (Computer Science 2015) were selected for the North American Forbes “30 under 30” list. They, along with Jiyda Moussa (Information Systems 2015) and Musab Popatia (Computer Science 2016), have created Stellic, an academic planning tech startup.
Our Students
Since our first class graduated in 2008, nearly 1000 men and women have completed their undergraduate education at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. As they build their careers, we follow their successes, connect them to one another, and encourage them to mentor the next generation of CMU-Q students.The Admission Process
Class of 2023
113
First-year students
42
International Students
35
Qatari Students
21
First-years admitted under Early Decision
Our Student Community
CMU-Q students come from diverse backgrounds, with a wide spectrum of interests and aspirations. Together, they form a community of enthusiastic learners.
410
Enrolled students
41%
Qatari
48
Nationalities
60%
Female
Enrolled Students by program
Academics
For decades, Carnegie Mellon has been at the forefront of educational science, and this history was crucial when the challenges of the pandemic arose. A strong collaboration of CMU-Q experts in technology, education and subject areas ensured that students continued to learn and grow, even in exceptional circumstances.Academics at CMU-Q
5
Undergraduate programs
282
Courses offered over 3 semesters
125
Spring courses moved to remote mode in March
At Carnegie Mellon, we begin with a broad introduction to the liberal arts and sciences during the first semesters. Students then focus on major core classes in the middle semesters, and they deepen and broaden their scope in the last semesters through advanced electives.
Education during a pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic spurred a swift move to remote delivery halfway through the spring semester. CMU-Q completed the full transition within two days of the official directive by the Qatar government.
Initially, the focus was to replace in-person lectures and maintain the continuity of learning objectives. A task force of CMU-Q technology and educational experts guided the move of 125 courses to virtual delivery.
Our Faculty
CMU-Q faculty members are experts in their fields and dedicated to undergraduate education. Faculty members provide individualized attention and focused instruction so that all students can reach their potential.
Faculty members, by program
Meritorious Teaching Awards In a campus first, CMU-Q selected two faculty members to receive the 2019-20 Meritorious Teaching Award. Lauren Burakowski and Nui Vatanasakdakul were recognized for going beyond expectations to contribute to student learning.
Biological Sciences
Biological sciences students at CMU-Q study the Mellon College of Science curriculum that emphasizes problem-solving, communication, and analytical skills. Students learn to follow their curiosity, explore hypotheses, and contribute in a meaningful way as young scientists and researchers.
42
Biological Science courses
71
Students
77
Alumni
Biological Sciences Highlights
Fifth year scholar
Nahin Khan, who completed his degree in biological sciences in 2020, was selected for the Carnegie Mellon Fifth Year Scholar Program. Based at the main campus, the program provides a small number of exceptional students the opportunity to take an extra year to enhance their undergraduate education.
Elizabeth W. Jones Award
Dona Ferdinando, a 2020 biological sciences graduate, was awarded the Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research in Experimental or Computational Biology. The award was given by the Department of Biological Sciences at Carnegie Mellon’s home campus in Pittsburgh.
Ihab Younis spoke at the first symposium for genomics in clinical practice in Qatar. This collaboration between HBKU’s College of Health and Life Sciences and the Qatar Council for Health Practitioners brought together geneticists, researchers, technicians and health care professionals to share perspectives on precision medicine.
“CMU changed my passion and my future goals entirely, and helped me choose the field I have pursued in my master’s and PhD studies.”
Safa Salim
Biological Sciences 2017
PhD student, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, HBKU
Business Administration
Business administration students at CMU-Q learn quantitative decision-making, our pioneering approach to undergraduate business education. With an emphasis on analytics and leadership development, students are prepared for the challenges of the global business landscape.
72
Business courses
147
Students
469
Alumni
Business Administration Highlights
McKinsey Case Competition
The student-led Carnegie Consulting Club organized the McKinsey Case Competition, the first consulting competition of its kind in the region. Six teams competed, including participants from Qatar University and Texas A&M University at Qatar. The CMU-Q team of Mohammad Shahmeer Ahmad, Mariyam Amir, Omar Naim, Faiha Sahirah and Muhammad Ahmed Zahid ultimately won.
Qatar Stock Exchange webinars
The Qatar Stock Exchange invited CMU-Q faculty members Fuad Farooqi, Agustín Indaco and John O’Brien to lead webinar sessions on portfolio diversification and how behavioral biases affect investors. More than 100 members of the community joined each webinar.
Saving the economy from the coronavirus
Agustín Indaco analyzed measures that different governments enacted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and offered recommendations for a swift economic recovery.
“Carnegie Mellon is not just an education, it’s a full experience. As a BA grad, you have all of these different aspects that you can shape into your career in the corporate world.”
Asma Al-Kuwari
Business Administration 2011
Head of Digital Experience/Digital Content Services, Qatar National Library
Computer Science
Computer science students at CMU-Q are studying the world-class curriculum of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science, learning both the theoretical foundations and the practical knowledge to push the frontiers of the field and make a real-world impact.
29
Computer Science courses
85
Students
153
Alumni
Computer Science Highlights
A CMU-Q student team won the top prize at the Oman Collegiate Programming Contest (OCPC). Mohammed Nurul Hoque, Muhammad Ahmad Khan and Zaryab Shahzaib placed first among the nearly 30 teams who competed. A second CMU-Q team, which included Keivin Isufaj, Swapnendu Sanyal and Omar Sinan, placed fourth.
Raghid Bsat became the third student in the history of the Qatar campus to graduate with a degree in computational biology. Following the School of Computer Science curriculum, the interdisciplinary program includes core coursework in computer science, biology, science and mathematics.
For the third consecutive year, CMU-Q hosted the only Google Hash Code hub in Qatar. The programming competition is open to teams around the world. This year, the CMU-Q hub hosted eight teams, including two from Qatar University.
“Coming to CMU-Q was a dream come true. I’ve always been obsessed with computers and technology, and here I was able to feed my passion.”
Talal Al-Haddad
Computer Science 2013
Graduate student, Artificial Intelligence, Warsaw University of Technology
Information Systems
30
Information Systems courses
101
Students
223
Alumni
Information Systems Highlights
Chadi Aoun received a special award for his presentation, “GIS for emergent challenges: Empowering future information systems leaders,” at the 2019 GIS Technology Day, hosted by the Center for Geographic Information Systems in Qatar.
Information systems sophomore Mohammed Al-Qassabi was awarded the gold medal in the individual category at the Doha Oasis for Innovation. Al-Qassabi designed a prototype that helps soccer referees detect offside players during matches.
Students in the tech startup course presented their final projects to a judging panel from AbuIssa Holdings, E-Butler, Ooredoo, and Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP). The top team, which included Yasmin Abdelaal, Zainab Akhtar and Aya El-Sakka, won a spot in the QSTP XLR8 program.
“The most important things I carry from CMU are the skills of working smart, putting the right effort in the right place, and time management.”
Omar Shaath
Information Systems 2011
Project Specialist, Ministry of Transport and Communications
Arts and Sciences
Students in every program learn to draw connections and work effectively outside their majors through study in the arts and sciences, including required courses such as chemistry, English, math and physics, and electives in a wide variety of disciplines.
26
Faculty members
72
Courses offered
Arts and Sciences Highlights
Top spots, QU Math Competition
At the Qatar University Math Competition, first-year student Igli Mlloja placed first in the men’s category, with Keivin Isufaj and Fangjiao Xu placing second in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively. Swapnendu Sanyal rounded out the men’s top three. Niraj Khare served as faculty advisor.
Historian Lansiné Kaba retired after spending more than a decade teaching at CMU-Q. The author of several books on African and Muslim history, Kaba joined the faculty of the Qatar campus in 2009 and was named the Thomas M. Kerr Distinguished Career Professor of History in 2017.
The CMU-Q library won the PR Xchange Award from the Library Leadership and Management Association. Library director Teresa MacGregor, along with CMU’s Jill Chisnell and Heidi Wiren Bartlett, created the winning campaign to raise awareness of the many research databases available from the University Libraries.
Community Engagement
We have strong, living connections to the global Carnegie Mellon community, Qatar Foundation, and our strategic partners in government and industry. These collaborations offer rich learning opportunities for our students as we help build Qatar’s knowledge economy.The Dean's Lecture Series
One of our central roles as a university is to serve as a knowledge hub for the community, initiating the discussions that move society forward.
58
Dean's Lecture's since 2011
Darb Al Saai
To celebrate Qatar National Day,
CMU-Q created an interactive activity for football fans to explore the analytics of their favorite teams at Darb Al Saai. Researchers built the sports analytics activity using Q-Smartlab, a visual dashboard for big data that was created by CMU-Q as a teaching tool for studying financial markets.
Park and Plan
CMU-Q celebrated Sustainability Week by participating in the Park and Plant Initiative. Members of the CMU-Q community helped plant 109 trees around the building as part of QF’s multi-phase plan to restore Qatar’s rich indigenous landscape.
Collaborations with Qatar Foundation
We are an integral part of Qatar Foundation, and our students, faculty and staff work with entities across Education City to build a hub of learning, cooperation and discovery.
Carnegie Mellon Connections
Nesrine Affara was named one of six Wimmer Faculty Fellows for the 2020-21 academic year. Wimmer fellowships are offered by CMU’s Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation to encourage junior faculty members to explore the way they teach.
Aisha Al-Ali, Abraham Farooqui, Naram Hajjar and Auguste Piromalli became the first students from the Qatar campus to participate in the Washington Semester Program, offered by CMU’s Institute for Politics and Strategy.
President’s visit
Farnam Jahanian, the president of Carnegie Mellon University, visited the Qatar campus to meet with alumni, students, faculty and staff. While in Qatar, President Jahanian also met with His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Khalid Bin Thani Bin Abdullah Al Thani, chairman of Ezdan Holding Group.
Student Experience
Our students go through a transformation over the four years of their undergraduate education. We encourage them to come together as a community of learners, explore their interests, and develop the skills they will need in their careers.A Strong, Connected Community
Our campus is a unique place to study: the students, alumni, faculty and staff form a close-knit, diverse community that is enthusiastic, supportive and energizing.
In August 2019, CMU-Q welcomed the new class for a four-day orientation experience to introduce first-year students to the campus, and to one another. Orientation is organized by a team of current CMU-Q students and includes an intensive introduction to the resources, expectations, and academic areas at CMU-Q.
Carnegie Mellon’s Tartan carnival, better known as Tarnival, took place on the Education City Green Spine in October. A long-standing tradition at CMU-Q, Tarnival brings together students, faculty, alumni and staff for an evening of fun, games and prizes.
The interdisciplinary team of Maryam Al-Darwish, Haya Al-Kaabi, Haya Al-Kuwari and Buthayna Almulla took the top prize at the 2020 Hackathon competition. There were 19 teams at the eighth edition of the student-led competition, including innovators from CMU-Q, College of the North Atlantic – Qatar, Qatar University and Texas A&M University at Qatar.
Internship Showcase
Internship Showcase 2019 brought together students from all years and programs of study to learn how internships can help put knowledge and learning into practice. Fahad Salah Bahzad, Imane Bendou, Sondoss Hassan and Đorđe Popović shared how interning helped to solidify the concepts they learned in the classroom.
Arabic language debate
A team of CMU-Q students placed third at the Asian Arabic Language Debating Championship held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Rahaf Abutarbush, Ammar Karkour and Abdullah Shaar were among nearly 50 teams from across Asia participating in the tournament.
Career networking
CMU-Q hosts networking events for students to meet employers in discipline-specific industries. Bio Career Day included organizations who hire students and graduates in the biological sciences, and Professional Services Career Day featured management consulting companies. The annual Careers Platform 2019, Technology Edition, hosted 22 organizations.
Leadership and Career Development
Through a slate of offerings outside the classroom, students learn how to work in teams, organize and lead groups, and network with people within and outside of the CMU-Q community. These skills are critical for new graduates to contribute and succeed in the workplace.
Research
At its heart, research at Carnegie Mellon looks for practical answers to complex, real world problems. In this spirit, we at the Qatar campus encourage our faculty members and students to explore their fields and engage in projects that will have an impact.The Year in Faculty Research
CMU-Q researchers are actively engaged with the international research community, leading or collaborating on a myriad of projects. Faculty members also contribute to the engines that drive international research, including academic publications, professional organizations, and conference organizers.
13
Ongoing NPRP grants
1
Book
5
Book chapters
75
Published articles
51
Conference presentations
Research Highlights
Zeinab Ibrahim is leading a team to create an interactive linguistic map of Qatari dialects. The project was selected for QNRF’s National Priorities Research Program. The team, which includes CMU-Q’s Houda Bouamor, as well as researchers from Doha International Family Institute, Georgetown University in Qatar, and Qatar University, will map the variations of Qatari dialect and create a digital tool for exploring pronunciation, usage and expressions.
Silvia Pessoa, Maria Pia Gomez-Laich, Divakaran Liginlal, and Thomas Mitchell received the 2019 Best Paper award from the Journal of Information Systems Education (JISE). The paper is one of seven articles and 20 presentations to arise from SLATE-Q, a multi-year project called Scaffolding Literacy in Academic and Tertiary Environments in Qatar, which was funded by Qatar National Research Fund.
▪ Cognition in context, Jennifer Bruder
▪ Understanding social, physical, and mental health and cognitive processes in the next generation of Qatar’s leaders and influencers, Lauren Burakowski
▪ Unleashing the power of social commerce in the C2C platforms: A cross cultural analysis, Nui Vatanasakdakul
presented his work on Arabic author profiling for cyber security at the SmartTech ’19 Research Outcome Seminar, hosted by Qatar National Research Fund.
Student Research
Through research projects, students develop the skills of intellectual rigor and creative problem solving that are integral to their careers and future studies.
UREP project on attitudes toward Qatar wildlife
Four information systems students are researching Qatar residents’ awareness and attitudes toward native wildlife species. The team of Reem Al-Haddad, Sara Al-Hemaidi, Amal Al-Korbi and Almayasa Al-Naimi, along with faculty advisors Jennifer Bruder and Lauren Burakowski, received a grant for the project from the QNRF’s Undergraduate Research Experience Program.
Senior Honors theses
Sixteen graduating students in all five academic programs completed a senior honors thesis. The students presented their research at a virtual event for students, faculty, families and the wider community.
About Us
For more than a century, Carnegie Mellon University has challenged the curious and passionate to imagine and deliver work that matters. A private, top-ranked and global university, Carnegie Mellon sets its own course with programs that inspire creativity and collaboration.
In 2004, Carnegie Mellon and Qatar Foundation began a partnership to deliver select programs that will contribute to the long-term development of Qatar. Today, Carnegie Mellon Qatar offers undergraduate programs in biological sciences, business administration, computational biology, computer science, and information systems. More than 400 students from 52 countries call Carnegie Mellon Qatar home.
Graduates from CMU-Q are pursuing their careers in top organizations within Qatar and around the world, and many have started their own entrepreneurial ventures. With 13 graduating classes, the total number of alumni is nearly 1000.