2023 Award Recipients

Born and educated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, outstanding grades in high school. Graduated from King Saud University medical school 1985. Trained in general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery and pediatric congenital heart surgery in Canada. Returned to Riyadh in 1999 and worked for 17 years until recruited to the Cleveland Clinic as chair of Pediatric and Adult Congenital heart surgery on 2016.
After 17 years of developing the premier Pediatric Heart Center at King Abdulaziz Medical Center in Riyadh Saudi Arabia, Dr. Najm joined the Cleveland Clinic on January 1, 2016 as the chair of pediatric and congenital heart surgery. Dr. Najm is considered an expert in his field of congenital heart surgery as he has personally performed more than 10,000 surgical cases on newborns, children, and adults with the most complex heart disease.
Dr. Najm came to the Cleveland Clinic with not only his clinical expertise in pediatric and congenital heart surgery, but also is the past president of the Saudi Heart Association, Editor – in – Chief, Journal of Saudi Heart Association, Editorial Board Member Saudi Medical Journal and Associate Professor of King Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences.
Dr. Najm holds numerous memberships in national and international professional organizations and currently is a Trustee of the American College of Cardiology.
Dr. Najm is an international lecturer in the field of congenital heart surgery and a collaborator in multiple research projects including a multi-center database as a valuable tool for evidence-based practices in congenital heart disease.

Born and raised in Tripoli, Lebanon, Fadel Adib is an Associate Professor in the MIT Media Lab and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He is the founding director of the Signal Kinetics group which invents wireless and sensor technologies for networking, health monitoring, robotics, and ocean IoT. He is also the founder & CEO of Cartesian Systems, a spinoff from his lab that focuses on mapping indoor environments using wireless signals.

Fadel earned his Bachelor’s from the American University of Beirut (2011), which named him a Distinguished Young Alumnus in 2017. He was awarded a presidential fellowship to pursue his graduate studies at MIT, where he received his Master’s (2013) and Ph.D. (2016), winning the best Master’s and best Ph.D. thesis awards in Computer Science at MIT. In 2018, Adib’s Ph.D. thesis won the ACM SIGMOBILE Dissertation Award, recognizing it as the world’s best doctoral dissertation in wireless networks and mobile computing. His Ph.D. work on seeing through walls was named as one of the 50 ways MIT has transformed computer science over the past 50 years. This work has been commercialized by a startup, Emerald Innovations, whose devices have already been deployed in hundreds of homes and are being used by doctors at major US hospitals to monitor patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and COVID-19.

Fadel has been named to Technology Review’s list of the world's top 35 innovators under 35 in 2014 and to Forbes’ list of 30 under 30 in 2015. He has also received prestigious faculty honors including the CAREER Award (2019) from the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Young Investigator Award (2019) and the Early Career Grant (2020) from the Office of Naval Research, the Sloan Research Fellowship (2021), the Google Faculty Research Award (2017), and the ACM SIGMOBILE Rockstar Award (2022). His research has won awards for best papers, demos, and highlights at premier academic venues (SIGCOMM, MobiCom, CHI, CACM, Nature Electronics, Nature Communications). Fadel has published over 80 papers and patents.

Professor Niveen Khashab, Associate Dean of Physical Sciences and Engineering and Program Chair of the Chemistry Department at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

She heads the Smart Hybrid Materials (SHMs) in Saudi Arabia, bringing extensive expertise as a researcher specializing in the development of organic chemistry for smart nanomaterials. She holds a Bachelor's degree from the American University in Beirut (AUB) and Master's and Doctoral degrees from the University of Florida.

In her multifaceted career, Professor Khashab has been part of the Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research Center and served on the editorial board of the top 10 scientific journals. Under the guidance of Nobel Prize winner Fraser Stoddart, she has made significant contributions to advancing the fields of chemistry, bioengineering, and biology. Her laboratory work focuses on synthesizing and applying nanomaterials for medical, pharmaceutical, industrial, and environmental purposes.

With over 275 scientific papers to her credit, her groundbreaking research has profoundly impacted organic chemistry and nanoscience, particularly in the field of nanomedicine, where she developed innovative nanoparticles that self-decompose upon exposure to light. Notably, her research and studies have resulted in the creation of drug delivery systems for proteins and genetic materials (biological materials) in a safe and accurate manner, making significant contributions to nanomedicine.

In addition to her notable achievements that have earned her acclaim in natural sciences, her research has opened new horizons in medical sensing, drug delivery, and therapeutic treatments. Furthermore, she has pioneered developments in industrial nanocompounds, coatings, and environmentally sustainable agricultural solutions, promising transformative advancements for human health and well-being.

An economist with an undergraduate degree from Queens' and a DPhil from Oxford, Mohamed El-Erian is President of Queens’ College, Cambridge University. He previously served as chief executive officer and co-chief investment officer of Pimco, Deputy Director at the International Monetary Fund, Chair of President Obama’s Global Development Council and President of Harvard Management Company.

Throughout his career, Dr. El-Erian has been involved with universities and think tanks around the world, including his roles at the University of Pennsylvania as the Rene M. Kern Professor of Practice at the Wharton School of and Senior Global Fellow at the Lauder Institute.

After years of dedicated learning and professional experience, he emerged an outstanding consultant providing services to prestigious financial institutions such as Allianz and Gramercy Funds Management. Additionally, he has been an active contributor to several non-profit organizations, including the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Dr. Mohamed El-Erian's impact on the field of economics extends beyond his corporate and institutional work. His written works and research have yielded a wealth of advice, insights, and economic concepts, establishing them as key references in economics, finance, and business. Among his well-known books are 'When Markets Collide' (2008), 'The Only Game in Town' (2016), and his latest collaborative work, 'Permacrisis: A Plan to Fix a Fractured World' co-authored with esteemed economic experts. Furthermore, Dr. Mohamed El-Erian is recognized as a prominent contributor and editor for Financial Times and Bloomberg. Owing to his intellectual prowess, he has been named one of the 'Top 100 Global Thinkers' for four consecutive years by 'Foreign Policy' magazine.

In addition to presenting innovative theories on global economic matters, Dr. El-Erian is widely acknowledged as a leading expert in the realm of global capital markets. He is notably credited with introducing the concept of the "new normal", a term characterizing the state of the global economy post the global financial crisis.

A pioneering architect, Lina Ghotmeh leads her architectural practice in Paris, France. She graduated from the American University of Beirut (AUB) and holds a Master's in Landscape Architecture from the School of Environmental Design at the University of Georgia in the USA.

Ghotmeh has served in significant roles, including as an Associate Professor at the École Spéciale d’Architecture, and has given inspiring lectures at prestigious institutions such as the Royal College of Art, the Royal Academy of Arts, the Bartlett School of Architecture, and the Museum of Architecture and Heritage in France.

Architect Lina Ghotmeh employs a unique approach known as 'Archaeology of the Future,' ensuring that all her projects are evolved and practical outcomes of her research on coexisting with nature and the surrounding environment, revealing the essence of the raw materials used in their construction. Among her notable works is a building near the industrial port in Beirut, her birthplace, designed using local materials that resonate with the surrounding environment, and incorporating the results of her innovative research and techniques in architecture based on studies of the region's architectural history. Furthermore, she has conducted several studies and research projects focused on the relationship between architecture and the environment, the use of natural and local materials suitable for projects in various settings, and the study of historical architecture in these areas, forming the basis for designing modern and sustainable projects.

Committed to environmental stewardship, her various projects reflect a dedication to building sustainable and healthier communities, seamlessly integrating her academic knowledge with practical application to make a profound impact on the field.

Recognized as a humanist architect and renowned for her bold and contemporary designs, Lina Ghotmeh has expertly managed over 65 global architectural projects, including worldwide museums, exhibitions, and cultural designs.

A distinguished professor of Arabic literature at both the University of Algiers and Sorbonne University in Paris Waciny Laredj is an acclaimed novelist and academic. He completed his undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Literature,Arts and Foreign Languages at the University of Oran Algeria and earned his master's degree in Arabic Novel Trends and a Ph.D. in Hero Theory in the Arabic Novel from Damascus University.

Additionally he holds a Ph.D. from Sorbonne University specializing in the Language of the Arabic Novel. Professor Laredj leads the Arabic Track within the Department of Applied Languages at Sorbonne University's Faculty of Languages, Arts and Civilizations of Foreign Societies. He has served as a Chair Professor at the University of Algiers since 1985 and was previously a Chair Professor at Setif University.

Having authored more than 30 novels Professor Laredj's works profoundly engage with the cultural and social aspects of Arab communities establishing connections with universal human values and the diversity of global cultures. His literary work translated into over 20 languages has been adopted by universities worldwide and adapted into various theatrical and film productions.

Notably his innovative approach to novel writing has introduced new linguistic expressions significantly expanding the horizons of Arab narrative and imaginative storytelling. With his extensive academic background Professor Laredj has been instrumental in guiding research teams in studies related to the Arabic novel narrative styles and literary practices. He played a key role in founding and managing the Terminology Laboratory at the University of Algiers and Sorbonne University overseeing numerous narrative and translation research projects.

Professor Laredj's literary portfolio aligns with a modern school of thought characterized by its relentless pursuit of evolving expressive methods leaving a lasting mark on both Algerian and Arabic literature. His unique writing style masterfully blends myth with reality transforming mythological symbols into tangible narratives. Furthermore he has innovated in novel writing by integrating artistic elements like music and painting into his distinctive storytelling approach.