Masdar PhD student awarded Dh80,000 fellowship grant

ABU DHABI // One of the Masdar Institute’s PhD candidates, Nazek El Atab, has been chosen for the 2015 L’Oreal-Unesco For Women in Science Middle East Fellowship.

Ms El Atab, along with three other recipients chosen from a shortlist of 10 scientists in the GCC, has been awarded almost Dh80,000 as part of the fellowship.

Her thesis focuses on lowering power consumption in nano-memory devices, a technology that is gaining traction as the future in powering mobile devices.

Ms El Atab was selected based not only on the scientific quality of the research project and applicability in science, but also for her potential to promote the sciences among young Arab women.

The fellowship recognises Arab female academics whose findings have contributed to the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Ms El Atab said: “The fellowship will help me buy cleanroom supplies needed for the fabrication of novel low-power non-volatile memory devices using innovative nano materials. It will also enable me to attend international conferences and share my findings with peers in the nanotechnology and microsystems engineering fields.”

As per the requirements of the fellowship, she will be expected to submit a status report on the awarded research project and a final financial expenditure statement on the actual fellowship expenditure incurred throughout the research project.

Ms El Atab’s faculty adviser, Dr Ammar Nayfeh, an associate professor at Masdar Institute, said: “As her PhD adviser, I can say this award is well deserved. Nazek exemplifies the ideal PhD student. I am certain she will be a tremendous ambassador for Masdar Institute and a vital asset for the UAE in the future.”

The L’Oreal-Unesco For Women in Science Middle East Fellowship was launched in partnership with Zayed University last year. This is the second year of the prize.