College Annual Report 2020.pdf - Sultan Qaboos University

2020

جامعة السلطان قابوسSultan Qaboos University

College of Science

ANNUAL REPORT

جامعة السلطان قابوسSultan Qaboos University

College of Science

4 | C o l l e g e o f S c i e n c e

CONTENTS

MISSION AND VISION 5

PREFACE 6

DEAN'S MESSAGE 7

DEAN'S OFFICE & COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION STAFF 8

GENERAL REPORT 9

ASSISTANT DEAN OFFICE (UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES) 11

ASSISTANT DEAN OFFICE (POSTGRADUATE STUDIES & RESEARCH) 17

ASSISTANT DEAN OFFICE (TRAINING & COMMUNITY SERVICE) 21

DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY 27

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY 35

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE 45

DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCE 57

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS 67

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS 77

DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS 87

CENTRAL ANALYTICAL & APPLIED RESEARCH UNIT 91

IT ZONE 97

LIFE SCIENCE UNIT 99

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES REPORT 101

EDITORIAL BOARD 152

COLLEGE ANNUAL REPORT COMMITTEE MEMBERS 152

COLLEGE RESEARCH REPORT COMMITTEE MEMBERS 153

COLLEGE COMMITTEES 154


MISSION The mission of the College of Science is to provide outstanding education in science, to conduct high quality research of national and international importance, and to support

the scientific development of the Sultanate.

VISION The College of Science aspires to maintain its standing as the premier national institute

and to become a renowned regional academic institution for excellence in teaching, research and community services


PREFACE

Following the trend from previous versions since 2016, the College of Science Annual Report

has remarkable features in terms of contents and design. Its various templates for academic

departments, supporting units, and administrative offices summarizes the activities, events,

achievements, and research transactions made by staff members from all these divisions during

the period 1st January 2020 – 31st December 2020.

The report is divided into two main chapters. The General Report chapter provides informative

and statistical details about the activities of the Dean and Assistant Deans’ offices, the college's

seven academic departments, and the three service units under the college structure. Such

information includes; but is not limited to, staff matters, curriculum transactions, local and

International collaborations, community services, staff and student trainings, and many others.

The second chapter of the College Annual Report is dedicated to the Research activities made by

different college's departments. It lists research grants (HM, TRC, IG), publications (journals,

conference proceedings, book chapters …etc.), research collaborations and visits, and

postgraduate statistics.

On behalf of the CAR committee members, I express my sincere gratitude to all staff members in

the College who provided the information needed to complete this report. Our gratitude to the

College Board, which gave us the authority and the opportunity to serve the university in this

regard, is also not forgotten.

Dr. Wajdi Michael Zoghaib Annual Report Committee, Chair Editor-In-Chief


A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

It is with great pleasure that I present to you the

College of Science Annual Report for the year 2020.

The college continues steadily achieving its goals in

education, research and community services utilizing

the quality of its 165 academic staff and 300

supporting staff. In 2020, we were faced with a

number of challenges including:

1. Substantial drop in the running cost budget

from about 341,000 to 193,000 OMR.

2. Retirement of experienced and productive

academic and technical staff.

3. The Covid-19 pandemic

We need to sustain the number of faculty positions by

hiring national and international quality academicians

to sustain the research output at the college. In

addition, we have to take realistic measures towards

spending adjustment.

In the first quarter of 2020, we had normal on-campus

teaching. Then we shifted to Emergency Remote

Teaching (ERT) due to Covid-19. Within a short

period, we went from engaged gatherings in classes

and laboratories at the college to none. Classes were

transformed to Moodle Platform. Faculty and the

supporting staff of the university helped each other to

adapt to the new approach. Patience, flexibility and

support of each other made it possible for staff and

students to adjust to the ERT.

I wish to offer my deep appreciation to our faculty, staff and students for their hard work, commitment, and overall excellence. In this report, you will appreciate their impactful and cutting-edge work not only at local, but also at the national and international level. The College of Science has 387 undergraduates, 39 masters and 16 doctoral students who graduated in 2020. Our current undergraduate student enrollment is 2,391 and our graduate programs have 218 students in Fall 2020. Consistently, we are committed to serve the needs of our undergraduate and graduate students. This year, we have obtained the approval for the MSc program in Data Science and Machine Learning for cohorts 2021-onwards.

Prof. Ahmed Dhofar Al Rawas

Dean, College of Science All eleven undergraduate programs were accredited by international accreditation organizations. Three MSc programs, Chemistry, Environmental Science and Physics were accredited. Our strong research output in the college has increased noticeably and our faculty have made serious commitment to and fully embraced our research mission with remarkable and sustained growth in funded research. The research activities are mainly supported by internal funding through grant research projects. The approved project budget for 2020 was about 286,000 Omani Riyals. In our strategic plan for the period 2016–2020, we seized opportunities mostly driven by the demand for high quality higher education and research in the markets. We believe that our vibrant College of Science community, flexibility and innovativeness make us well prepared for the task starting 2021-2025. Allow me to take the opportunity again to thank everyone who has contributed and still contributing to the College of Science story, namely, the former and current faculty, staff, students, alumni, our trusted partners in the local and international community. As a member of this college community, you motivated

me and gave me confidence in what we can attain

together, bearing in mind that many challenges are

still ahead.


DEAN'S OFFICE STAFF

Raya Al-Maawali

Clerk

Ruby P. Natividad

Coordinator

Siham Al Siyadi

Coordinator

Khalid Al-Zadjali

Clerk (College Bookstore)

Younis Al-Balushi

Clerk (Photocopying Office)

Sultan Al-Amri

Clerk (Photocopying Office)

Saif Al-Gharbi

Messenger

Haitham Awlad-Thani

Messenger

COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION

Mohammed Al-Harthi

Adminstative Director

Said Al-Hinai

Assistant Administrative

Director

Aysha Al-Balushi

Clerk

Noora Al-Ghafri

Clerk

Issa Al-Hinai

Clerk

COLLEGE SUPERINTENDENT

Mr. Ali Al Sulaimi


General

Annual Report



ASSISTANT DEAN’S Office Overview OFFICE FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES

Office Staff

Dr. Hassan Al-Reasi Associate Prof., Assistant Dean (UGS)

(PhD, McMaster University, Canada)

The office of the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies plays a central role in facilitating the student success and enhancing the quality of their learning from the day of admission to the time of graduation. Among the roles of the office is to provide services to students and faculty members that support the academic and professional needs of SQU students. Such services are provided to College of Science students as well as to other SQU students who enrol in College of Science courses.

The major duties undertaken by this Office are wide-ranging. They include overseeing admission, registration and the orientation of new students, managing the students’ choice of majors, promoting curriculum design and development, overseeing and supporting the establishment and review of degree and minor programs, helping to facilitate accreditation of degree programs, assisting with timetabling of College courses and mid-semester exams, overseeing academic advising in the College, liaising with counterparts in the other SQU colleges, and the Deanship of Admissions and Registration, as well as providing counselling and succour to probation students. Many of these duties are performed with the assistance of College committees such as the College Curriculum Committee, Timetabling Committee, and the Choice-of-Major Committee. Each committee consists of a representative from each department in the college. The representative serves as a link between the ADUGS office and his department regarding all academic matters related to undergraduate studies.

Saif Al-Maawali Student Affairs Specialist

Fatma Al-Farsi Clerk

Maladh Al-Yousfi

Coordination, Follow-up and Archive Specialist

Contacts

Mailing Address Sultan Qaboos University College of Science Assistant Dean Office for Undergraduate Studies PO Box: 36, Postal Code: 123 Al-Khoudh Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Telephone & Fax: Tel. Number: (+968) 24142237, 24142241, 24141403 Fax Number: (+968) 24413415 Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.squ.edu.om/science/Undergraduate


HIGHLIGHTS During the year 2020, the ADUGS has joined the Advisory Board of the College of Education in October

2020

TEACHING AND LEARNING The College has continued to maintain a high standard and rigorous teaching and assessment scheme. In

2020, 471 undergraduate students were admitted to the college bringing the total number of enrolled

science students to 2272.

UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING SUMMARY The total number of registrations per semester has exceeded eleven thousands in both Spring and Fall

2020.

Department Student Registration in Spring Student Registration in Fall

Biology 1534 1483

Chemistry 2459 2341

Computer Science 1064 1534

Earth Sciences 1031 1169

Mathematics 2677 2797

Physics 1953 2370

Statistics 646 631

Others (General Science Courses)

40 8

Total: 11494 12333

Grand Total: 23827

MAJORS AND MINORS Students in the College of Science are able to select from a choice of 10 Majors. Additionally, 13 Minors are

available to Science students.

MAJORS The science majors are listed below:

Applied Chemistry

Biotechnology

Chemistry

Computer

Science Earth Science

Environmental Biology

Geophysics Mathematics Physics Statistics


The number of students in the College Majors are summarized in the below histogram while the following

pie-charts illustrate the ratio between the majored and non-majored students.

76

177196

108123

105

16

154

121110

61

175189

127138

105

18

139127

85

0

50

100

150

200

250

ACHM BIOT CHEM COMP ERSC ENVR GEOP MATH PHYS STAT

Science Major 2020

SP20 Fl20

Major49%

Pre-Major51%

Major & Non-MajorStudents in Fall20

Major

Pre-Major

Major55%

Pre-Major45%

Major & Non-MajorStudents in SP20

Major

Pre-Major


MINORS The possible minors for science students are listed below:

Astronomy Biotechnology Chemistry Computer

Science Earth Science

Environmental Biology

Health Statistics Mathematics Medical Physics Nuclear Science

Physics Statistics Business* Soil & Water

Sciences*

*The Minor in Business if offered by the College of Economics and Political Science, and the Minor in Soil & Water

Sciences is offered by the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences.

DEGREE PLANS New courses developed in the departments were discussed and approved, and existing courses were

reviewed and modified where necessary.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS There are 47 international students registered for undergraduate courses in the College of Science.

DEAN’S LIST Of all the responsibilities of the Office of the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies, it is the overseeing

of the ceremony honouring the students named on the Dean’s List that gives me the most satisfaction. My

heartfelt congratulations to the 180 students in Spring 2020 and 94 students in Fall 2020 named to the

Dean’s List.

Spring 2020 Fall 2020

Major Distinction Honors Total Distinction Honors Total

Applied Chemistry 6 11 17 4 5 9

Biotechnology 7 15 22 7 12 19

Chemistry 4 18 22 9 10 19

Computer Science 4 7 11 4 3 7

Earth Science 0 2 2 0 0 0

Environmental Biology 3 6 9 5 1 6

Geophysics 0 1 1 0 1 1

Mathematics 11 16 27 5 6 11

Physics 3 7 10 0 6 6

Statistics 1 15 16 1 0 1

Pre-major 19 24 43 3 12 15

Grand Total 58 122 180 38 56 94


UNIVERSITY DAY AWARDS – COLLEGE OF SCIENCE BEST STUDENTS 2020

Two graduating students received the Best Student Award:

Cohort Gender Student Name Major Cum. GPA

2017 Female Ines Adel Riahi Computer Science 3.95

2017 Male Mehdi Touzene Chemistry 3.38

UNIVERSITY DAY AWARDS – COLLEGE OF SCIENCE BEST TEACHERS 2020

Three faculty members were awarded the Best-Teacher Award:

Faculty Member Department

Dr. Nazife Koca Physics

Dr. Nallusamy Sivakumar Biology

Dr. Rachid Hedjam Computer Science

UNIVERSITY DAY AWARDS – COLLEGE OF SCIENCE BEST ADVISOR 2020

One faculty member received the Best Advisor Award:

Faculty Member Department

Dr. AbdulRazak Al-Sayigh Earth Sciences

ADVISING The College faculty continued to provide valuable support to students in Science and Science &

Mathematics Education through academic advising. In total 150 faculty served as advisors for

undergraduate students. This activity was coordinated by the Office of the Assistant Dean. It was an

important part of our academic culture and critical for students, especially those in the early years of

study. The ADUGS office organized a workshop for Advising on Sunday 6/9/2020.

Department Major Advisors Pre-major Advisors Advisors by Department

Biology 12 7 19

Chemistry 13 12 25

Computer Science 13 4 17

Earth Sciences 10 6 16

Mathematics 12 29 41

Statistics 8 3 11

Physics 12 9 21

Total Advisors 80 70 150


GRADUATES 332 College of Science students received their BSc Degree during the Graduation ceremony in Fall 2020.

ACHM7%

BIOT11%

CHEM16%

COMP7%

EART9%

ENVI8%

GEOP3%

MATH17%

PHYS5%

STAT17%

GRADUATED STUDENTS IN YEAR 2020

ACHM

BIOT

CHEM

COMP

EART

ENVI

GEOP

MATH

PHYS

STAT

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ASSISTANT DEAN’S Office Overview

OFFICE FOR

POSTGRADUATE

STUDIES & RESEARCH

Office Staff

Dr. Mudhahir Al-Ajmi Associate Prof., Assistant Dean (PGS&R) (PhD, Uni. of Manchester, UK)

Qamariya Al-Mughairi Research coordinator Ibrahim Al-Abri Postgraduate coordinator

The College of Science (CoS) has 9 postgraduate programs in the

disciplines of Biology, Environmental Biology, Chemistry, Computer

Science, Earth Science, Pure and Applied Math’s, Statistics, and

Physics. CoS has seven PhD programs offered in six departments.

Current MSc programs in the College of Science are 2 years period

and full time. The general objective of these programs is to enhance

the academic background of the postgraduate student through 24

credit hours course work and train the student in research skills in

the form of a 6 credit hours research project submitted at the end of

the second year of the program for a total of 30 credit hours.

On the other side, the culture of research in the College of Science is

well cultivated in all departments of the College of Science. The

research output is evidenced by the number of publications in

international journals and the SQU Journal for Science as well as

conference presentations in keeping with the improved research

facilities and the number of postgraduate and research assistants.

The research is granted from external sources. These sources are

mainly the Research Council (TRC) and the strategic research (SR).

The internal source is the internal grants (IG). The research is based

on collaboration between colleagues in the same department,

different departments within the college, different colleges or

different institutes around the world. Postgraduate students and

research assistants also aid the search. Different experimental

facilities are available in research labs in the college.

Contacts Mailing Address: College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University Assistant Dean Office for Postgraduate Studies & Research PO Box: 36, Postal Code: 123 Al-Khoudh, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Telephone & Fax: Tel Number: (+968) 24142243

Fax Number: (+968) 24413415 Email: [email protected] (Qamariya Al-Mughairy) Website: http://www.squ.edu.om/science/Research


RESEARCH GRANTS HIGHLIGHTS The major sources of research funding are internal grants (IG), His Majesty’s strategic grants (HM) The

Research Council grants (TRC) and contract research grants (CR). In 2020 research funds in the college

was OMR 65,000 from the IG. Also, the College got about OMR 114,000 from His Majesty’s strategic grant

(HM) for Departments of Physics and Chemistry. These numbers are presented in the table below.

Department Number of Projects Total Funds

Source of Fund IG HM TRC CR XF Others (in OMR)

Biology 1 - - 1 - 1 54,350

Chemistry 3 1 - 1 - 1 99,440

Computer Science 2 - - - - - 5800

Earth Sciences - - - - - 1 9100

Mathematics 9 - - 1 - - 35,050

Physics 10 1 - - - 1 76,560

Statistics 3 5250

Total 28 2 - 3 - 4 285,550

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS It is gratifying that the culture of research in the College is well and truly cultivated. The breadth of

scholarly activities of the College as recorded in Annual Research Report (see Part 2) is remarkable and is

the hallmark of an institution striving for excellence and international recognition. The college made 295

achievements of conference proceedings, book chapters, refereed journal articles and others. The

maximum number of publications is scored by Mathematics with 45 followed by Physics and Chemistry

with 38 scientific papers each. The table below shows a summary of these outcomes.

Department

Type

Refereed

Journal

articles

Book

chapters

Conference

Proceedings Total

Biology 36 4 6 46

Chemistry 38 4 8 50

Computer Science 12 3 7 22

Earth Sciences 23 10 27 60

Mathematics 44 3 12 59

Physics 31 - 4 35

Statistics 12 3 - 15

Total 196 27 64 287


POSTGRADUATES HIGHLIGHTS

The postgraduate programs are boosted by the increase in research funding and boasting a growing

number of international students. In 2020, 39 MSc and 16 PhD students graduated from the College. The

total intake of the College is more than 125 students. Details of the intake of each department and

program are tabulated below.

Department 2020

Intake Total numbers

registered 2020 numbers

graduated

Degree MSc PhD MSc PhD MSc PhD

Biology 5 4 15 10 - 5

Environmental Sciences 4 - 10 - 4 -

Chemistry 15 4 21 10 5 4

Computer Science 39 1 30 9 3 2

Earth Sciences - 4 - 4 - -

Petroleum Geosciences 24 - 33 - 16 -

Physics 10 3 26 15 4 3

Mathematics - 1 - 21 - 2

Statistics 3 2 3 6 4 -

Pure Mathematics 2 - 4 - - -

Applied Mathematics 4 - 2 - 3 -

Total 106 19 144 75 39 16



ASSISTANT DEAN’S Office Staff Office Overview OFFICE FOR TRAINING & COMMUNITY SERVICE

Dr. Mohammed Al-Badawi Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean (TCS); (PhD, Sheffield University, UK)

The Assistant Dean for Training and Community Services (ADTCS)

Office plays an essential role in three pronged, namely, staff and

student training, community services, and student activities. My

administrative assistants Mr. Abdullah Al-Balushi (Coordination &

Follow-up & Archive Specialist) and Ms. Fathiya Al-Hamadani (Clerk)

perform tremendous work to meet the demands of this Office, which

caters to students and staff.

To achieve its aims, a number of college committees support the

ADTCS Office. Each committee consists of a representative from each

department or unit in the college. The representative serves as a link

between the ADTCS Office and the department or unit regarding all

matters related to the staff and student training, student activities,

short courses, workshops, and other community services.

Fathiya Al-Hamadani Clerk Abdullah Al-Balushi Coordination & Follow-up & Archive Specialist

Contacts

Mailing Address: Sultan Qaboos University College of Science Assistant Dean Office for Training and Community Services PO Box: 36, Postal Code: 123 Al-Khoudh Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Telephone & Fax: Tel Number: (+968) 24142278 Fax Number: (+968) 24413415 Email: [email protected] (Fathiya Al-Hamadani)

Website: http://www.squ.edu.om/science/ Training-Community-Service

mailto:[email protected]


ADTCS COMMITTEES

ADTCS work is administrated and coordinated via a number of committee at college-level, each includes

representatives from all academic departments in the college and/or the college’s administrative units.

The committees are appointed by the College Board every acadmic year. This section list the committee

memberes who were appointed in the ADTCS’s committes during the academic year 2019/2020.

Alumini Committee:

Dr. Mohammed Al-Badawi (Chairperson) Dr. Bahja Al-Riyami (Biology) Dr. Bushra Al-Wahaibi (Chemistry) Dr. Amaal Hassan (Computer Science) Dr. Salah AlKhirbash (Earth Science) Dr. Amina Al-Sawaii (Mathematics) Dr. Nooralhuda Al-Saqri (Physics) Dr. Ahmed Al-Hadhrami (Statistics)

Community Service Committee:

Dr. Mohammed Al-Badawi (Chairperson) Dr. Lamya Al-Haj (Biology) Dr. Laila Al-Moqbali (Chemistry) Dr. Huda Al-Amri (Computer Science) Dr. Rifaat Abdullah (Earth Science) Dr. AlJalila Al-Abri (Mathematics) Dr. Alaa Ibrahim (Physics) Dr. Ronald Wesonga (Statistics)

Students Training Committee:

Dr. Mohammed Al-Badawi (Chairerson) Dr. Erika Cuellar (Biology) Dr. Younis Baqi (Chemistry) Dr. Hamza Zidoum (Computer Science) Dr. Rifaat Abdullah (Earth Science) Dr. Shamil Makhmutov (Mathematics) Dr. Abey Isaac (Physics) Dr. Ahmed Al-Hadhrami (Statistics)

Students Activities Committee:

Dr. Mohammed Al-Badawi (Chairerson) Dr. Aziz Al-Habsi (Biology) Dr. ElSaid El-Shafey (Chemistry) Dr. Abir Al-Hajri (Computer Science) Dr. Mohammed Farfour (Earth Science) Mr. Thuraiya Al-Hinai (Mathematics) Dr. Alaa Ibrahim (Physics) Mr. Iman Al-Hasani

Staff Training Committee:

Dr. Mohammed Al-Badawi (Chairerson) Dr. Aziz Al-Habsi (Biology) Dr. Raid Abdel-Jalil (Chemistry) Dr. Hanaa Al-Zadjali (Computer Science) Mr. Hilal Al-Zidi (Earth Science) Dr. Nadia Al-Dhamri (Mathematics) Ms. Fadhila Al-Mabsali (Physics) Dr. Ahmed Al-Hadhrami (Statistics) Mr. Mohammed Al-Harthi (Direcor of Administration) Mr. Ali Al-Sulaimi (College Superintendent)


HIGHLIGHTS

The year 2020 witnessed a number of remarkable activities at the ADTCS Office:

Coordinated and suppervised by the office, the college has organized the first-ever online Alumni gathering in SQU on 9th December, 2020. The event hosted, as guest speaker, H.E. Dr. Ali Amur Al-Shidhani, the Under-Secrtery of the Ministry of Transportation & Telecommunication & Information Technology; to give a speech about the role of Science in forming the 4th Industrial Revolution.

A team of 4 student from Earth Sciences department won the 2nd place in the IBA (Held on Bahrain

14-19/03/2020)

A team of 4 student from Earth Sciences department won the 3rd place in the Abu Dhabi

International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference "ADIPEC2020.

3 SQU teams (from Department of Computer Science) have won the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place in the

8th Oman Collegiate Programming Contest 2020; which was organized by the college late in

Jan/2021.

ES Students Won 1st IBA2020 Place

STAFF TRAINING

The College Staff, in collaboration with the Centre of Staff Development were provided with opportunities

to advance their knowledge and skills through in-house and external training programmes:

A total of 6 College staff received in-house training in different disciplines.


The figure below shows the distribution of the staff training opportunities among the different

departments and units in the College during 2020.

STUDENT TRAINING

The essence of summer training or industrial placement is to apply acquired scientific knowledge to

everyday practical experiences. Not only does this exercise equip students with a new set of skills but it

also introduces them to real-life work conditions and maximizes opportunities on the job market. Student

training is a compulsory component in some degree programmes such as health statistics, applied

chemistry, computer science and medical physics, necessitating the involvement of the Student Training

Committee to seek out training opportunities that best meet the stipulated degree requirements. Students

in other degree programs usually make their own initiatives to secure training opportunities.

The chart below shows a summary of training opportunities for students during 2020. The places

providing the largest numbers of training opportunities to our students were: Petroleum Development

Oman, Daleel Petroleum Company, Public Authority for Civil Aviation, Occidental Oman, CGG Services,

National Centre for Statistics Information, Oman Cement Company and various government institutions.

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

BiologyChemistryPhysicsComputerScience

MathStatisticEarthScience

CARRUIT ZoneCollegeAdmin

STAFF TRAINING 2020

EXTERNAL INTERNAL

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Biology Chemistry computerScience

Stat Math Earth Science Physics

Student Training 2020


COMMUNITY SERVICES

The College conducted Science Fun as part of the the SQU Winter Programme in Jan/2021.

represented by six departments, Biology, Earth Science, Computer Science, Mathh, Chemisty and

Physics. The activity was laid under the supervision of Dr. Mohammed Al Badawi, ADTCS.

The college conduct the 1st online-Alumni Gathering on 9th December, 2020. The gathering was the

first-ever online gathering done by SQU colleges.

The College also provided training opportunities to 3 students from other higher education institutes.

STUDENTS ACTIVITIES & ACHIEVEMENTS

The College’s Student Society (CSSS) and the Departmental Student Groups provide a platform to

demonstrate everyday science, have fun and reach out to the community. The student activities are well

organized by student committees and include workshops, seminars, exhibitions and competitions. The

student groups leaders in the academic year 2020/2021 are:

Biology Group

Haitham AL-Azri

Chemistry Group

Wasyaf AL-Whaibi

Computer Science Group

Tamer Abshar

Earth Sciences Group

Mohammed AL-Hasni

Mathematics Group

Athar AL-Buraiki

Physics Group

AlMunthar Al-Mamari

Statistics Group

Mohammed Al-Ajmi

Science Society

Muhanad AL-Kalbani


Due to the Corona pandemic, the activities of groups in the college were limited to educational

workshops related to the pandemic. The main activities in the year 2020 were:

Open discussion session with the Dean of the College in which he answered students' inquiries

about the college and the curriculum hosted by the Science Group.

Other activities:

Group Event Name CSSS Science Kids Geo Threatened or extended Chemistry Chemi-Camp Computer Science Online Workshops Physics ASTROTOUR Math 1st Math Forum


Department of Biology

OVERVIEW

The Department of Biology was established in 1986. This is one of the pioneer departments in College of

Science. In the beginning, the Department of Biology offered BSc degree in Biology and currently it offers

two BSc degrees: BSc Biotechnology and BSc Environmental Biology. The department is also conducting

two MSC degree programs: MSc Biology and MSc Environmental Science. In addition, Department of

Biology offers PhD degree in Biology. Besides teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, the

department also extend service courses to students from the College of Agriculture, Education and

Medicine and continues its leadership in biological research in the Sultanate.

The Department of Biology offers a range of courses from basic to applied sciences which fulfill the

requirements of students from College of Science and other colleges. The curriculum is designed in such

a way to provide knowledge, to teach the students how to design, conduct and interpret scientific

research, and make the students to think critically and ethically about biological research and its social

impact. The curriculum makes the students competent to start their profession and prepares them for higher studies. The teaching and research labs are well equipped and a reasonable number of students

are pursuing graduate and post-graduate studies. The Department of Biology is committed to teach

modern biological sciences and conduct quality research as well. The staff are active in teaching and

research and many of them have funded projects supported by various organizations. The faculty

members and supporting technical staff are trained in various disciplines of biology, with emphasis on

experimental and environmental biology.

CONTACTS

Mailing Address: Department of Biology College of Science Sultan Qaboos University PO Box 36, Postal Code: 123 Al-Koudh, Muscat Sultanate of Oman

Telephone & Fax: Tel/Fax number +968 24146873 Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.squ.edu.om/science/Departments/Biology



Members of the Departmental Main Committees

HoD Office

Dr. Aisha Al Khayat Al Shehi

Associate Prof., HoD (PhD, Michigan State, USA)

Florida Nevado Coordinator

Fatema Al Jabri Coordinator

Academic Promotion

Dr. Aisha Al Khayat Al Shehi Dr. Elsadig Eltayeb, Dr. Michael Barry Prof. Saif Al Bahry Prof. Taher BaOmar

Appointment

Dr. Aisha Al Khayat Al Shehi Dr. Elsadig Eltayeb Dr. Michael Barry Dr. Hassan Al Reasi Dr. Sirin Adham Dr. Aliya Al Ansari

Curriculum

Dr. Elsadig Eltayeb Dr. Bahja Al Riyami Dr. Erika Cuellar Soto Dr. Hassan Al Reasi Prof. Raeid Abed

Procurement

Dr. Aisha Al Khayat Al Shehi Dr. Aziz Al Habsi Dr. Mahmoud Yaish Dr. Salah Al Shukairi

Postgraduate Studies

Dr. Mahmoud Yaish-for PhD Prof. Raeid Abed–for MSc Biology

Dr. Hassan Al Reasi – for MSc-Env Sci

Quality Assurance and Academic accreditation

Dr. Hameed Sulaiman Prof. Raeid Abed Dr. Michael Barry Dr. Aliya Al Ansari

Scientific Journal

Prof. Reginald Victor

Annual report

Dr. Sivakumar Nallusamy

Safety/Risk Management

Dr. Sardar Farooq

Library & Textbook

Dr. Senan Baqir

Social Activities

Dr. Bahja Al Riyami Dr. Lamya Al Haj Fatma Al Jabri Moza Al Jabri, Fatma Al Siyabi Florida Nevado

Timetabling

Dr. Elsadig Eltayeb

Technical Staff Training

Dr. Bahja Al Riyami

Student Project Evaluation

Dr. Michael Barry

Capital Equipment

Dr. Aisha Al Khayat Al Shehi, Salah Al Shukairi

Staff-Student Liaison

Dr. Sirin Adham Prof. Raeid Abed Dr. Hassan Al Reasi

Computer User

Dr. Aziz Al Habsi

Operational Strategic Plan Implementation

Dr. Aisha Al Khayat Al Shehi Dr. Bahja Al Riyami Dr. Michael Barry


HIGHLIGHTS The year 2020 witnessed the following:

Dr. Lamya Adnan Al Haj was awarded the Royal

Recognition Award from Oman’s first lady in 17 Oct. .2020.

Dr. Mahmood Yaish and Prof. Raeid Abed listed among

the World’s top 2% influential Scholars for the year 2020

in the Stanford University list.

Dr. Hameed Sulaiman was selected to serve as a member

of the task force on ‘Climate change initaiative in

Eastern Mediteranean and Middle East (EMME) region:

Enabling technologies” by the Cyprus Institue, Cyprus, 2020.

Dr. Mahmood Yaish

Prof. Raeid Abed

Dr. Hameed Suliman

Dr. Hameed Sulaiman


PROMOTIONS

Dr. Lamya Adnan Al Haj (Assitant Professor) was promoted to the Associate Professor rank in June

2020.

Dr. Hassan Al-Reasi (Assitant Professor) was promoted to the Associate Professor rank in June

2020.

Dr. Raeid Abed (Associate Professor) was promoted to the Professor rank in June 2020.

Dr. Lamya Adnan Al Haj

Dr. Hassan Al-Reasi

Prof. Raeid Abed

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Dr. Lamya Adnan Al Haj was awarded the Royal Recognition Award from Oman’s first lady 17

October 2020

Dr. Lamya Adnan Al Haj was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in

March 2020

Dr. Lamya Adnan Al Haj

Dr. Lamya Adnan Al Haj was selected as a TWAS Young Affiliate 2019-2025 (World Academy of

Science).

Dr. Mahmood Yaish was awarded an appreciation certificate from the vice chancellor of SQU

University for being classified within the top 2% most influential world scientists for 2019, based

on Stanford University, USA.

Dr. Sirin Adham was awarded Best Researcher Award During the University Day of 2020

Dr. Mahmood Yaish was listed within the Stanford University List of the World’s top 2% influential

Scholars for 2019.

Prof. Raeid Abed listed within the Stanford University List of the World’s top 2% influential Scholars

for 2019.


VISITING EXAMINER

Dr. Talaat A. Ahmed, Qatar University, Qatar visited the department as the external examiner for

the PhD defense examination of Latifa Al Kharousi. 0n 05/01/2020.

Prof. Prakash P. Kumar, Singapore University, Singapore visited the department as the external

examiner for the PhD defense examination of Gerry Jana on 10/05/2020.

SEMINARS

Dr. Lamya Al Haj, PhD, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology, SQU, given multiple talks (over

20 community talks) both locally and internationally in 2020 on topics including science,

renewable energy, Biofuels, researched development, leadership, organizational behavior,

motivational..ext on platforms including World Economic Forum (WEF), Sky News Arabia,

Popular Science, Sh Nihayan bin Zayid Al Nihayan youth empowerment platform.

VISITING CONSULTANTS & PART-TIME INSTRUCTORS The Department received the following academic staff as Visiting Consultants:

Spring 2020:

Dr. Neelam Sherwani, Punjab University, India, PhD in Botany, 2004.

Dr. Noura Al-Zeheimi, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, PhD in Biology, 2019.

Dr. Asma Bini Araba, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, PhD in Biochemistry and molecular

biology, 2018.

Fall 2020:

Dr. Neelam Sherwani, Punjab University, India, PhD in Botany, 2004.

Dr. Noura Al-Zeheimi, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, PhD in Biology, 2019.

Dr. Asma Bini Araba, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, PhD in Biochemistry and molecular

biology, 2018.

Dr. Neelam Sherwani

Dr. Noura Al-Zeheimi

Dr. Asma Araba

CURRICULUM

Biology 1 course has been reconstructed by a team of lecturers and include 60% of active learning

and align with 21st century skills.


INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS The Department of Biology has been collaborating with universities abroad from inception. Following is a

brief description of the ongoing collaborations faculty members are involved with:

Dr. Lamya Al Haj has a standing collaboration with Prof. Andrew Crosby and his team from

University of Exeter Medical School in the area of rare genetic disorders. The team is an

internationally recognized group for the discovery of new genes responsible for inherited disease,

in particular neurological disease. This has led to the definition of a number of new and important

neurobiological disease processes.

Dr. Sirin Adham has a standing collaboration with Prof. John Bartlett and his team from the Ontario

Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Canada. The collaboration started in May 2020; the team

are studying the cancer genetics of Omani breast cancer patients’ using next generation sequencing.

Dr. Sivakumar Nallusamy has a standing collaboration with Dr. Vijay Gupta, Head of Research and

Development Scotland's Rural College, United Kingdom.

STUDENT TRAINING & INDUSTRY PLACEMENT Training opportunities for students in the Summer of 2020 are tabulated below:

Establishment No. of Students

Royal Hospital 1

Petroleum Development of Oman (PDO) 1

Food industry 1

COMMUNITY SERVICE Dr. Lamya Al Haj

Served as a media contributor in multiple TV and Radio and social media interviews 2020.

Dr. Sirin A. Adham

Served as media contributor in Oman TV news in English to spread awareness for COVID19

precautions measures, Muscat, September 2020.

Dr. Sivakumar Nallusamy

Serving as a voluntary parent committee member for the Indian School, Al-Seeb and giving

suggestions to the school for a smooth running of academic activities during the pandemic

situation.

STUDENT AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES The Biology student group has organized the following activities during the year 2020:

Activity Name/Description Date & Place #of

Participants Change by Thought

An initiative from the Department of Biology aims to discuss issues related to suitability of the department graduates to the job market.

Selected stakeholders were invited and online meeting was conducted on Tuesday, 17 November 2020. Director of Career Advisory office in SQU and Dean of College of Science were invited

17/NOV/2020;

Online

50


in addition to academic staff from the department. In attendance from outside SQU were: Mr. Talib Al Abri, Environment Authority; Dr. Farah Al Barwani, Beiah; Ghudina Al Isaai, Botanic Garden, Royal Court and Dr. Badar Al Qamshoui, Private Consultant.

MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT Al-Shehi, Aisha H Associate Professor & HoD

PhD (Michigan State, USA, 1997) Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology

Al Bahri, Saif Professor

PhD (University of New Hampshire, Durham, USA, 1994) Microbiology/Molecular Biology

Ba-Omar, Taher A Professor

PhD, (Glasgow, UK, 1989) Embryology and Histology

Elshafie, Abdulkadir A Professor

PhD (Exeter, UK, 1980) Mycology and Microbiology

Victor, Reginald Professor

PhD (Waterloo, Canada, 1979) Limnology, Freshwater and Coastal Ecology

Abed, Raeid Associate Professor

PhD (Bremen, Germany, 2001) Environmental Microbiology

Al-Ansari, Aliya A Associate Professor

PhD (Manchester, UK, 2002) Immunogenetics and Molecular Diversity

Barry, Michael J Associate Professor

PhD (Monash, Australia, 1991) Limnology and Ecotoxicology

Eltayeb, Elsadig A Associate Professor

PhD (Exeter, UK, 1982) Plant Biochemistry

Farooq, Sardar A Associate Professor

PhD, (Osmania, India, 1979) Biotechnology, Plant Genetics and Tissue Culture

Roberts, Derek M Associate Professor

PhD (Durham, UK, 1974) Medical Entomology

Adham, Sirin Associate Professor

PhD (Leon, Spain 2002) Biotechnology in Plants and Microorganisms

Sivakumar, Nallusamy Associate Professor

PhD (Bharathidsan, India, 2004) Bioprocessing, Bioactive Compounds

Suleiman, Hameed Associate Professor

PhD (Tamilnadu, India 2000) Environmental Science

Yaish, Mahmood Associate Professor

PhD (Leon, Spain 2002) Engineering Drought and Salinity Tolerance in Plants

Baqir, Senan Assistant Professor

PhD (Montreal, Canada 2002) Reproductive Biotechnology, Stem cells, Cryobiology

Cuellar-Soto, Erika Assistant Professor

PhD (Oxford, U.K., 2011) Zoology

Al Habsi, Aziz A Assistant Professor

PhD (Ottawa, Canada, 2014) Ecological Physiology

Al-Haj, Lamya A Assistant Professor

PhD (UCL, UK, 2014) Technology in Environmental Science

Al-Reasi, Hassan A. Assistant Professor

PhD (McMaster, Canada, 2012) Environmental Biology

Al-Riyami, Bahja Z Assistant Professor

PhD (Cambridge, UK, 2017) Molecular Microbiology

Al Shueili, Buthaina Z Lecturer (PhD Candidate)

MSc (Glasgow, UK, 2015) Biomedical Sciences (Cell Engineering)


Al Husaini, Khalsa B Lecturer

MSc (Waterloo, Canada, 2016) Chemical Engineering (Nanotechnology)

Fatema Nasser Al Jabri Coordinator

MSc (SQU, Oman, 2016) Business Administration

Florida Nevado Coordinator

BSc (Baguio, Philippines 1986) Commerce, Accounting

Al Bahlani, Sabri S Lab Supervisor

BSc (Arizona, USA, 1995) Environmental Science

Al Belushi, Jamila S Lab Supervisor

BSc (Wales Bangor, UK, 1999) Biology

Al Dhafry, Khamis S Department Supervisor

MSc (SQU, Oman 2011) Biology

Al Jabri, Moza M Lab Supervisor

BSc (SQU, Oman 1997) Biology

Al Salmi, Suleiman N Chief Technician B

BSc (SQU, Oman 1998) Animal Science

Al Siyabi, Fatma A Chief Technician B

BSc (SQU, Oman 1997) Biology

Al Shukairi, Salah S Superintendent

BSc (SQU, Oman 1996) Fisheries Science

Al Azri, Iman M Technician C

Diploma (Nizwa, Oman 2011) Biotechnology

Al Brashdi, Nadya S Technician C


Al Balushi, Halima A Technician B

BSc (SQU, Oman 2009) Biotechnology

Al Falahi, Manal K Technician C


Al Habsi, Munira S Technician B

Diploma (HCT, Oman 2002) Laboratory Science

Al Qassabi, Rasha S Technician B

BSc (Nizwa, Oman 2011) Biotechnology

Al Rawahi, Kamla K Technician B

BSc (SQU, Oman 2006) Biotechnology

Al Shaqri, Badriya R Technician C


Al Sharji, Amal H Technician B


Al Yarabi, Manal M Technician C

BSc (HCT, Oman 2014) Applied Biology


Department of Chemistry

Overview

The Department of Chemistry, established in 1986, offers a five-year Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Chemistry. The curriculum at the undergraduate level

is designed to provide students with deep knowledge, practical skills and a logical approach required to

begin their professional career right after graduation. The Department also offers a postgraduate program

leading to a Master of Science in Chemistry and a Ph. D. degree in various fields of Chemistry. The research

in the department covers many areas such as synthesis and characterization of organometallic and

coordination compounds, natural products and organic synthesis, materials science, oil enhancement

recovery, bio-physical chemistry, computational chemistry, microfluidics and nanotechnology, novel

fluorogenic liquid crystalline materials and environmental chemistry.

The Department of Chemistry is one of the biggest department in the College of Science with 29 full time

highly qualified academic staff with an extensive level of expertise covering a broad range of subject areas.

Our staff are active in research, and many of them hold internally and externally funded research projects.

The academic staff are also supported by a strong technical team consisting of 18 highly skilled technicians

and a research associate. In addition, the department is very well equipped with various high-end

instruments. Furthermore, the academic staff have access to instrumental and high performance

computational facilities run by several scientific research centers on SQU campus.

Contacts

Mailing Address: Sultan Qaboos University College of Science Department of Chemistry PO Box: 36, Postal Code: 123 Al-Khoudh Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Telephone & Fax: Tel. Number: (+968) 24142370 Fax. Number: (+968) 24141469 Email: [email protected]

Website:

http://www.squ.edu.om/science/Departments/Chemistry



HoD Office

Prof. Fakhr Eldin Suliman Prof. and HoD (Ph.D., KFUPM, KSA)

Mary Lovie Morris Coordinator

Safiya Al-Shibani Coordinator

Advisory Board

Dr. Haider Al-Lawati

Prof. Majek Fatope Dr. El-Said El-Shafey

BSc Curriculum

Dr. John Husband

Prof. Fakhr-Eldine Suliman

Dr. Muna Al-Mandhary

Dr. Hamad Al-Mamari

Dr. Younis Baqi

Post Graduate

Dr. Nawal K. Al-Rasbi Dr. Wajdi M. Zoghaib Prof. Osama Abou-Zied Dr. Rengaraj Selvaraj Dr. El Said El Shafey

Quality Assurance and Accreditation

Dr. Wajdi M. Zoghaib

Prof. Majek Fatope Dr. Muna Al-Mandhary

Dr. Emad Khudaish

Dr. Younis Baqi

Dr. John Husband

Research

Dr. Emad Khudaish

External Relations

Dr. El-Said El-Shafey Dr. Haider Al-Lawati

Dr. Younis Baqi Dr. Massimo Valentini

Appointment


Dr. Haider Al-Lawati

Prof. Musa Shongwe

Dr. Saleh Al-Busafi

Dr. John Husband

Promotion


Prof. Majek Fatope Prof. Mohamed Khan

Prof. Musa Shongwe

Prof. Osama Abou-Zied

Liaison

Dr. Emad Khudaish

Dr. Faizah Al-Mjeni

Dr. Massimo Valentini

Dr. Imran Sayed

Dr. Abdul Munam

Building & Space


Prof. Osama Abou-Zied Dr. Wajdi M. Zoghaib Mr. Mahmood Al-Azwani

Interdisiplinary Program

Dr. Wajdi M. Zoghaib

Strategic Plan

Prof. Osama Abou-Zied Dr. Wajdi M. Zoghaib


HIGHLIGHTS

The year 2020 witnessed the following:

Dr. Raid Abdel-Jalil is collaborating with Prof. Raphael Stoll

under the ambrella of a letter of Intent for cooperation between

SQU and Bochum University, Germany.

Dr. Rengaraj Selvaraj received a token of appreciation from HH

Sayed Dr. Fahad Al-Julanda Al-Said, Vice Chancellor for his

achievement in the top 2% of the best researcher in the world

ranked by Stanford University, USA. (Published in the Year

2020)

Dr. Rengaraj Selvaraj and his students won the award in Young

Omani Water Research from MEDRC.

Undergraduate Category:

Ms. Kawther Sulaiman Al Ismaili - 1st Place Winner

Mr. Matar Salim Al Maqbali – 2nd Place Winner

Wastewater Research Category:

Ms. Thuraya Abdullah Al Fahdi – 2nd Place Winner

Postgraduate Category:

Ms. Rasheeda Sulaiyam Al Abri – 2nd Place Winner

Dr. ElSaid El Shafey received a token of appreciation from HH

Sayed Dr. Fahad Al-Julanda Al-Said, Vice Chancellor for his

achievement in the top 2% of the best researcher in the world

ranked by Stanford University, USA. (Published in the Year

2020)

Dr. Younis Baqi was awarded the AGYA Research Mobility

Program (RMP) as invited International Professor at Bonn

University, Germany.

Dr. Rengaraj receiving appreciation from HH Sayed Dr.

Fahad Al-Julanda Al-Said, SQU’s Vice Chanceor

Dr. Rengaraj and his students


DEPARTING STAFF

Departmental coordinator Mrs. Safiya Al-Shaibani resigned from her position during October

2020.

Departmental coordinator Ms. Lovie Morris’s contract came to an end in September 2020.

APPOINTMENTS

Miss Umayma Al-Rashdi joined the Department as a permanent Technician September 2020.

Miss Nouf Al-Lamki joined the Department as a Coordinator for a 12 months term appointment in

December 2020.

PROMOTIONS

Dr. Haider Al-Lawati (Associate Professor) was granted an academic promotion to the Professor

rank in 2020.

Prof. Haider Al-Lawati

Miss Umayma Al-Rashdi

Miss Nouf Al-Lamki



Dr. Nawal Al-Rasbi received the award of Outstanding Woman Researcher in Chemistry for the

year 2020 from Venus International Foundation, Chennai, India.

Prof. Salma Al-Kindy received Lifetime Achievement Award in Analytical Chemistry ''. This award

was given by Global Learners Academy of Development on 6/3/2020.

Prof. Salma Al-Kindy received Lifetime Achievement Award in Sciences Award in Science"

disciplines Chemistry for the lifetime contributions in chemistry by the 5th Venus International

Women Awards – VIWA 2020.

Dr. Rengaraj Selvaraj received Certificate of Merit for supervising the Winning Research Projects

of Omani Young Water Researchers Award from MEDRC (Middle East Desalination and Water

Research Centre) (Under Graduate Category) in the year 2020.


Spring 2020:

Dr. Beena Varghese, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, Analytical Chemsitry, 2015.

Dr. Indumathi Muthkumar, Madurai Kamaraj University, India, Organic Chemsitry, 2009.

Dr. Mohammed Alamiry, Dublin City University, Britain, inorganic Chemistry,2013.

Dr. Petra Galer, University of Lyubljana, Slovenia, Organic Chemsitry, 2014.

Dr. Sayedhosein Mousavipour, Dalhousie University, Canada, Physical Chemistry, 1996.

Dr. Syeda Naheed Furqan, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, Analytical & Environmental Chemistry, 2018.

Fall 2020:

All appointments were cancelled and no visiting consultants were hired for Fall 2020.

CURRICULUM

A number of new major-elective courses were approved by the department and college

committees, and are ready for inclusion in the university timetable.

Review of the degree- and work-plans for chemistry and applied chemistry majors has been

completed with the idenstification of minor changes to be incorporated into the 2021-2025 degree

plans.

Dr. Beena Philip

Dr. Indumathi

Dr. Petra Galer

Dr. Syeda Naheed


INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS The Department of Chemistry has been collaborating with universities abroad from inception. Following

is a brief description of the ongoing collaborations faculty members are involved with:

Dr. Massimiliano Valentini has a standing collaboration with Prof. Alceo Macchioni and his team

from University of Perugia (Italy) in the area of catalytic water oxidation. The team is an

internationally recognized group for the discovery of a new class of Ir (III) water soluble

complexes active in the water oxidation reaction. Moreover, Massimiliano Valentini has an

international collaboration with Prof. Elena Motti from the University of Parma (Italy) for the

synthesis of cobalt complexes bearing the tripodal Klaui ligand.

Prof. Osama Abou-Zied has a standing collaboration with m a n y i n t e r n a t i o n a l r e s e a r c h e r s

f r o m M a l a y s i a ( Faisal Khyasudeen and Idayu Zahid, U n i v e r s i t y o f M a l a y a ; Fadhilah

Aripin, Universiti Teknologi MARA) ; UK (A l f o n s o M a r t i n e z - F e l i p e , U n i v e r s i t y o f

A b e r d e e n , S c o t l a n d ) ; Iran (Ali Akbar Saboury, University of Tehran); Mojtaba Falahati,

Islamic Azad University; Reza Shidpourb, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology). This

collaboration led to three papers in high-impact journals for work on modified fluorescent probes

for applications in biology, medicine and solar cells.

Dr. Imran Hasan Syed continues his research collaboration with Dr. Saravanan and Dr. Ashanl-ul-

Haque at the University of Hail, Saudi Arabia. The collaboration with Dr. Saravanan is in the field of

Natural Product Chemistry, which led to the isolation and characterization of secondary

metabolites from regional plants. The collaboration with Dr. Ashanl-ul-Haque led to the synthesis

of thioxanthone-based organic fluorescent probes.

Dr. Rengaraj Selvaraj has a standing collaboration with:

o Dr. Eveliina Repo, Laboratory of Separation and Purification Technology at Lappeenranta

University of Technology, Lappeenranta, Finland in the area of Purification Technology.

o Prof. Majeda Khraisheh, Department of Chemical Engineering, Qatar University, Qatar in

the area of separation of Oil and Water.

o Prof. Younghun Kim’s lab at Kwangwoon University, Seoul, South Korea in the area of

water and wastewater treatment.

o Dr. Kezhen Qi’s lab at Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, China in the area of

Development of Nanostructured Materials.

o Prof. Bhekie B Mamba, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa in the area

of Nanotechnology.

o Dr. Alex T. Kuvarega, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa in the area of

Nanotechnology.

Dr. El-Said I. El-Shafey has a standing collaboration with Dr. Vijayalakshmi Velusamy and her

team from Manchester Metropolitan University, UK in the nanotechnology and water treatment.

This has led to 3 publications so far in the above field.

Dr. Raid Abdel-Jalil has a standing collaboration with Prof. Raphael Stoll and his team from

University of Bochum in the area of rare medicinal chemistry. The team is an internationally

recognized group for the discovery of new anti-tumor agents for breast cancer.

Dr. Younis Baqi has a standing collaboration with Prof. Christa E. Muller and her team from

University of Bonn in the area of medicinal chemistry. The team is an internationally recognized

group for the discovery of new ligands for GPCRs and orphan receptors.


Dr. Younis Baqi has a standing collaboration with Dr. Jorg D. Hoheisel and his team from the German

Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), in the area of natural product chemistry. The team is an

internationally recognized group focuses on an assessment and description of the realization and

regulation of cellular function from genetic information.

Prof. Musa Shongwe’s research on iron (III)-based spin-crossover materials has flourished due in

part to collaborative research with Dr. Eckhard Bill of the Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische

Energiekonversion, Mülheim an der Ruhr (Germany) on Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic

susceptibility measurements. Prof. Shongwe is also conducting active research with Dr. Craig

Robertson of the Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield (UK) on variable-temperature

single-crystal X-ray analyses for both structural characterization and spin-state verification. Dr.

Dariusz Matoga of the Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University (Poland) provides invaluable

assistance with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements and cyclic voltammetry.

Dr. Abdul Munam maintains his external collaboration with Prof. Mario Gauthier, Institute of

Polymer Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada. He has also started collaborating with

Dr. Famiza Abdul Latiff, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.

Prof. Muhammad S. Khan has a standing collaboration with Prof. Paul R. Raithby and his team

from University of Bath, UK in the area of conjugated organometallic polymers and lanthanide

metals-based coordination complexes for opto-electronic applications.

Prof. Muhammad S. Khan has set up new res earc h collaboration with Prof. Raymond Wong and

his team from t h e Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong in the area of conjugated

organic and organometal lic polymers solar cel l applications . Prof. Khan has also set

up new research collaboration with Professor Liang Zhou from the Changchun Institute of Applied

Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences in the area of lanthanide metal complexes for organic light

emitting diode (OLED) application.

Dr. Wajdi Michael Zoghaib maintains his research collaboration with Prof. Tarek Abdallah at Al-

Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt and Dr. Lee Wilson at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. He

also collaborats in Liquid Crystals research with Prof. D. M. Pothukuchi at Jawaher Lal Nehro

University in India.

Dr. Imran Khan actively continued his research collaboration with Prof. João A.P. Coutinho and Dr.

Mara G. Freire from the CICECO, Department of Chemistry, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal.

Following the present collaboration, he extended his collaboration with Dr. Ramesh Gardas,

Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, India.

STUDENT TRAINING & INDUSTRY PLACEMENT Training opportunities for students in the Summer of 2020 are tabulated below:


Muscat Municipality 2

Oman Chlorine 1

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research 1

Titronic Middle East Company 1

Online Training Progams 2


COMMUNITY SERVICE Dr. Nawal Al-Rasbi

Member of the National Diploma Examination Committee at the Ministry of Education.

Evaluation and Revision of National Diploma Exams on Chemistry for Grade 12.

Dr. Laila Al-Maqbali

Advised the Ministry of Education on a training program for chemistry technicians.

Reviewed Grade 12 final exams for Muscat Bilingual schools.

Miss Umayma Al-Rashdi

Was invited by the Chemistry Group to give a seminar titled “Think smart before you start’

through Zoom platform to highlight the general safety rules while working in a chemistry

laboratory.

Dr. Younis Baqi

Maintains the advising and supervision of Chemistry and Applied Chemistry students who

undergo “Summer Industrial Training” at national, regional or international companies and

institutes.

MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT Suliman, Fakhr-Eldin O. Professor, HOD

PhD (King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 1996) Analytical Chemistry

Fatope, Majekodunmi Professor

PhD (University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 1980) Organic Chemistry

Khan, Muhammad S. Professor

PhD (University of Cambridge, 1983) Inorganic Chemistry

Al-Kindy, Salma M. Professor

PhD (Loughborough University, UK, 1987) Analytical Chemistry

Shongwe, Musa Professor

PhD (University of Cambridge, UK, 1990) Inorganic Chemistry

Abou-Zied, Osama Professor

PhD (University of Saskatchewan, Canada 1995) Physical Chemistry

Al-Lawati, Haider Professor

PhD (University of Hull, UK, 2007) Analytical Chemistry

Al-Mandhary, Muna Associate Professor

PhD (University of Cambridge, UK, 1994) Inorganic Chemistry

Khudaish, Emad Associate Professor

PhD (Massey University, New Zealand, 1999) Physical Chemistry

El-Shafey, El-Said Associate Professor

PhD (University of Hertfordshire, UK, 2000) Analytical & Environmental Chemistry

Zoghaib, Wajdi Michael Associate Professor

PhD (University of Saskatchewan, Canada, 1996) Organic Chemistry

Al-Busafi, Saleh Associate Professor

PhD (University of Reading, UK 1999) Organic Chemistry

Abdel-Jalil, Raid Associate Professor

PhD (University of Tübingen, Germany, 1999) Organic Chemistry

Valentini, Massimilliano Associate Professor

PhD (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland, 2001) Inorganic Chemistry

Husband, John Associate Professor

PhD (University of Massachusetts, USA, 2001) Physical Chemistry

Al-Mamari, Hamad H. Associate Professor

PhD (University of Oxford, UK, 2006) Organic Chemistry


Al-Rasbi, Nawal, Associate Professor

PhD (University of Sheffield, 2008) Inorganic Chemistry

Baqi, Younis Associate Professor

PhD (University of Bonn, Germany, 2008) Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry

Selvaraj, Rengaraj Associate Professor

PhD (Anna University, India, 1999) Analytical & Applied Environmental Chemistry

Khan, Imran Assistant Professor

PhD (University of Aligarh Muslim, India, 2008) Physical Chemistry

Al-Shihi, Badriya (Hon.) Assistant Professor

PhD (Loughborough University, UK, 2001) Chemical Engineering

Al-Mjeni, Faizah Assistant Professor

PhD (University of Massachusetts, USA, 2002) Inorganic Chemistry

Munam, Abdul Assistant Professor

PhD (University of Waterloo, Canada, 2007) Polymer Chemistry

Al-Wahaibi, Bushra Assistant Professor

PhD (University of Strathclyde, UK, 2012) Analytical Chemistry

Imran Syed Assistant Professor

PhD (University of Karachi, Pakistan, 2006) Organic Chemistry

Al-Saadi, Sultan Assistant Professor

PhD (Cardiff University, UK, 2014) Inorganic Chemistry

Al-Moqbali, Laila Assistant Professor

PhD ((York University, UK, 2016) Physical Chemistry

Al-Suti, Mohammed Research Associate

PhD (University of Bath, UK, 2006) Organometallic Chemistry

Al-Nafai, Isehaq Lecturer

MSc (Penn. State University, USA, 2015)

Al-Omiri, Budoor Lecturer

MSc ( University of Birmingham, UK, 2015)

Al-Shidhani, Reem Lecturer

MSc (University of Leeds., UK, 2016)

Al-Hinai Samira Demonstrator

BSc (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, 2015)

Al-Saidi, Salim College Superintendent

MSc (Leeds University, UK 1998)

Al-Azwani, Mahmoud Department Superintendent

MSc (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, 2011)

Morris, Lovie Coordinator

Diploma (Vimalayalam, India, 1975)

Al-Sheibani, Safiya Coordinator

Diploma (OTIC, Oman, 1995)

Al-Bulushi, Muhammed Lab Supervisor

BSc (Hons) (University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, 2009)

Al-Naaby, Mona Lab Supervisor

Diploma (OTIC, Oman, 1989)

Al-Hamdi, Abdullah Chief Technician

MSc (Northern Arizona University, USA, 1990)

Al-Kindi, Ali Chief Technician

Diploma (Sunderland Polytechnic, UK, 1988)

Al-Ajmi, Ibtisam Senior Technician


Al-Jabri, Fawzia Senior Technician


Al-Lamki, Sharifa Senior Technician


Al-Belushi, Muna Senior Technician

BSc (Loughborough University, UK, 2013)

Ajzoon Adel Glassblowing Technician

Associate Degree in Scientific Glass Technology (Salem College, USA, 2003)

Al-Maqbali, Khalid Technician


Al-Mahruoqi, Taiba Technician

BSc (HCT, Oman, 2008)


Al-Jahwari, Maryam Technician

Diploma (HCT, Oman, 2011)

Al-Hashemi, Shareef Technician


Al-Naamani, Ahood Technician


Al-Maktoumi, Issa Technician

Diploma (HTC, Oman, 2014)

Varghese, Ajith Technician

BSc (Karnataka University Dharwad, India, 1997)

Al-Lawati, Iman Technician

MSc (University of Manchester, UK, 2014)


Department of Computer Science

Overview

The Department of Computer Science was established in September 1995. It provides excellence in teaching,

research and expert advice. Computer Science is a broad field encompassing such diverse subject areas as

Software Engineering, Computer Software System Development, Database Management, Embedded Systems,

Web Computing, Real-Time Systems, Networking, Image Processing, Compilers, Automata Processing, Artificial

Intelligence, Parallel Processing, Operating Systems, Programming and Bioinformatics. Knowledge of Software

Development Methods, Mathematics, Computer Systems and Natural Sciences is applied to the theory,

development and implementation of information technology Software Systems for the benefit of the society.

Our academic staff and technicians are well equipped with the best qualifications and experience to meet the

expectations of the College and the University.

There are several active research groups within the Department, which have been producing a steady stream of

research publications of international caliber and which maintain strong research collaborations with

international institutions. All staff are committed and work together to achieve the visions and missions of the

Department, College and the University.

The Department strives to stay abreast of technology growth and development and recognizes the fact that

learning is a multifaceted continuous process. It also encourages e-learning and integrates computational

techniques in several courses.

Finally, the Department has a number of excellent laboratories with advanced facilities for teaching and research

and also shares other facilities within the College and the University.

Contacts Mailing Address: Sultan Qaboos University College of Science Department of Computer Science PO Box: 36, Postal Code: 123 Al-Khoudh, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Telephone & Fax: Tel/Fax. Number: (+968) 24141407 Email: [email protected]

Website:

http://www.squ.edu.om/science/Departments/Computer-Science

Twitter:

@DCS_SQU


HoD Office

Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamdani Assistant Professor, HoD (PhD, Case Western Reserve University, USA)

Ms. Hiba Al-Busaidi Clerk

Ms. Reena Thomas

Coordinator


Advisory Board Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamdani Dr. Nasser Alzeidi

BSc Curriculum Prof. Khaled Day Prof. Zuhoor Al-Khanjari

Dr. Hamza Zidoum

Dr. Yassine Jamoussi

Ms. Fatima Al-Raisi

Postgraduate Study Prof. Abderezak Touzene Prof. Zuhoor Al-Khanjari

Dr. Rachid Hedjam

Ms. Fatima Al-Raisi

Quality Assurance Dr. Yassine Jamoussi Dr. Abdelhamid Abdesselam Dr. Amaal Hassan Dr. Hanaa Al-Zadjali Dr. Imran Khan Ms. Hiba Al-Busaidi

Research Prof. Youcef Baghdadi Prof. Abderezak Touzene


Dr. Rachid Hedjam

External Relations Dr. Huda Al-Amri Dr. Mohammed Al-Badawi

Prof. Zuhoor Al-Khanjari

Appointment Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamdani Prof. Khaled Day

Prof. Abderazak Touzene

Dr. Abir Al-Hajri

Dr. Mohammed Al-Badawi

Promotion Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamdani Prof. Khaled Day Prof. Youcef Baghdadi


Dr. Nasser Alzeidi

Liaison Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamdani Dr. Nasser Alzeidi

Ms. Hiba Al-Busaidi



● Obtained approval for the new Master Degree in Data Science and Machine Learning. The new Msc. in DSML will start in Fall 2021.

● Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamdani has been promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor rank.

● Three teams of DCS students won the first three places in the 7th Oman Collegiate Programming Contest (OCPC2020) where two of them were qualified to participate in the Africa & Arab Collegiate Programming Championship (ACPC 2020), Sharm El-SHeikh, Egypt. OCPC2020 had 13 participating teams from Colleges and Universities in Oman.

● Prof. Youcef Baghdadi edited a book “ICT for an Inclusive Word:” published by Springer.

● The department has five ongoing Internal Grants; the details are in the research section.

● Two PhD and nine MSc students have successfully defended their thesis and completed the requirements for their degree.

A Book edited by Prof. Youcef Baghdadi in 2020

New Master in Data Science and Machine Learning


LEAVING STAFF

● Department Coordinator, Mrs. Reena Thomas’ contract came to an end in December 2020.

SCHOLARSHIPS & OVERSEAS STUDIES

● Ms. Fatma Al-Raisi is pursuing her PhD studies at Carnegie Mellon University, USA.

● The following students have completed their PhD degrees in Computer Science in 2020:

o Dr. Yahya Al-Sawafi defended his thesis under the supervision of Prof. Abderrezak Touzene, Prof. Khaled Day and Dr. Nasser Al-Zeidi.

o Dr. Hamid Jadad defended his thesis under the supervision of Prof. Abderrezak Touzene, Prof. Khaled Day and Dr. Nasser Al-Zeidi.

● The following students have completed their MSc degrees in Computer Science in 2020:

o Asmaa Al Bahantah defended her MSc thesis under the supervision of Dr. Nasser Al-Zeidi.

o Ghanyia Al-Hinai defended her MSc thesis under the supervision of Dr. Rachid Hedjam.

o Hajir Al-Saadi defended her MSc thesis under the supervision of Dr. Rachid Hedjam.

o Hanan Al Jabri defended her MSc thesis under the supervision of Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamdani

o Hind Al-Qamshouii defended her MSc thesis under the supervision of Dr. Imran Khan.

o Manar Al-Meqbali defended her MSc thesis under the supervision of Prof. Abderrezak Touzene.

o Salha Al Farsi defended her MSc thesis under the supervision of Prof. Khaled Day.

o Sumaya Al-Sawafi defended her MSc thesis under the supervision of Dr. Hamza Zidoum.

o Zunaira Zubair defended her MSc thesis under the supervision of Dr. Rachid Hedjam.

PROMOTIONS

● Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamdani was promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor in May 2020.


● Dr. Abir Al-Hajri, Assistant Professor, won the College of Science Best Teacher Award in May 2020,

during the University Day celebrations.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamdani


● Dr. Abir Al-Hajri, Assistant Professor, won the College of Science Best Advisor Award in May 2020,

during the University Day celebrations.

● Three teams of DCS students won the first three places in the 7th Oman Collegiate Programming Contest

(OCPC2020).

VISITING CONSULTANTS AND PART-TIME INSTRUCTORS

The Department used the service of eight part-time staff in Spring and Fall 2019 respectively.

● Dr. Sultan Al-Yahyai, COMP2002, COMP1002

● Ms. Fatma Al-Shohoumi, COMP2010

● Ms. Yusra Al-Roshdi, COMP2010

● Mr. Hilal Al-Abdali, COMP2010

● Mr. Yahya Al-Sawafi, COMP2010

● Mr. Saleh Al-Hajri, COMP2010

● Mr. Saud Al-Oreimi, COMP2010

In addition, there were 15 and 14 student teaching assistants in Spring and Fall 2020, respectively.

CURRICULUM

● A New Minor in Machine Learning and Data Science: the department has submitted to the college a

proposal for a new minor in Machine Learning and Data Science.

● New Courses: the department has developed the following 6 new courses: COMP1002 (Our World in

the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era), COMP1003 (Python Programming for Everyone), COMP1007

(Amazing Applications of AI), COMP2607 (Computing in Industry 4.0), COMP3603 (Programming

Fundamentals for Machine Learning), COMP4609 (Deep Learning Fundamentals).


INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS The Department of Computer Science has been collaborating with universities abroad from its inception.

Following is a brief description of the ongoing collaborations, where faculty members are involved:

● Dr. Hamza ZIDOUM

o Collaborates with Department of Information Technology, Division of Computing Science, Uppsala

University

o Collaborates with Faculté des Sciences et Techniques Béni Mellal Département Informatique

MASTER SCIENCES ET TECHNIQUES Informatique Décisionnelle

● Dr. Imran Khan

o Collaborates with Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Computational Intelligence, Department of Computer

Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.

● Dr. Rachid Hedjam

o Collaborates with University of Trento, Italy

o Collaborates with Ocean University of China (OUC), Department of Computer Science.

o Collaborates with the Department of Computer Science and Operational Research at University of

Montreal, Canada.

o Collaborates with University of Setif Algeria.

o Collaborates with University of Ouargla, Algeria.

● Dr. Yassine Jamoussi

o Collaborates with MACAO Lab, University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès (UT2J), France

o Collaborates with RIADI Lab, University of Manouba, Tunisia

● Prof. Youcef Baghdadi

o Collaborates with the Center of Research in Informatics (CRI) at University of Paris 1, France

STUDENT TRAINING & INDUSTRY PLACEMENT Summer 2020 training was exceptional due to the global epidemic, Coronavirus (Covid-19). Exceptionally, the

department in line with the Assistant Dean Office training policy, encouraged students to stay home, and

proposed the online learning opportunity as a safe alternative for in-situs internship. The training opportunities

for students in the summer of 2020 are summarized below:


Occidental Oman Inc/Oman North Operations 2

International Cybersecurity Institute (ICSI), UK 1

Udemy 7

National Youth Commission, Youth Tech Bootcamps, Muscat

1

Innovation & Support Center, Ministry of Technology and Communications

2

Coursera/University of Colorado 1

IBM online learning Initiative, edX 1

Infotech LLC 1

Coursera/John Hopkins University 1

Code Academy - Oman 1

https://www.researchgate.net/institution/Ocean_University_of_China

https://www.researchgate.net/institution/Ocean_University_of_China/department/Department_of_Computer_Science


NEW EQUIPMENT

● Hard Disk (10 pcs)

● Cartridges for HP Laserjet Pro 400 (20 pcs)

● PC - FYP (5 PC)

COMMUNITY SERVICES Dr. Abir Al Hajri

o Served as the head of the Audit Panel of the Center for Information Systems at the University

(Spring 2020 – Fall 2020) as part of the university accreditation. Portfolio of the center was

reviewed and assessed. Site-visits were conducted to help in writing the report that includes the

best practices, issues for actions and recommendations in relation to the Center for Information

Systems services.

o Served as a member of the enhancing technology and digital transformation project at the

university (Fall 2020 - Spring 2021) as part of the development of the university 2021-2025

strategic plan that is aligned with Oman’s 2040 Strategic Plan. Issues facing the digital

transformation were collected (from stakeholders and different units within the university),

analyzed and solutions were recommended. The team has designed a plan on how these solutions

can be implemented and assessed over the next five years.

o Served as Coach for four SQU teams in Oman Collegiate Programming Contest (OCPC2020) and one

of the teams achieved second place and another achieved third place.

Dr. Abdelhamid Abdesselam

o Served as Reviewer for Pattern Recognition Journal

o Served as Associate Editor for SQUJS

Dr. Abderezak Touzene

o Member of the editorial board for Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks.

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jsan/editors

o Member of the editorial board for Computer Networks & Communications: International Journal

(CNCIJ). http://flyccs.com/jounals/CNCIJ/EditorialBoard.html

o Member of the editorial board for Journal Telecommunications.

http://www.mdpi.com/journal/telecommunications/editors

o Member of the editorial board for International Journal of Computer &Software Engineering, an

international open access journal, Graphy Publications.

o Member of the advisory/editorial board of The World Academy of Research in Science and

Engineering (WARSE

o Reviewer for The Supercomputing journal

o Reviewer for The Ad-Hoc Networks Journal

o Reviewer for The IEEE Access Journal

o Reviewer for The IEEE Wireless Communication journal

o Reviewer for IBIMA Conference

o Reviewer for the Ministry of Higher Education. Reviewed a program -Diploma/Bachelor of Science

(BSc) in Artificial Intelligence.

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jsan/editors


o Reviewer for Internal Grant, College of Engineering, SQU.

o External reviewer for the academic promotion case, University of Nizwa, Oman

o External reviewer for the academic promotion case, Umm AlQura University (Makkah, Saudi Arabia)

o Invited as expert by the IT Director of Mazoon Electricity company (Fenja main building) to discuss

future trends of Smart grid and prediction models and potential collaboration with Sultan Qaboos

University Computer Science Department, 2020.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamdani

o External Reviewer, New BSc Program in Information Technology, A’SHARQIYAH UNIVERSITY,

Oman.

o Referred papers for Service Oriented Computing and Applications (SOCA) Journal.

o Served as a reviewer for the 35th IBIMA International Conference.

Dr. Hamza Zidoum

o Reviewer for Health Informatics Journal, SAGE Track.

o Reviewer for The International Arab Journal of Information Technology: IAJIT

o Served as Consultant for the Ministry of Higher Education, Directorate General of Private Universities

and Colleges. Reviewed a program -Diploma/Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Artificial Intelligence.

o Served as Consultant for the College of Engineering, Assistant Dean for Postgraduate Studies and

Research. Reviewed Internal Grant applications.

Dr. Imran Khan

o Served as a reviewer for the journal IEEE Transaction on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence.

o Served as a reviewer for the journal Measurement and Control.

o Served as a reviewer for the journal IEEE Access.

Prof. Khaled Day

o Springer Nature Operations Research Forum journal

o International Symposium on Informatics and its Applications (ISIA'20)

Dr. Mohammed Al-Badawi

o Started the second term as College of Science Assistant Dean for Training & Community Service

(Sep/2020-Aug/2023).

o Continue serving as the Regional Director of the Oman Collegiate Programming Contest since 2013.

o Continue serving as a member in the Gulf Programming Contest Steering Committee (Since 2016).

o Continue serving as IOI representative in Oman, 2020.

o Coached 1 SQU team that participated in OCPC2020.

Dr. Rachid Hedjam

o IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine

o IEEE transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing

o International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology

o Neurocomputing, Elsevier


o The Journal of Engineering Research [TJER].

o Mediterranean Conference on Pattern Recognition and Artificial Intelligence.


o Served as reviewer for the International Journal of Software Engineering and its applications,

o Served as reviewer for the Journal of Engineering Research

o Served as reviewer for the International Journal of Web Applications and Technology

o Served as program committee member for the 19th International Conference on Software and

Systems Reuse, ICSR 2020, Hammamet, Tunisia, December 2–4, 2020, Springer.

Prof. Youcef Baghdadi

o Served as Editor of the book “ICT for an Inclusive Word, published by Springer

o Served in editorial board for International Journal of Computer & Their Applications in Technologies

(IJCAT)

o Served as reviewer for Service-oriented Computing & Applications (SOCA)

o Served as reviewer for IET Software

o Reviewed BSc and MSc programs, Ministry of Higher Education, Oman.


o Served as a reviewer for The International Arab Journal of Information Technology (IAJIT).

o Served as a reviewer for The British Journal of Applied Science & Technology

o Served as a reviewer for The Journal of Emerging Technologies in Web Intelligence (JETWI)

o Served as a reviewer for The Journal of Software Engineering and Its Applications (JSEIA).

o Served as a reviewer for The International Journal of Cloud-Computing and Super-Computing

(IJCS).

o Served as a reviewer for The Journal of Internet Services and Applications.

o Served as a reviewer for The International Journal of Knowledge Content Development and

Technology (IJKCDT).

o Served as a reviewer for The International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education (IJEEE).

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

● Computer Science Group (CSG) organized a workshop on Web development basics including html, css,

and JavaScript for SQU students and all those interested in this area.

● CSG participated with the Science Society in organizing kids activity during summer 2020.

● CSG participated with the Med group in organizing an Ideathon which was meant to help solving a

medical issue using tech solutions and over 6 teams participated in this event.

● CSG students played a role in the organization of OCPC2020 (Oman Collegiate Programming Contest)

http://isindexing.com/isi/journaldetails.php?id=743

http://isindexing.com/isi/journaldetails.php?id=743


The GPC Volunteers & Organizers (Computer Science Group)

MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT

Al-Hamdani, Abdullah

Associate Professor, HOD

PhD (Case Western Reserve University. USA, 2004)

Database and Semi-Structured Data, Data Mining, Data Science, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), and Digital Libraries.

Baghdadi, Youcef

Professor

PhD (University of Toulouse, France, 1997)

Service-oriented computing, Web services, Service-Oriented Software, e-business and e-commerce applications, Databases, and Information Systems

Day, Khaled

Professor

PhD (Minnesota, USA, 1992)

Parallel and Distributed Computing, Interconnection Networks, Networks-on-Chip, Mobile Ad-Hoc and Wireless Sensor Networks

Al-Khanjari, Zuhoor

Professor

PhD (Liverpool University, UK, 1999)

Software Engineering, Software Analysis and Design, Software Testing, Database Management, Object Oriented Programming, e-Learning and e-Government and Smart e-Learning

Touzene, Abderezak

Professor

PhD (Institut National Poly-technique de Grenoble, France, 1992), Parallel Computing and Distributed Systems, Network on Chip Interconnection Networks, Wireless Networks, Performance Evaluation, and Numerical Methods, Network on Chip.

Abdesselam, Abdelhamid

Associate Professor

PhD (Institute National Polytechnique de Toulouse, France, 1991)

Image Processing, Computer Vision, and Pattern Recognition

Al-Zeidi, Nasser

Associate Professor,

Director of CIS

PhD (University of Glasgow, UK, 2007)

Parallel, Distributed and Embedded Systems, Interconnection Networks, Network-on-Chip, Wireless Networks, Performance Evaluation and Analysis of Computer Networks

Al-Amri, Huda

Assistant Professor

PhD (Wollongong University, 2013)

Wireless Networks, Mobile ad-hoc Network, Performance Evaluation and Analysis of Computer Networks

Al-Badawi, Mohammed PhD (The University of Sheffield, UK, 2010)

Databases, XML Database Processing, AI, Computer Aided Systems,


Assistant Professor

Asst. Dean for Training & Community Services

Computation Theory, e-Learning, Programming Languages

Al-Hajri, Abir

Assistant Professor

PhD (University of British Columbia, Canada, 2014) Human Computer Interaction and Video Navigation Behavior

Al-Kharousi, Farha

Assistant Professor

PhD (University of London, 2011) Algorithms

Al-Zadjali, Hanaa

Assistant Professor

PhD (University of Sheffield, UK, 2017) Computer Science

Hedjam, Rachid

Assistant Professor

PhD (University of Quebec, ETS, Montreal, Canada, 2013)

Computer Science (Computer vision, Machine learning and Pattern Recognition)

Jamoussi, Yassine

Assistant Professor

HDR (University Manouba, Tunisia) and University Paul Sabatier, France, 2013) and PhD (University, Tunis II and Paris I, 1998)

Service Oriented Computing, Web Services, Web-based Applications, Software Process Engineering

Khan, Imran

Assistant Professor

PhD (Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenzhen, China, 2017)

Zidoum, Hamza

Assistant Professor

PhD (University of Franche-Comte, France, 1996)

Constraint Programming, Combinatorial Search Problems, Automated Software Engineering, Computational Linguistics.

Al-Raisi, Fatima

Lecturer

PhD Candidate (Carnegie Mellon University, USA)

Machine Learning, Data Mining, Optimization, Natural Language Processing, Text Analytics, Computational Linguistics

MSc (Rochester Institute of Technology, USA, 2007)

Theoretical Computer Science, Complexity Theory, Complexity Theoretic Analysis of Voting Schemes

Hassan, Amal

Lecturer

PhD (University of Malaya Sarawak, 2013)

Sajeed, Mohammed

Lecturer

MSc (Bharathidasan University, India, 1999)

Computer Science

Al-Salmi, Sulaiman

Technician

BSc (Arkansas State University, United States of America, 1997)

Salialam, Ronnie

Technician

BSc (CCP Philippines, 1995)

Al-Oraimi, Saud

Technician

BSc (Franklin University, Columbus, Ohio, USA, 2009)

Al-Busaidi, Hiba

Clerk

BSc (Higher College of Technology, Muscat, Oman, 2012)

Information Systems

Thomas, Reena

Coordinator

MA (University of Kerala, India, 1989)



Department of Earth Sciences

Overview

The Department of Earth Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University provides the Sultanate with quality Earth Sciences

graduates. The department provides geosciences solutions to the local community and industry. The Department

offers degrees in Geophysics and in Earth Sciences as well as highly flexible MSc and PhD programs that are

responsive to market needs. The number of students majoring Earths Sciences increases rapidly and reaches up

to 85 students each year.

The Department of Earth Sciences currently has 15 academic staff. In addition, the department has established

very close links with the University Research Centres namely the Earthquake Monitoring Center (EMC), Remote

Sensing and GIS Center (RSC) and Earth Science Research Centre (ESRC).

Contacts Mailing Address: Sultan Qaboos University College of Science Department of Earth Sciences PO Box: 36, Postal Code: 123 Al-Khoudh Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Telephone & Fax: Tel./Fax. Number: (+968) 24146834 Email: [email protected]

Website:

http://www.squ.edu.om/science/Departments/Earth-Sciences



HoD Office

Talal Al-Hosni Assistant Prof., HoD (PhD, Melbourne, Australia)

Mrs. Shahira Al-Balushi Coordinator

BSc Curriculum

Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed Dr. Rifaat Abdullah Dr. Andreas Scharf Dr. Mohammed Farfour Dr. Mohammed Mustafa Mr. Khalil Al-Hooti

Accreditation

Prof. Frank Mattern Prof. Sundarajan Narasimman Dr. Salah Al-Khirbash Dr. Mohammed Mustafa

Mr. Khalil Al-Hooti

Promotion Dr. Talal Al-Hosni Prof. Sobhi Nasir Prof. Sundarajan Narasimman Dr. Salah Al-Khirbash Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed

Appointment Dr. Talal Al-Hosni Dr. Abdul Razak Al-Sayigh Prof. Sundarajan Narasimman Prof. Osman Abdulla Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed

Final Year Projects Prof. Sobhi Nasir

Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed Dr. Mohammed Farfour

Postgraduate Studies Dr. Mohamed El Ghali Dr. Salah Al-Khirbash Dr. Frank Mattern Dr. Talal Al-Hosni Dr. Mohammed Farfour

Degree Plan Revision (2021-2025) Dr. Talal Al-Hosni Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed Dr. Mohammed Farfour

Mr. Khalil Al-Hooti

Research Committee Dr. Bernhard Pracejus Prof. Osman Abdalla Prof. Sundarajan Narasimman

Liaison Dr. Talal Al-Hosni Dr. Mohammed Farfour

Advisory Board Dr. Talal Al-Hosni Dr. Abdul Razak Al-Sayigh Mr. Khalil Al-Hooti

Appeal Committee Prof. Osman Abdalla Dr. Salah Al-Khirbash Dr. Abdul Razak Al-Sayigh Dr. Mohammed Farfour



Our bachelor degree programs (Earth Sciences and Geophysics) were accredited by the Geological Society of London from November 2014 for 6 years (till November 2020). Due to covid-19 pandemic, the Society extended kindly the accreditation for an additional year, until November 2021. The Department has submitted the re-accreditation documents on October 11, 2020.

Prof. Osman Abdalla was the Chair of the organizing committee of the 2nd International Conference on Water Resources in Arid areas: The way forward, 9-11 November 2020, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.

Prof. Sobhi Nasir was the Chair of the organizing committee of International Conference on Ophiolites and the Oceanic Lithosphere Results of the Oman Drilling Project and Related Research held on 12-14 January 2020, at Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.

Three members from the departments have been promoted to higher academic ranks and one was awarded best teacher award.

A team of students from the department won the 2nd Place at the 2020's IBA competition in Middle East.

A team of students at the 2020's IBA


DEPARTING STAFF

Mr. Mohamed Al-Mawali resigned from his position as a Technician in

January 2020.


Mr. Musaab Al-Sarmi (Lecturer) is a doctoral student at The University of Edinburgh and expected to

complete his degree in August 2024.

Ms. Amani Al-Abri (Lecturer) is a doctoral student at Boston University and expected to complete her

degree in June 2021.

PROMOTIONS

Andreas Scharf (Assistant Professor) was granted academic promotion

to the Associate Professor rank at the end of the Spring Semester 2020.

Osman Abdalla (Associate Professor) was granted academic promotion

to the Professor rank during the Fall Semester 2020.

Frank Mattern (Associate Professor) was granted academic promotion

to the Professor rank during the Fall Semester 2020.

Mohamed Al-Mawali

Andreas Scharf

Osman Abdalla

Frank Mattern



A student team from the department has won the second place in the IBA competition by American

Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG). The competition was held online on March 14, 2020.

Prof. Osman Abdalla has won the Research and Innovations Award in Water Science 2019 by The

Research Council and The Sultan Qaboos Higher Center for Culture and Science. The award is for the

scientific publications category issued March 2020.

Dr. Mohammed Farfour has received the Best Teacher Award for the academic year 2019-2020.


Spring 2020:

Dr. Masdouq Al-Taj, The University of Jordan, Jordan, PhD in Structural Geology and Tectonics, 2000.

Fall 2020:

Dr. Salah Bashir Abdalla, The University of Khartoum, Sudan, PhD in Engneering Geology, 1997.

Dr. Masdouq Al-Taj Dr. Salah Abdalla

CURRICULUM

In 2020, new courses were approved by the department and submitted to the college committees for

approval.

In 2020, the course GEOP3100 ‘Earthquake Seismology’ prerequisite was changed from GEOP3041 to

ERSC2101.

In 2020, the 2021-2025 degree plans were revised and approved by the department and sent for approval

by the college.

A new course was instructed for the first time: ERSC6003 Geowriting and Presentation Skills.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS The Department of Earth Sciences has been collaborating with universities abroad from inception. Following is

a brief description of the ongoing collaborations faculty members are involved with:

Dr. Frank Mattern has a research collaboration with Prof. Francesca Cifelli and Prof. Massimo Mattei, University Roma Tre, Rome, Italy and Prof. Eugenio Carminati and Prof. Luca Aldega, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy, and Dr. Andreas Scharf on paleomagnetism of Meso-Cenozoic rocks of the Oman Mountains to understand the oroclinal(?) bending.

Dr. Frank Mattern has a research collaboration with Prof. Li Xianghui, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China, on the paleoseamounts in Yarlung-Zango Suture Zone of Tibet.


Dr. Frank Mattern has an interdisciplinary research collaboration with Prof. Gianluca Frijia, Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy, and Dr. Bernhard Pracejus and Dr. Andreas Scharf on the Microfacies analysis and ferruginous oolites and ferruginous hardgrounds: implications for forebulge development (Cenomanian Natih Formation, Aruma foreland basin, Oman Mountains)

Dr. Frank Mattern has a research collaboration with Prof. Gianluca Frijia, Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy. Dr. Laura Gallucio, Badley-Aston, Winceby House, Winceby, Horncastöe, Lincolnshire, UK and Dr. Andreas Scharf on the mineralogical changes in the Neoproterozoic Hiyam Formation (Oman Mountains).

Dr. Frank Mattern has a research collaboration with Prof. Luca Aldega and Prof. Eugenio Carminati, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, and Dr. Andreas Scharf on peak temperatures in clays and deformation in Permo-Mesozoic rocks of the Oman Mountains.

Dr. Frank Mattern has a research collaboration with Prof. Robert Bolhar, Uiversity of Widwatersrand, Braamfontain, South Africa, and Dr. Andreas Scharf on dating (U/Pb of carbonate veins) various deformation events in the Oman Mountains.

Dr. Mohammed Farfour is working with Dr. Douglas Foster from the University of Texas at Austin, US. Under the above research collaboration he published two scientific papers. The fisrt is published in the Annual Meeting of the Scociety of Exploration Geophyscists, while the second is published in the Journal of Applied Geophysics.

Dr. Bernhard Pracejus has an interdisciplinary research collaboration with Dr. Habil. Paul Yule (Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Vorderasiatische Archeology , Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Germany) and Dr. Khaled Douglas (HoD Archaeology Department, SQU) on Bronze and Iron Age artefacts from Oman. This has already been compiled in a book that is already in press.

INDUSTRIAL COLLABORATION Dr. Mohammed Farfour has commenced a research project supported by Tethys Oil, Oman. The project

is about geophysical characterization of carbonate stringers in South Oman Salt Basin.

Earth Sciences Department received academic licenses to use gPlatform software for seismic data processing. The program is used for teaching purposes at the department.

The department has reactivated its Industrial Advisory Board (IAB). The IAB is meant to strengthen the academia – industry collaboration and to help the department evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of its programs. The IAB members are:

Name Position Organization Abdullah Al Shanfari Deputy Managing Director Daleel Petroleum L.L.C Eng. Ahmed Al-Hinai Director General of

Environmental Affairs Ministry of Environment and Climate Affair

Hon. Dr. Sheikh Al-Khattab Al-Hinai

Vice chairman

Oman State Council

Mr. Hamed Al Shuaili Head of Geological Services Petroleum Development Oman

Dr. Hisham Al Siyabi Exploration Director Petroleum Development Oman Dr. Khalil Al Riyami Vice President Exploration Occidental Oman Dr. Mutasim Al-Raisi Upstream Oil & Gas CEO Target Oilfield Services LLC Eng. Nasser Al-Battashi Director General of Water

Resources Assessment Ministry Of Regional Municipal And Water Resources

Dr. Omar Al-Jaaidi Exploration & Development Manager

ARA Petroleum

Mr. Rashid Al Toqi General Manager Oman Mining Company LLC

Mr. Said Al-Rawas Deputy Centre Manager & QHSE Advisor

CGG

Dr. Saleh Al Anboori Director General of Planning and Studies

Ministry of Oil & Gas

Dr. Salim Al-Mahrouqi Director General of Investment Public Authority for Mining


STAFF TRAINING

Dr. Talal Al-Hosni has attended the workshop on “Re-Thinking Student Assessment in Online Learning”. The workshop was conducted on Thursday, 12 November 2020, online by Dr. Narimane Hadj-Hamou, Founder & CEO of CLICKS, Dubai. The workshop was orgaized by SQU’s CETL (Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning).

Dr. Talal Al-Hosni has attended the seminar on “New teaching approaches of university science courses (the SCALE-UP pedagogy)”. The workshop was conducted on Thursday, 13 February 2020, in the Science Seminar Room 2202, SQU, Oman by Prof. Gerald Feldman, Physics, George Washington University, USA. The workshop was orgaized by SQU’s CETL.

Dr. Talal Al-Hosni has attended the international conference on “CETL Reimagining Teaching”. The conference was orgaized by SQU’s CETL, 10-12 February, 2020.

Dr. Talal Al-Hosni has attended the workshop on “Tools for Peer Instruction”. The workshop was conducted on Sunday, 9 November 2020, by Prof. Eric Mazur, Physics, Harvard University, USA. The workshop was orgaized by SQU’s CETL.

Ten members from the department have attended a training course provided by Landmark Geology and Geophysics Software. The training was about their software programs: Decision Space, and Permedia. The training was from July 12th 2020 to August 11th 2020.

Dr. Mohammed Farfour attended 3-day workshop organized by the CETL for Faculty Fellows. The workshop was conducted by Dr. Dan Bernstein, Dept. of Psychology, The University of Texas.

Dr. Mohammed Farfour attended a workshop on Developing Rubrics conducted by Dr. Mahmood Emam. The workshop was organized by the CETL on Nov. 23rd, 2020.

Dr. Mohammed Farfour attended a workshop on Assessment of online learning on Nov. 12, 2020.

STUDENT TRAINING & INDUSTRY PLACEMENT Because the COVID19 pandemic, all training opportunities for students in the Summer are cancelled.

COMMUNITY SERVICE Prof. Osman Abdalla

Has chaired the organizing committee for the Second International Conference on Water Resources in

Arid areas held online November 9-11, 2020 at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman.

Has served as a member of the national steering committee of the management of water research

strategic program.

Dr. Mohammed Farfour

Has served as reviewer for the Second International Conference on Water Resources in Arid areas held

online November 9-11, 2020 at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman.

Dr. Frank Mattern

External Reviewer of Academic Promotion Application for GUtech, Halban, Oman.

External Advisory Board Member of the Bachelor Programme in Applied Geosciences of GUtech

Mr. Hilal Al-Zeidi

Has been nominated as a focal point between the university and the Oman Natural History Museum.

Has been chosen as a member in the Spatial portal that is monitored by the National Centre of Statistics

and Information.


STUDENTS ACTIVITIES The Earth Sciences student group has organized the following activities during the year 2020:

Activity Name/Description Date & Place #of

Participants Geo Park 5 is an annualy organised event by the Geo-Group. This year 2020, due to the COVID19 pandemic, the event was conducted virtually. The event aimed to introduce Earth Sciences to fresh students and also give them a good insight about our planet Earth, geological ages, and more topics that are of interest to geoscience community.

22-26 October 2020 The event was

Virtual

20


Al-Hosni, Talal Assistant Professor, HoD

PhD (Melbourne, Australia, 2007) Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology

Nasir, Sobhi Professor

PhD (Wuerzburg, Germany, 1986) Mineralogy and Petrology

Sundararajan, Narisimman Professor

PhD (Osmania University, India, 1983 ) Exploration Geophysics

Abdalla, Osman Professor

PhD (Technical University of Berlin, Germany, 2000) Hydrogeology

Frank Mattern Professor

DSc (Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, 2000) PhD (Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, 1988) Sedimentology, Basin Analysis

Al Khirbash, Salah Associate Professor

PhD (Nebraska, USA, 1987) Economic Geology

Ahmed, Iftikhar Associate Professor

PhD (Cambridge, UK, 1989) Clastic Sedimentology

Al-Sayigh, Abdulrazak Associate Professor

PhD (Wales, Aberystwyth, UK, 1998) Paleontology (Micro)

Pracejus, Bernhard Associate Professor

DSc (Freie Universität Berlin, 2001) PhD (Adelaide University, 1990) Geochemistry, Economic Geology

Rifaat Abdalla Associate Professor

PhD (York University, Canada, 2006) Geo-Informatics

El-Ghali, Mohamed Associate Professor

PhD (Upscala University, Sweden, 2005) Petroleum Geology

Andreas Scharf Associate Professor

PhD (PhD, Freie University Berlin, Germany, 2013) Structural Geology

Farfour, Mohammed Assistant Professor

PhD (Chonnam University, S. Korea, 2013) Applied Geophysics

Moustafa, Mohamed Assistant Professor

PhD (Texas A&M, US, 2015)

Al-Hooti, Khalil Lecturer

PhD (University of Bristol, UK, 2021)

Musaab Sh. Al Sarmi* Lecturer

MSc (University of Adelaide, Australia, 2018)

Al-Abri, Amani* Lecturer

MSc (New South Wales, Australia 2010)

Al-Zidi, Hilal Superintendent

MSc (SQU, 2009)

Al-Fahdi, Abdullah* Technician

PhD student


Al-Zidi, Hamdan Technician

BSc (SQU, 1999)

Al-Shaqsi, Bader Technician

BSc (SQU, 2005)

Al-Awai’ly Bader Technician

BSc (SQU, 2009)

Said Al Abri Technician

BSc (SQU, 2012)

AL-Nadabi Mohammed Technician

BSc (SQU, 2013)

Shahira Al-Balushi Coordinator

Diploma (SQU, 1998)



Department of Mathematics

Overview The Department started in 1986 as Department of Mathematics and Computing offering a single Bachelor of

Science degree in Mathematics and computing. This evolved into three Bachelor degrees in Mathematics,

Statistics and Computer Science. In 1995 the Department of Computer Science was established to host the

Computer Science degree. The mother department name then changed to Mathematics and Statistics (DOMAS).

In 2018, the department of Mathematics and Statistics (DOMAS) split into two departments; the Department of

Mathematics and the Department of Statistics.

The Department of Mathematics is among the largest departments in the University with over 40 faculty

members. The department offers programs leading to B.Sc degree in Mathematics, M.Sc degree in Pure

Mathematics and M. Sc degree in Applied Mathematics, and a doctorate degree in Mathematics. The department

offers service courses to several colleges in SQU. The department is committed to quality teaching, research and

community service. The Department of Mathematics faculty members are very active in research.

Contacts Mailing Address: Sultan Qaboos University College of Science Department of Mathematics PO Box: 36, Postal Code: 123 Al-Khoudh Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Telephone & Fax: Tel/Fax. Number: (+968) 24141490 Email: [email protected]

Website:

http://www.squ.edu.om/science/Departments/Mathematics



HoD Office

Prof. Ahmad Al Salman Professor, HoD

(PhD, University of Pittsburgh, USA)

Zuwaina Al-Jahwari Coordinator

Azza Al Barwani

Coordinator

BSc Curriculum

Dr. Messaoud Boulbrachene

Prof. Mehiddin Al Baali

Dr. Nadia Al Dhamri

Dr. Ali Al Raisi

Dr. Sebti Kerbal

Dr. Gerald Wanjala

Dr. Muhammad Ziad

Dr. Tayfour El Bashir

Dr. Mohammad Al Shahriyari

Graduate Studies

Prof. Ahmad Al Salman Prof. Edamana Krishnan Prof. Mehiddin Al Baali Prof. Majid Ali

Research


Prof. Mohamed Al Lawati

Prof. Mansur Rahman

Dr. Yassir Dinar

Social

Dr. Tayfour ElBashir

Dr. Sanjiv Gupta

Dr. Damian Maingi

Appointment

Prof. Ahmad Al Salman

Dr. Asma Al Ghassani

Dr. Samir Karaa

Dr. Nadia Al Dhamri

Dr. Anton Purnama

Promotion

Prof. Ahmad Al Salman

Prof. Edamana Krishnan

Prof. Mehiddin Al-Baali

Prof. Mohamed Al Lawati

Prof. Qamar Khan

Postgraduate Admission Panel

Prof. Ahmad Salman

Prof. Edamana Krishnan


Dr. Samir Karaa

Dr. Fatma Al Kharousi

Prof. Majid Ali

Examinations

Dr. Sanjiv Gupta

Dr. Ibrahim Al Ayyoub

Dr. Nasir Haniffa

Prof. Mohd Mansur Rahman

Liaison

Dr. Amina Al Sawaei

Ms. Thuraiya Al Hinai

Teaching

Dr. Ibrahim Elmojtaba

Dr. Al Jalila Al Abri

Dr. Easwaran Balakrishnan

Dr. Goncalo Pinto

Special Advisors

Dr. Anton Purnama Dr. Jasbir Manhas

Quality Assurance and Accreditation

Prof. Pallath Chandran Dr. Ali Al Raisi Dr. Aref Kamal Dr. Sebti Kerbal Dr. Shamil Makhmutov Dr. M. Boulbrachene

Timetabling Dr. Hamed Al Shamsi

Dr. Al Jalila Al Abri

Dr. Gerald Wanjala

Seminars Dr. Samir Karaa Dr. Abdelaziz Maouche

Dr. Kamel Nafa

Website Dr. Mohamed Boudellioua Dr. Shamil Makhmutov

Projects

Dr. Asma Al Ghassani Dr. Al Jalila Al Abri Dr. Ibrahim Elmojtaba Dr. Ibrahim Al Ayyoub

Post-Graduate

Coordinators

Prof. Edamana Krishnan Prof. Majid Ali

E-Learning

Dr. Yasir Dinar Ms. Thuraiya Al Hinai Dr. Abdelaziz Maouche



The Fifth International Conference on Numerical Analysis and Optimization (NAOV-2020), was held

at SQU on 6 - 9 January 2020.

Prof. Ahmad Al Salman was invited as a speaker at 2nd Qatar Math Day, University of Qatar, 16

February, 2020.

Prof. Mohammad Mansur Rahman received the Vice-Chancellor’s Appreciation Letter for becoming

one of the World Top 2% Influential Scientists in Oman by the Stanford University on 10 December

2020.

Prof. Mohammad Mansur Rahman ranked as one of the World Top 2% Influential Scientists in Oman

by the Stanford University, November 2020.

Prof. Mohammad Mansur Rahman as Principal Investigator along with Dr. N. Al-Salti and Prof. Pallath

Chandran received a highly competitive research grant on “Transport Processes Through Multi-

Disperse Porous Media; RC/RG-SCI/MATH/20/01, from the Ministry of Higher Education, Research

and Innovation, Oman.

NAOV- 2020: 5th International Conference on Numerical

Analysis and Optimization, Sultan Qaboos University


DEPARTING STAFF

Prof. Nirmal Sacheti left the department in January 2020.

Prof. Mohamed S. Khan left the department in June 2020.

Prof. Vladimir Vladimirov left the department in June 2020.

APPOINTMENTS

Dr. Omar Tout is appointed as Assistant Professor

PROMOTIONS

Dr. Ibrahim M. Elmojtaba promoted to Associate Professor in 2020.

Dr. Mohammad Mansur Rahman promoted to Full Professor in 2020.

Dr. Ahmad Al Salman promoted to Full Professor in 2020.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Prof. Mohammad Mansur Rahman received the Vice-Chancellor’s Appreciation Letter for becoming one of the World Top 2% Influential Scientists in Oman by the Stanford University on 10 December 2020.

Prof. Mohammad Mansur Rahman ranked as one of the World Top 2% Influential Scientists in Oman by the Stanford University, November 2020.


Spring 2020:

o Dr. Khadija Al Balushi

o Dr. Muna Al Ghabshi

o Dr. Amal Al-Kharusi

o Dr. Erkinjon Karimov

o Dr. Jashim Uddin

o Dr. Abdellatif Bellahnid

VISITORS & CONSULTANTS

Prof. L. Grandinetti, Calabria University, Italy, 27 December 2019 - 4 January 2020 (hosted by Al-Baali, M.)

Prof. M. Overton, New York University, 5-19 January 2020 (hosted by Al-Baali, M.) Prof. J.D. Pinter, Lehigh University, USA, 3-16 January 2020 (hosted by Al-Baali, M.) Prof. E. Sachs, University of Trier, Germany, 3-14 January 2020 (hosted by Al-Baali, M.) Prof. M. Saunders, Stanford University, 5-14 January 2020 (hosted by Al-Baali, M.). Prof. Joydev Chattopadhyay, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India, January 21 – 26,

2020 (Hosted by Drs. Nasser Al-Salti and Ibrahim Elmojtaba).

Dr. Omar Tout


Prof. Stig Larsson, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, January 3-10, 2020. (Hosted by Karaa, S.).

Prof. Hassan Azad, Abdus Salam School of Mathematical Sciences, GCU, Lahore, Pakistan, January 11-18, 2020. (Hosted by Ziad, Muhammad).

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CURRICULUM

The Department Curriculum Committee conducted a major and substantial revision of the Mathematics Degree Program for the period 2021-2025. This revision was approved by the College Board on October 7, 2020.

Indeed, following the strong recommendation of ASIIN, MATH2108-Calculus II and MATH2202-Linear Algebra I

courses were substantially revised, mainly, to include concepts and proofs of fundamental Theorems, and to be

taught Math-Major Students only. To this effect, two other service courses, MATH2109-Calculus for Science and

Engineering and MATH2209-Linear Algebra with Applications were created for Non Math-Major Students. Also,

in order to strengthen the Mathematics Degree Program further, two other courses, MATH-2351-Advanced

Calculus and MATH4351-Introduction to Metric Spaces were created and, accordingly, the content of

MATH4450-Real Analysis I was substantially revised to become MATH4451-Real Analysis.

This important revision led to the accreditation of the Mathematics Degree Program by ASIIN.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS

The Department of Mathematics has been collaborating with universities abroad from inception.

Following is a brief description of the ongoing collaborations faculty members are involved with:

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Ayyoub collaborated with M. Nasernejad and K. Khashyarmanesh, Ferdawsi University at Mashhad, Iran, and V.C. Quiñonez, Uppsala University, Sweden, and L. Roberts, Queens University, Canada. Some Results on the Normality of Square-free Monomial ideals and Cover Ideals of Graphs. Also, collaborated with M. Nasernejad Ferdawsi University at Mashhad, Iran, Monomial Ideals with Tiny Squares and Freiman Ideals, and on Freiman Ideals and the Number of Generators of Powers of Monomial Ideals.

Prof. Mehiddin Al-Baali collaborated with Prof. L. Grandinetti, Calabria University, Italy, Dr. G. Fasano, Venice University, Italy, and Prof. M. Roma, Rome University, Italy, on large-scale optimization and solution of system of linear equations.

Prof. Ahmad Al Salman collaborated with Dr. L. Hawasheh, Jordan German University and Prof. S. Momani, Jordan University, on rough parametric Marcinkiewicz functions.

Dr. Mohamed S. Boudellioua collaborated with Prof. Krzysztof Galkowski and Dr. Bertlomiej Sulikowski, Zielona Gora University, Poland and Prof. Eric Rogers, Southampton University, U.K., on Constructing the singular Roesser state-space model description of 3D spatio-temporal dynamics from the polynomial system matrix.


Dr. Messaoud Boulbrachene collaborated with late Prof. Abul Hasan Siddiqi, Sharda

University, Greater Noida India, on Quasi variational inequalities with vanishing zero order

term.

Dr. Sebti Kerbal collaborated with Prof. N. Tatar, King Fahd University of Petroleum and

Minerals, Dhahran, KSA on Fractional PDEs with memory, Dr. E. Karimov, Institute of

Mathematics, Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, Uzbekistan and Dr. N. Al Salti on Inverse

problems and Existence of solutions for Fractional Differential Equations, Dr. B.J. Kadirkulov,

Tashkent State Institute of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan and Dr. H. Al Shamsi on

Existence of solutions for Fractional Differential Equations.

Prof. Q. J. A. Khan collaborated with Prof. David Greenhalgh, Strathclyde University Glasgow,

U.K., and Prof. Joydev Chattopadhyay, I. S. I Kolkata, India in Biomathematics.

Prof. E.V. Krishnan collaborated with Dr. Anjan Biswas, A & M University, Alabama, USA and Dr.

Khalil Al Ghafri, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Ibri, Oman, on analytical and

approximate solutions of nonlinear dispersive wave equations of physical interest.

Prof. Mohammad Mansur Rahman collaborated with Prof. M. Ziad Saghir, Ryerson University,

Canada; Prof. K. V. Vajravelu, University of Central Florida, USA; Prof. Ioan Pop, Babes-Bolyai

University, Romania; Prof. M. S. Alam, Jagannath University, Bangladesh; Dr. M. J. Uddin,

Daffodil International University, Bangladesh; Dr. K. S. Al Kalbani, Sohar University, Oman on

Nanofluids, Flows in Porous Media.

Dr. M. Shahryari collaborated with the university of Tabriz, Iran, as the supervisor of two Ph.D

students and they defended their thesis with the titles: 1. Radical topology on free groups, 2.

Algebraic sets with characteristic radicals, during the summer 2020.

Dr. Muhammad Ziad along with Dr. Fatma Al-Kindi collaborated with Professor Fazal M.

Mahomed, South Africa, on Integrability of systems of ordinary differential equations via Lie

point symmetries.

STAFF TRAINING

Prof. Mehiddin Al-Baali attended

o First International Conference on Higher Education Teaching and Learning entitled

“Re-imagine Teaching to Maximize Student Learning”, SQU, February 10-12, 2020.

o International Symposium for Telemedicine and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

ISTAIM2020, SQU, February 17-18, 2020.

o Age could be driving variable COVID-19 epidemic trajectories worldwide:

Mathematical modeling analyses, Qatar University, May 14, 2020.

Prof. Mohammad Mansur Rahman attended a workshop on “AARU Journal Platform- User

Experience Sharing Session”, The Publishing Landscape in the Arab World Webinar,

Amman, Jordan, 24 June 2020.

Prof. Mohammad Mansur Rahman attended a workshop on “Effective Online Instruction:

Welcoming Students to your Online Environment”, Webinar online, USA, April 2, 2020.

Dr. Sebti Kerbal attended a training online workshop on “The use of OneNote Program in

Elearning and Online Teaching” 30/11/2020, Kuwait University.

NEW EQUIPMENT Department received one Kyocera photocopier machine, three computers, two printers and a

laptop computer. In addition, department bought a datashow and a projector screen for a newly

established meeting room. Replaced 45 Lab A CPUs.


COMMUNITY SERVICE

Prof. Mehiddin Al-Baali has done the following Community Services:

o Associate Editor for SQU Journal for Science

o Arabic Editor for SQU Journal for Science (translation several abstracts from English to Arabic)

o Organized (Chair) the Fifth International Conference on “Numerical Analysis and Optimization NAO-V,” SQU, January 6-9, 2020 (with M. Al-Hinai, F. Al-Kharousi, N. Al-Salti, I. Dweib, E. Balakrishnan, S. Kerbal, A. Oukil and A. Purnama).

o Continue as External Assessor and Examiner for BSc and MSc Programmes, National University, Oman.

o Research Assessor for Full Professor Promotion Evaluation at Irbid University, Jordan, February 2020.

o Edited/Reviewed (with Grandinetti, L., and Purnama, A.) the forthcoming book “Numerical Analysis and Optimization NAOV-2020, Muscat, Oman” Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics (to appear).

o Edited/Reviewed (with Purnama, A., and Sachs, E.) the special issue “Numerical Analysis and Optimization,” OMS (Special Issue Proceedings, to appear).

Dr. Asma Al-Ghassani, was a member in the organizing committee of the 1st International Conference on Higher Education , ”Reimagine Teaching to Maximize Student Learning” which was hosted by Center of Excellence in Teaching and Learning, SQU during 10-12/2/2020.

Prof. Ahmad Al Salman chaired MSc thesis oral examination in the Dept. of Physics on 12 July, 2020.

Dr. Messaoud Boulbrachene served as a member in the scientific committee of the

9th International Eurasian Conference on Mathematical Science and Applications.

August 25-28, 2020, Skopje, North Macedonia.

Dr. Sebti Kerbal served as a member of the organizing committee of Fifth International Conference on Numerical Analysis and Optimization: Theory, Algorithms, Applications, and Technology (NAOV-2020). SQU, Oman, January 6 – 9, 2020.

Dr. Sebti Kerbal served as External Examiner for OAAA, Oman and as External Reviewer for the Director of Higher Education, Baharain Quality Assurance (DHE/BQA), Baharain.

Prof. Q. J. A. Khan chaired PhD thesis oral examination in the Dept. of Earth Science on 26

December, 2020.

Prof. E.V. Krishnan chaired PhD thesis oral examination in the Department of Chemistry, SQU, on 2 January, 2020, MSc thesis oral examination in the Department of Physics, SQU, on 5 July, 2020, MSc thesis oral examination in the Department of Physics, SQU, on 9 July, 2020.

Prof. E.V. Krishnan served as External Examiner for a PhD thesis first seminar in the Department of Physics, SQU, on 30 April, 2020, External Examiner for an MSc thesis defense in the Department of Physics, SQU, on 22 July, 2020.

Prof. E.V. Krishnan reviewed promotion dossier for a candidate from the rank of Assistant Professor to Associate Professor in Amman Arab University, Jordan in August, 2020.

Dr. A. Purnama chaired an MSc oral examination in the Dept. of Biology on 13 December, 2020.

Prof. Mohammad Mansur Rahman continuing his service as Associate Editor & Online Journal Manager: Sultan Qaboos University Journal for Science (SQUJS).


Prof. Mohammad Mansur Rahman became an Editorial Board Member of the international journal “Fluid Dynamics & Material Processing” on 9 May 2020.

Prof. Mohammad Mansur Rahman as an External Examiner evaluated an M.Sc. Thesis from the Department of Physics, SQU on 5 July 2020.

Dr. Muhammad Ziad chaired an MSc oral examination in the Dept. of Earth Sciences on 20 January, 2020 and examined a PhD thesis in the Dept. of Mathematics, on 13 July, 2020.


Al-Salman, Ahmad Associate Professor, Head

PhD 1999, University of Pittsburgh, U.S.A Harmonic Analysis

Al-Baali, Mehiddin Professor

PhD 1984, University of Dundee, UK Numerical optimization

Al-Lawati, Mohamad Professor/ On-leave

PhD 1997, South Carolina, USA Computational mathematics

Ali, Majid Professor

PhD 1994, Kaiserslautern, Germany 1994 Commutative ring theory

Chandran, Pallath Professor

PhD 1979, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India Porous media flow, MHD

Eltayeb, Ibrahim A Professor

PhD 1972, Newcastle University, UK Fluids dynamics, Mathematical modeling.

Khan, Mohammad S Professor

PhD 1982, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia Fixed Point Theory

Khan, Qamar Jalil A Professor

PhD 1980, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India Bio-mathematics

Krishnan, Edamana V Professor

PhD 1979, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India Non- linear waves

Vladimir Vladimirov Professor

PhD 1979, USSR Academy of Sciences, Russ Fluid Dynamics.

Al-Salti, Nasser Associate Professor

PhD 2010, University of Saint Andrews, UK MHD and Magnetic Reconnection

Balakrishnan, Easwaran Associate Professor

PhD 1996, Massey, New Zealand Non-linear Dynamics

Boudellioua, Mohamed Salah Associate Professor

PhD 1986, Nottingham University, UK Control theory and multidimensional systems theory

Boulbrachene, Messaoud Associate Professor

PhD 1987, Besancon, France Applied Analysis, Numerical analysis.

El-Bashir, Tayfour Associate Professor

PhD 1995, University of Leeds, UK Computational fluid mechanics

Gupta, Sanjiv Associate Professor

PhD 1993, IIT, Kanpur, India Harmonic analysis on lie groups

Kamal, Aref Associate Professor

PhD 1983, University of Newcastle, Upon Tyne, UK Function analysis and abstract approximation theory

Karaa, Samir Associate Professor

PhD 1996, Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France Iterative methods for solving large sparse systems and applications

Kerbal, Sebti Associate Professor

PhD 1998, University of Ottawa, Canada Optimal control theory

Makhmutov, Shamil Associate Professor

PhD 1985, Moscow State University, USSR Spaces of analytic functions

Manhas, Jasbir S Associate Professor

PhD 1991, Jammu University, India Special classes of operators on function spaces

Nafa, Kamel Associate Professor

PhD 1989, Manchester University, UK Mixed Finite element methods

Purnama, Anton Associate Professor

PhD, 1988, Cambridge University, UK Sediment transport and pollutant transport


Rahman, Mohammad Mansur Associate Professor

PhD 2003, University of Glasgow, UK Magnetohydrodynamics, Mathematical Fluid Mechanics, Nano-Fluidic Phenomena, Heat and Mass Transfer

Wanjala, Gerald Associate Professor

PhD 2005, University of Groningen, The Netherlands Operators on Spaces with and Indefinite Metric.

Ziad, Muhammad Associate Professor

PhD 1992, Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan General Relativity; Symmetry Methods for Solving Differential Equations

Tout, Omar Assistant Professor

PhD 2014, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France Algebraic Combinatorics

Al-Abri, AlJalila Assistant Professor

PhD 2017, University of Warwick, UK Ergodic Theory and its application to Dynamical Systems.

Al-Dhamri, Nadia Assistant Professor

PhD 2013, LaTrobe University, Australia Natural Duality and Semigroups

Al-Ghassani, Asma Assistant Professor

PhD 2010, Loughborough University, UK Difference equations and discrete dynamical systems

Al-Hinai, Magda Assistant Professor

PhD 2001, Ains Shams University, Cairo, Egypt Mathematical physics

Al-Kharousi, Fatma Assistant Professor

Ph D 2011, Queen Mary, University of London, UK Coding Theory

Al-Sawaii, Amina Assistant Professor

PhD 2010, Bradford University, UK Applied Mathematics

Al-Shamsi, Hamed Assistant Professor

PhD 2011, University of Manchester, UK Anomalous random walk models.

Dinar, Yassir Assistant Professor

PhD 2007, The International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Italy Geometry of Integrable Systems.

Elmojtaba, Ibrahim Assistant Professor

PhD 2011, University of Khartoum, Sudan Mathematical Epidemiology

Maingi, Damian Assistant Professor

PhD 2010, Universite de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, France On the minimal resolution conjecture for general points in a projective space.

Maouche, Abdelaziz Assistant Professor

PHD 1994, Laval University, Qc, Canada Spectral theory in Banach algebras

Nasir, Haniffa Mohamed Assistant Professor

PhD 2003, University of Electro-Comm., Tokyo, Japan Numerical Analysis of Wave propagation

Al-Ghabshi, Bushra Lecturer, On-leave

MSc University of New South Wales, Australia

Al-Hinai, Thuriya Demonstrator

BEd 2014, SQU, Oman

Al-Sariri, Tahani Demonstrator

BSc, SQU, Oman

Al-Anboury, Laila Coordinator to the Scientific Journal Editor Al-Asmi, Hamad Lab Supervisor

High National General Science Diploma, UK 1986-1987 Al-Hajri, Saleh Technician Al-Jahwari, Zwaina Coordinator Al Barwani, Azza Coordinator



Department of

Physics

Overview

The Department of Physics has been constantly providing quality education at the undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD levels. The Department is teaching about 40 courses at the undergraduate level and 20 courses at the MSc level. The curriculum for the physics degree covers the fundamental concepts of physics and mathematics, practical training in laboratories and workshops, computational techniques and research-oriented project work. E-learning and computational techniques are being encouraged in many courses. The flexibility of the degree program permits students to earn a major in Physics together with a minor in other subjects. In addition, the Department offers physics minor in Astronomy, Medical Physics and Applied Nuclear Science. This gives students the opportunity to choose courses they enjoy and provides graduates with access to a wide variety of occupations and professional scientific careers.

The Department has a number of excellent General and specialized teaching laboratories in the fields of Electronics,

Modern Physics, Nuclear Physics, Thermal Physics, Mechanics, Lasers and Optics and Computational Physics. Students

receive first-hand training in Electronics, Metal and Wood Workshops.

The departmental research facilities include Mössbauer spectroscopy, Faraday and VSM systems for magnetic

measurements, four point probe for electrical resistivity measurements, surface science ultra-high vacuum (UHV)

instrument equipped with XPS, AES, UPS and SPA-LEED, AFM, STM, MFM, vacuum coating and sputtering systems,

state of the art station for the characterization of ferroelectric liquid crystals, LRC-meter for dielectric studies, surface

tension apparatus, electrical characterization tools using IVT and CVT in addition to computational facilities including

the high performance computing [HPC].

Contacts Mailing Address: Sultan Qaboos University College of Science Department of Physics PO Box: 36, Postal Code: 123 Al-Khoudh Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Telephone & Fax: Tel. Number: (+968) 24141437 Fax. Number: (+968) 24414228 Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.squ.edu.om/science/Departments/Physics



HoD Office

Dr. Azzouz Sellai Associate Professor, HoD (PhD, Nottingham University, UK)

Zulaikha Al-Mahrooqi Coordinator

Advisory Board Dr. Azzouz Sellai (Chair) Dr. Nazife Koca

BSc Curriculum Prof. Mohamed Elzain (Chair) Prof. Mujib Rahman Dr. Alaa Ibrahim Dr. Fatma Al Mamari Dr. Nazife Koca Dr. Zach Ioannou

Postgraduate Study

Prof. Hisham Widatallah (Chair), Prof. Mujib Rahman Prof. Rachid Sbiaa

Dr. Mohammed Souier Dr. Ridha Horchani

Staff-Student Liaison Dr. Azzouz Sellai (Chair)

Dr. Nooralhuda Al Saqri

Dr.

Nooralhud

a Al Saqri Assuranc

e

Appointment Dr. Azzouz Sellai (HoD-

Chair)

Prof. Abraham George

Dr. Mudhahir Al-Ajmi

Dr. Sumesh Sofin Pillai

Dr. Tariq Mohiuddin

Promotion Dr. Azzouz Sellai (HoD-Chair)

Prof. Imad Al-Omari

Prof. Issam Ali

Prof. Mohammed Elzain

Prof. Mujibur Rahman

Research Prof. Abbasher Gismelseed

(Chair)

Prof. Rachid Sbiaa

Dr. Davood Momeni

Dr. Tariq Mohiddin

Dr. Nooralhuda Al Saqri

Accreditation & Quality

Assurance Prof. Mohammed Elzain

(Chair)

Dr. Hajir Al Hamrashdi

Dr. Sumesh Pillai

Dr. Yahya Al-Saleh

Student Training Dr. Abey Issac (Chair)

Prof. Abbasher Gismelseed

Mr. Ahmed Khusaibi

Technical staff Prof. Abbasher Gismelseed

(Chair),

Dr. Mudhahir Al-Ajmi,

Mr. Nasser Al-Zadjali, Ms. Fadhila Al-Mabsali

Budget and Procurement Dr. Mohammed Tewfik Souirer (Chair), Dr. Abey Issac

Dr. Kazi Abedin,

Mrs. Fadhila Al-Mabsali

Alumni Dr. Fatma Al Ma’Mari (Chair)

Dr. Hajir Hamrashdi

Students and

Extracurricular Dr. Alaa Ibrahim (Chair)

Dr. Nazife Koca

Mrs. Amina Al Shueli

Mr. Ahmed Al Khusaibi

Safety and Security Dr. Sumesh Sofin Pillai

(Chair)

Mr. Ahmed Al Fahdi

Mrs. Samia Al Mahrazi

Mrs. Sheikha Al-Hajri

IT Dr. Amr Radi (Chair)

Dr. Rao Varanasi

Dr. Zach Ioannou

Ms. Fadhila Al-Mabsali

Space Committee Dr. Zach Ioannou

(Chair)

Dr. Nidhal Sulaiman

Dr. Ridha Horchani

Dr. Yahya Al-Saleh

Mr. Ahmed Khusaibi



● Dr. Amr Radi for being awarded a 'Certificate of Distinguished Researcher' on the occasion of the 20th

University Day.

● Dr. Fatma Al Ma’Mari selected as the TWAS Arab Young Affiliate 2020-2025. ● Prof. Rachid Sbiaa’s article, “Controlled spin-torque driven domain wall using staggered magnetic wires”

was chosen as a Featured Article by one of the most prestigious Physics Journals (Applied Physics

Letters).

● The award of HM Grant to Prof. Rachid Sbiaa and his research team in order to conduct research on the

topic of nanowires as an alternative high-density magnetic storage media.

● The retirement of three of its longest serving members: Professors Ali Yousif, Mujibur Rahman and

Osman Al-Syed have retired after long years of valuable service to the Department.

● The promotion of two faculty members of the Department: Dr. Rachid Sbiaa to the rank of Professor and

Dr. Davood Momeni to the rank of Associate Professor.

● An Annular Solar Eclipse took place in Oman on 21 June 2020. Dr. Alaa Ibrahim and Dr. Zach Ioannou from

the Astronomy Group of the Department of Physics organized an expedition to the Izki area where they

observed and broadcasted the event live on YouTube.

The maximum eclipse phase is captured when the Earth, Moon, and Sun are aligned during

the annular solar eclipse, with the moon’s angular size slightly smaller than that of the sun.

Solar prominences, several times the size of Earth, were visible during the maximum eclipse

phase. Earth is shown in the top right and bottom left insets for size comparison.


DEPARTING STAFF

● Prof. Ali Yousif retired after long years of valuable service to the Department (FL 2020).

RETURNING STAFF Ms. Hajir Al Hamrashdi completed her PhD studies in Nuclear Science, Lancaster University, UK, and

joined the Department 12/Mar/2020.

SCHOLARSHIPS & OVERSEAS STUDIES Ms. Kawtar Al-Rasbi, Lecturer, started her PhD scholarship at the University of Leeds, UK.

Ms. Rahma Al- Harthi, Lecturer, started her PhD scholarship at the University of Leeds, UK in 2020.

SABBATICAL LEAVE

Prof. Issam Ali and Dr. Nidhal Sulaiman started their sabbatical leave from Jan 5, 2020 at the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA where they work with the Physics Education Research group.

PROMOTIONS

Dr. Hajir Al Hamrashdi was promoted from Lecturer to Assistant Professor in March 2020.

Dr. Davood Momeni was promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor in May 2020.

Dr. Rachid Sbiaa was promoted from Associate Professor to Professor in May 2020.


The award to Dr. Amr Radi of the ‘Certificate of Distinguished Researcher’ in recognition of his

outstanding performance in scientific research during the year 2019 - 2020.

● The selection of Dr. Fatma Al-Maamari as the TWAS Arab Young Affiliate 2020-2025.

● The selection of an article, titled “Controlled spin-torque driven domain wall motion using staggered

magnetic wires” and co-authored by Prof. Rachid Sbiaa and his PhD student Mr. Suleiman Al-Risi, as a

Featured Article by the prestigious journal Applied Physics Letters (the published article is displayed

prominently on the journal's homepage and is identified with an icon next to the article title).

Dr. Hajir Al Hamrashdi Dr. Davood Momeni Dr. Rachid Sbiaa


VISITING CONSULTANTS & PART-TIME INSTRUCTORS Spring 2020:

Dr. Ihab, PhD, (University of Cape Town, 2010) (Visiting Consultant)

Dr. Khadija Al-Rashdi, PhD (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, 2019) (Visiting Consultant)

Dr. Heikel Jellasi, PhD (University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 2014) (Visiting Consultant)

Dr. Maya Al-Azri, PhD (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, 2013) (Part-timer)

Dr. Nada Alnaamani, PhD (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, 2020) (Part-timer)

Dr. Afaf Al-Lawati, PhD (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, 2014) (Part-timer)

Fall 2020:

Dr. Khadija Al-Rashdi, PhD (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, 2019) (Visiting Consultant)

Dr. Maya Al-Azri, PhD (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, 2013) (Part-timer)

Dr. Nada Alnaamani, PhD (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, 2020) (Part-timer)

Dr. Juma Al-Maskari, PhD (University of Leeds, 2006) (Part-timer)

CURRICULUM BSc Program

The Department’s comprehensive program review for the period of 2021-2025 was done during 2020.

The review required the work from all members of staff. Particular groups were formed to supervise the

review process of its assigned courses. Teaching methodologies, syllabus and critical thinking skills

issues were worked extensively for all BSc courses.

The accreditation of the Physics BSc program was extended by ASIIN from October 2019 to September

2024.

Postgraduate Program Department is engaged in reviewing its MSc program for the 2021-2025 period.

For the academic year 2020/2021, there were 7 applicants for the MSc program out of whom 6

were admitted. Of the admitted students, 5 joined the Department in the Fall 2020. There were 8

applicants for the MSc program with conditional admission that requires a one-year bridging

program. Among the 3 admitted, only one has joined the Department in the Fall 2020. There were

6 applicants of the physics PhD program out of whom 3 were admitted. Only 2 of the admitted were

able to join the Department in the Fall 2020.

The following postgraduate students have graduated during 2020 in the terms indicated:

# ID Name/Degree Term

1 890000606 Omima Sulaiman Al Kindi (PhD) Fall

2 97439 Warda Al-Saidi Spring

3 42270 Badriya Al Mawali Spring

4 102027 Ekhlas Al Siyabi Spring

5 101168 Karima Al-Hosani Spring

https://portal.squ.edu.om/web/guest/course-student-list?p_p_id=courseEmail_WAR_prjCourseEmail_INSTANCE_TnZdEohRwMII&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-2&p_p_col_pos=1&p_p_col_count=2&_courseEmail_WAR_prjCourseEmail_INSTANCE_TnZdEohRwMII_strSectionNo=10&_courseEmail_WAR_prjCourseEmail_INSTANCE_TnZdEohRwMII_strCourseCode=PHYS8001&_courseEmail_WAR_prjCourseEmail_INSTANCE_TnZdEohRwMII_controller=getCourseStudentList

https://portal.squ.edu.om/web/guest/course-student-list?p_p_id=courseEmail_WAR_prjCourseEmail_INSTANCE_TnZdEohRwMII&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-2&p_p_col_pos=1&p_p_col_count=2&_courseEmail_WAR_prjCourseEmail_INSTANCE_TnZdEohRwMII_strSectionNo=10&_courseEmail_WAR_prjCourseEmail_INSTANCE_TnZdEohRwMII_strCourseCode=PHYS8001&_courseEmail_WAR_prjCourseEmail_INSTANCE_TnZdEohRwMII_controller=getCourseStudentList



Prof. Abbasher Gismelseed has been collaborating with Prof. H C Verma, Indian Institute of Technology

(IIT) Kanpur India; Dr. Gavin Mountjoy, University of Kent United Kingdom; Prof. T. Ericsson, Uppsala

Univ, Sweden; Dr. M.H. Shaddad, Khartoum Univ., Sudan; Prof. Hasnaa Chennaoui, Hassan-II University,

Morocco; Dr. Kadhim Ahmed Mohammed, AL-Leheabi, University of Nizwa; Dr. Yassir A. Abdu, Sharjah

University, UAE ; Prof. Ihab A. Abdel-Latif, Najran University, Saudi Arabia; Prof. Hiren H. Joshi, Saurashtra

University, India.

Dr. Alaa Ibrahim has been collaborating with Dr. Martin Dominik at Univ. of St. Andrews.

Dr. Amr Radi has a project with Prof. Gabriella Pugliese (RPC manager in CERN) and Prof. Othmane

Bouhali (coordinator of Standalone Simulation GEM in CERN).

Dr. Davood Jafar Momeni has been collaborating with Drs. Phongpichit Channuie (Walailak U).

Dr. Fatma Al Ma’mari has a standing collaboration with Dr. Oscar Cespedes (University of Leeds, UK) and

physics department (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman).

Prof. Hisham Widatallah and Prof Mohamed Elzain have been collaborating with Dr. Muataz S. Al-Barwani

(New York University, Abu Dhabi, UAE) and Drs E J. Crabb and E.A. Moore (Reader in Theoretical

Chemistry, the Open University, Milton Keynes, UK).

Prof. Issam Ali has been collaborating with Prof. Somendra Bhattacharjee (Institute of Physics,

Bhubaneswar, India; Prof. Davide Marenduzzo (University of Edinburgh, UK).

Dr. Kazi M. Abedin collaborated with Dr. Takao Fuji, Institute of Molecular Science (IMS), Okazaki, Japan.

Dr. Majid Al-Ruqeishi is collaborating with Dr. Michael Cai Wang from Department of Mechanical

Engineering, University of South Florida, US.

Dr. Mohammed Souier is collaborating with Dr. Adel Gougam (Khalifa University, UAE).

Dr. Nazife Koca has been collaborating with Prof. Ramazan Koc, Gaziantep University, Turkey.

Prof. Rachid Sbiaa has been collaborating with Prof. S.N. PIramanayagam, Nanyang technological

University, Singapore; Dr. Nicolas Tiercelin, University of Lille, France; Dr. Jurgen Kosel, KAUST, Saudi

Arabia.

Dr. Srinivasa Rao Varanasi has been collaborating with Prof. Swapan K. Pati (JNCASR, India); Prof. Suresh

K. Bhatia, Univ. Queesland, Australia; Dr. Bhaskar Jyoti Borah, Charosattar Univ. of Tech., Gujarat, India;

Dr. Anki Reddy Katha, IIT, Guwahat.

Dr. Zach Ioannou has been collaborating with Dr. Milan Bogosavljevic of the New York University at Abu

Dhabi, UAE and Dr. Antonios Manousakis, University of Sarjah, UAE.


STAFF TRAINING

● Dr. Alaa Ibrahim completed the course: Teaching Critical Thinking, organized by the SQU Center of

Excellence for Teaching and Learning (CETL) during Oct. 2019 - Jan. 2020.

● Dr. Nazife Koca attended a workshop on “Tools for Peer Instruction” by Prof. Eric Mazur on 9 Feb

2020 organized by CETL, SQU, Oman.

● Ms. Fadhila Al-Mabsali attended the following online courses on

Fundamentals of Radioisotopes and Radiation Technology: Principle of Electron

Accelerators and their Applications, Korea Atomic Research Institute (KAERI) 23 November

- 4 December 2020;

STUDENT TRAINING & INDUSTRY PLACEMENT

● Seven students of the Medical Physics minor program successfully completed their required training in

Royal hospital and SQUH during 05-16 January 2020.

● Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the optional student’s training and IASTE training were suspended

during summer 2020.

NEW EQUIPMENT/BOOKS

The Department received the following equipment:

1. Zeeman Effect Experimental Setup for Phys5105. Total Cost: 1563 OR.

2. X ray Apparatus for Phys 5105, Total cost: 4500 OR.

3. A new order of “Principles of Lasers” by Orazio Sevlto, 5th edition was placed for PHYS 4100.

Zeeman Effect Setup

X-ray Apparatus


COMMUNITY SERVICE

❖ Dr. Abey Issac, Dr. Sumesh Sofin R.G, Mr. Ali Al Zaabi and Ms. Sheikha Al Hajri organized a workshop in

the Physics lab of SQU on the topic ‘Introduction to Light Phenomena’ for the Beaconhouse Private

School students on 12-13/02/2020.

❖ Dr. Alaa Ibrahim participated in Oman’s National Physics Olympiad organized by the ministry of

education during 16-20 Feb. 2020 where he conducted a training workshop and participated in holding

the national physics Olympiad exam.

❖ Dr. Alaa Ibrahim gave a short training course in Arabic on Astronomy to trainees at the Army Staff

College during 1-3 Dec. 2020.

❖ Dr. Nazife Koca reviewed four articles for for SQU CETL 1st International Conference on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, February 2020.

STUDENTS ACTIVITIES

Student Physics Group (SPG) activities during 2020 are as follows:

Organized on 18 Oct. 2020 Astro Tour workshop for students from various majors to discuss recent

advances in astronomy and space science

The Students Activities Committee organized a public lecture to physics students on “The Exotic Physics

of the 5th State of Matter” on 27 Sept. 2020, which was given by Dr. Alaa Ibrahim.



Sellai, Azzouz Assoc. Prof., HoD

PhD (Nottingham, UK, 1991) Condensed Matter Physics

Ali, Issam Professor (sabbatical leave)

PhD (Wisconsin, USA, 1995) Condensed Matter Physics

Al-Harthi, Salim H. Professor

PhD (Warwick, UK, 2001) Experimental Condensed Matter Physics

Al-Omari, Imaddin Professor

PhD (Nebraska, USA, 1996) Experimental Condensed Matter Physics

Al-Rawas, Ahmed D. Professor (College Dean)

PhD (Liverpool, UK, 1994) Mossbauer Spectroscopy and Condensed Matter Physics

Elzain, Mohamed Elamin Professor

PhD (Birmingham, UK, 1978) Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics (Magnetism)

George, Abraham K. Professor

PhD (Baroda, India, 1980) Condensed Matter Physics and Liquid Crystals

Gismelseed, Abbasher Mahmoud Professor

PhD (Khartoum, Sudan, 1991) Condensed Matter Physics (Mossbauer Spectroscopy)

Osman, Sayed M. Professor

PhD (East Anglia, UK, 1988) Density Functional Theory

Rahman, Sheikh M. Mujibur Professor

PhD (Bristol, UK, 1980), DPhil. (Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1979) Condensed Matter Theory

Sbiaa, Rachid Professor

PhD (University of Paris 7, France, 1996) Materials Science

Widatallah, Hisham Mohammed Professor

PhD (Nanjing, China, 1996) Condensed Matter Physics; Materials Science

Yousif, Ali Awadh Professor

PhD (Sussex, UK, 1979) Condensed Matter Physics

Abedin, Kazi Monowar Associate Professor

PhD (University of Tsukuba,1994) in Engineering (Applied Physics)

Al-Ajmi, Mudhahir Associate Professor

PhD (Manchester, UK, 2005) High Energy and Mathematical Physics

Ghulam, Tariq Mohiuddin Associate Professor

PhD (Manchester, UK, 2009) Nano-Science/Graphene

Ibrahim, Alaa Associate Professor

PhD (George Washington University, USA, 2003) Astrophysics

Koca, Nazife Associate Professor

PhD (Cukurova University, Turkey, 1992) High Energy and Mathematical Physics.

Momeni, Davood Associate Professor

Ph.D. (University of Tehran, Iran, 2009) Mathematical Physics, Elementary Particle Theory, Lower dimensional gravity

Al-Lawati, Nidhal Assistant Professor (sabbatical leave)

PhD (Oxford, UK, 2006) Condensed Matter Physics

Al-Maamari, Fatma Assistant Professor

Ph.D. (University of Leeds, UK, 2016) (Condensed Matter Physics / Spintronics)

Al-Saqri, Noor Al-Huda Assistant Professor

Ph.D. (University of Nottingham, UK, 2016) Physics of Semiconductors

Ioannou, Zacharias Assistant Professor

PhD (Keele Univ., 2000) Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Science

Issac, Abey Assistant Professor

PhD (Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany, 2006) Nanophotonics and experimental physics

Pillai, Sumesh Sofin R. G. Assistant Professor

PhD (Trinity College, Ireland, 2006) Condensed Matter Physics

Souier, Mohammed Tewfik Assistant Professor

PhD (Institute National Polytechnique de Grenoble, France, 2007) Laboratory of Thermodynamics & Metallurgical Physics

Varanasi, Srinivasa Rao Assistant Professor

PhD (Indian Institute of Science, India, 2012) Condensed Matter Theory and Molecular Simulations

Al Saleh, Yahya H. Assistant Professor

PhD (Imperial College London, UK, 2017) Solid state physics / Nanophotonics


Al-Busaidi, Rahma (study leave) Lecturer

MSc (Queen University of London, September 2017) Condensed Matter Physics

Al-Hamrashdi, Hajir Lecturer

MSc (University of Birmingham, U.K, October, 2013) Physics and technology of Nuclear Reactors

Al-Harthi, Rahma (study leave) Lecturer

MSc (Alberta, Canada, 2008) Experimental Condensed Matter Physics

Al-Khalili, Zamzam (study leave) Lecturer

MSc (Imperial College London, October 2017) Physics

Al-Rasbi, Kawther (study leave) Lecturer

MSc (Imperial College London, November, 2015) Physics

Al-Ruqeishi, Majid Assistant Researcher

PhD (University of Malaya, Malaysia, 2010) Physics (Nanotechnology)

Al-Saleemi, Ali (College Superintendent) Senior Engineer A

B Eng. (Portsmouth, UK, 2001) Electronics Engineering

Al-Khusaibi, Ahmed Senior Engineer

B Eng. (Bradford, UK, 2007)

Al-Zadjali, Nasser Senior Engineer

B Eng. (Portsmouth, UK, 2005) Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Al-Mufagri, Younis Electronic Engineer

B Eng. (Nottingham, UK, 2009) Electronics Engineering

Al-Zaabi, Ali Lab Supervisor B

BSc (Caledonia, UK, 2003) Medical Physics Technology

Al-Shahumi, Turkiya Technician (Study Leave)

MSc (SQU, Oman, 2009) Physics

Al-Belushi, Saleh Senior Technician A

BETC (Oman Technical College, Oman, 1988)

Al-Hajri, Sheikha Technician

BSc (SQU, Oman, 2007)

Al-Mabsali, Fadhila Lab Superintendent

MSc (University of Surrey, September,2017) Physics

Al-Mahrazi, Samia Technician


Al-Shueili, Amina Technician B


Al-Mahrooqi, Zulaikha Coordinator

High Diploma (Business Admin & Accounting, Oman, 2005)


OVERVIEW

The Department of Statistics came into existence in 2018 following the executive order of his excellency the Vice Chancellor splitting the then department of Mathematics and Statistics into two departments, one of Mathematics and one of Statistics. The Department is the first, and so far the only, department of Statistics in the Sultanate of Oman universities and tertiary education institutions. Currently Department of Statistics is with 16 satff members and over 1000 student registrations per semester. The department offers programs leading to BSc. MSc. and PhD. in Statistics. It also offers a special minor in Health Statistics. This is designed for students pursuing careers as Statisticians in the Ministry of Health. A general minor in Statistics is also offered to students of other majors in the College of Science. The department is committed to quality teaching, research and community service. It aspires to:

• Fulfil the role of Sultan Qaboos University as the national house of expertise in the area of

Statistics,

• Open wider doors for interdisciplinary research of direct relevance to Oman,

• Impact and invigorate SQU Statistics academic programs,

• Pursue cutting-edge research,

• Enhance statistical consulting and community-services involvement, and

• Inspire new ways to work together with the community.

CONTACTS

Mailing Address: Department of Statistics

College of Science

Sultan Qaboos University

PO Box 36, Postal Code:123

Al-Koudh, Muscat

Sultanate of Oman

Telephone & Fax: Tel/Fax number +968 24141433

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.squ.edu.om/science/Departments/Statistics

Department of

Statistics




HoD Office

Khidir Abdelbasit Associate Prof., HoD (PhD, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK)

Ms. Janet Dela Cruz Bautista Coordinator

BSc Curriculum

Dr. Khidir Abdelbasit Dr. Ronald Wesonga

Dr. M. Idrees Ahmad

Examinations

Dr. Faisal Ababneh

Dr. M. Idrees Ahmad Dr. Mounir Arfi

Dr. Amadou Sarr

PG Coordinator & Research Dr. M. Mazharul Islam

Projects

Dr. Faisal Ababneh

Dr. M. Mazharul Islam

Dr. Ahmad Al Hadhrami

Dr. Mounir Arfi

Appointment

Dr. Khidir Abdelbasit

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hadhrami

Dr. Charles Bakheit

Dr. Amadou Sarr

Ms. Iman Al Hasani

Promotion


Dr. Charles Bakheit


Library & Textbooks

Dr. Amadou Sarr

Alumni

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hadhrami

Staff-Student Liaison

Dr. Faisal Ababneh

Teaching & E-Learning Dr. Mohammad Razmy

Training

Dr. Ahmad Al Hadrami

Program Accreditation Dr. Charles Bakheit Dr. M. Idrees Ahmad Dr. Mohammad Razmy Dr. Ronald Wesonga

Timetabling

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hadrami

Dr. Ronald Wesonga

Seminars

Dr. Mounir Arfi

Teaching Student Group Iman Al Hasani

Special Advisor


Website

Dr. Mohammad Razmy

Social

Dr. Amadou Sarr Dr. Mounir Arfi

Computer

Dr. M. Idrees Ahmad

Anees Al Zadjali

Quality Assurance

Dr. Charles Bakheit



Dr. Mounir Arfi

Risk Management

Dr Ahmad Al Hadhrami


DEPARTING STAFF

Dr. Charles S. Bakheit resigned from his position as Associate Professor in January 2020.

Dr. Mohammed Razmy resigned from his position as Assistant Professor in January 2020.


Ms. Amani Al Rubkhi pursues her PhD study in the UK


Dr. Islam M.M was awarded Distinguished Research Paper Award by the Sultan Qaboos University on the

occasion of the 20th University Day 2020.

VISITING CONSULTANTS & PART-TIME INSTRUCTORS

The Department received the following academic staff as Visiting Consultants:

Spring 2020:

Dr. Moza Al Bulushi

Dr. Husam Eldin Sadig

Dr. Md Shahjahan

Dr. Charles S. Bakheit

Fall 2020:

Dr. Charles S. Bakheit

Dr. Moza Al Bulushi


The Department of Statistics has been collaborating with universities abroad from inception. Following is a

brief description of the ongoing collaborations faculty members are involved with:

STUDENT TRAINING & INDUSTRY PLACEMENT

Training opportunities for students in the Summer of 2018 are tabulated below:


Ministry of Health (February 2020) 10

Ministry of Health (Summer 2020) 2

Total 12


COMMUNITY SERVICE

Dr. Mazharul Islam

Chaired the Examination Committee for the MSc Thesis, Department of Earth Science, December 2019

Member of the International Union of Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), Rome; Population

Association of America (PAA); Bangladesh Statistical Association

Dr. Ronald Wesonga

Editor of the Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal


Member of the Gulf Cooperation Council Statistics Centre (GCC STAT) and SQU Joint/Technical

Committee

National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) and SQU Team


Abdelbasit, Khidir Associate Professor, HoD

PhD 1980, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne University, UK Applied Statistics and Design of Experiments

Alodat, Mohammed Taleb Associate Professor

PhD. Statistics, 2004, McGill university, Montreal, Canada Bayesian Statistics

Islam, M. Mazharul Associate Professor

PhD 1992, Banaras Hindu University, India Statistical Modeling

Ababneh, Faisal Assistant Professor

PhD 2006, University of Sydney Australia Mathematical Statistics

Ahmed, Mohammed Idrees Assistant Professor

PhD 1988, St. Andrews University, UK Statistical modeling

Al-Hadhrami, Ahmed Assistant Professor

PhD 2010, University of South Carolina, USA Applied Statistics

Mounir, Arfi Assistant Professor

PhD 1996, University of Paris, France Nonparametric Statistics & Regression Analysis

Sarr, Amadou Assistant Professor

PhD 2006, University of Geneva, Switzerland Generalized Multivariate Analysis & Distribution Theory

Wesonga, Ronald Assistant Professor

PhD 2011, Makerere University, Uganda Statistical Computing

Al-Hasani, Iman Lecturer

MSc 2010, Warwick University, UK

Al-Alawi, Mariam Lecturer

MSc 2013, University of St-Andrews, UK

Al-Rubkhi, Amani Lecturer

BSc, SQU, Oman

Al-Zadjaly, Anees Technician

BSc, Majan College, 2010

Janet dela Cruz – Bautista Coordinator

MVE 2007, University of Southeastern Philippines - Davao City, Philippines


CAAR Unit

Administration

Ahlam Al-Azkawi Head (PhD, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman)

Ms. Khulood Al Maimani

Coordination and Follow-up & Archive Specialist

Contacts

Mailing Address: Central Analytical & Applied Research Unit College of Science Sultan Qaboos University PO Box: 36, Postal Code: 123 Al-Khoudh Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Telephone & Fax: Tel Number: (+968) 2414681/6802

Fax Number: (+968) 24146810


Website: http://www.squ.edu.om/science/units/CAARU

Overview

Central Analytical and Applied Research Unit (CAARU) is an ISO 9001-

2015 certified laboratory. The unit is set up to fulfill the researchers’

demands at SQU and other institutions in outside Oman in addition to

analytical service requirements for non-academic organizations like

ministries and companies.

The unit is equipped with more than 10 state-of-the-art analytical

instruments in addition to other supporting instrumentation worth

more than 2 million OMR.

A highly qualified team are fully dedicated in providing analysis from

these instruments covering a wide range of applications. CAARU team

is working closely with researchers and students to design their

experimental plan in order to modify or develop new methods for their

analysis to help meeting their research objectives.

CAARU is committed in promoting scientific collaboration and

providing first-class facilities to encourage research quality by ensuring

all instruments are well maintained, functioning and operating within

specifications and the analytical services provided comply with the

international standards and timely delivered to all customers.

http://www.squ.edu.om/science/units/CAARU


HIGHLIGHTS

Despite the ongoing pandemic and the challenges encountered, the Central

Analytical and Applied Research Unit (CAARU) continued its support to research

in SQU and the various public & private sectors in the Sultanate. CAARU’s budget

for the year 2020 was OMR 9,900, which was much less than last year budget (OMR

19,500). The unit’s budget has been decreasing over the past years despite the

increase in the number of services the unit provides within and outside SQU. Most

of the samples were analysed free of charge and the total amount of free service

was equivalent to OMR 48,354.6, out of which OMR 46,293.6 was for SQU students

and researchers and the rest was towards CAARU’s commitment in community

service. A revenue of OMR 20,688.3 has been achieved this year, which is almost

100% higher than previous year.

One of the major achievements of year 2020 is introducing microbiological studies

in CAARU’s scope by our Cellular and Molecular Team. This was in response to the

local industrial demand in performing efficacy tests on newly developed Nano-

sanitizers. Based on the analysis report from CAARU, the sanitizer was approved by

the authorities for public use and is now available in the market.

CAARU continued its commitment in research and developing more methods of

analysis. Some of the key new projects taken by the unit includes Screening of

Heavy Metals in Cosmetics and Identifying the Adulteration of Olive Oil and

Authentication of Meat. The former was presented in the First Biomedical Science

Conference held in College of Medicine and Health Sciences. The other two projects

were accepted for the “First International Conference on Research and Innovation

in Support of Oman’s Economic and Digital Transformation - Achieving Vision

2040” but the conference was cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic.

The final external surveillance ISO (ISO 9001:2015) audit was not conducted due

to the ongoing pandemic, as the external auditor had to come from India.

CAARU got affiliated to iLab database, part of EJAAD platform. The National

Equipment and Facilities Database (iLab) is a web-based system designed to

support operations for centralized laboratories and shared resource facilities. The

database was designed according to the unit’s workflow, but there were few

technical and systematic errors faced before going live this year.

This year due to the ongoing pandemic, many CAARU activities like visitors,

training, summer workshops and seminars were discontinued.

One contract technical staff position was filled in January 2020. Ms Buthaina Al

Huseini joined the department on 14th Jan 2020.

A new logo for CAARU was designed by Ms Buthaina Al Huseini under the

direction of the unit’s head.

Major instruments in CAARU (Genetic Analyser, XRD, SEM, NMR, LCMS, and MALDI-TOF)

were not working due to technical faults causing a huge reduction in the services provided by the unit.


A. Total number of samples received and analyzed by CAARU (2015-2020).

B. The percentage frequency distribution of the usage of different equipment at CAARU during 2020.

PROPOSED PLAN 2020 As CAARU expending its services covering more applications and reaching out new customers from either

academia or industry, it is very important to insure the unit is working in maximum capacity and minimizing the

obstacles may encounter its journey. Therefore, the unit work plan for the year 2021 would focus on the

following:

Considering the challenges faced in 2020 particularly with the instrumentation breakdown and

budget limitations, the main target for 2021 would be securing the required budget for

the preventive maintenance and insuring instrument upgrade for maximum operation and efficiency.

Working on securing a special budget for the unit independently from the College of Science

annual budget (e.g. utilizing the revenue and getting support from Deanship of Research and

Postgraduate Studies, applying for research grants…etc.).

Working to insure all instrumentation are having at least two well-trained specialized operators

for sustainability of good quality work.

Securing two additional Omani positions, one to support the maintenance and the other to work

with the Material Science team.

Encouraging staff to obtain further training and knowledge either online or face-to-face

if situation allows.

Exploring the market demands in order to create a better working plan of the unit's services

externally and search long-term contracts with the industrial sector to provide analytical services.

A B


Preparing for obtaining ISO 17025, which is concerned with the specifications of the laboratories

for measurement, analysis and calibration.

Proposing an official implementation of the CAARU structure to be incorporated into the SQU

structure (3 sections with a team leader for each).

Working on changing the job titles of CAARU staff to be representative to their job description

and responsibilities.

STAFF

Dr. Ahlam Al-Azkawi Head

PhD (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman 2019)

Ms. Khulood Al-Maimani Unit Coordinator

BSc (Majan College, Oman 2010)

Mr. Mahmood H. Al-Riyami Maintenance and Support Specialist

BSc (Central Michigan University, USA 2008)

Mr. Saif Al-Mamari (Tean Lead) XRD/SEM Specialist

BSc (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman 1998)

Ms. Bushra Al-Daghari XRF/XRD Technician


Mr. Ibrahim Al-Khusaibi XRF/XRD/SEM Technician

Diploma (Higher College of Technology, Oman 2012)

Ms. Buthaina Al-Husaini XRF/XRD Technician

BSc (Higher College of Technology, Oman 2019)

Dr. Suad Al-Burtamani (Team Lead) Chromatography/MS Application Specialist

PhD (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman 2018)

Dr. Premkumar Samuel NMR/ MALDI Specialist

PhD (University of Madras, India 2007)

Mr. Sathish Babu S P Chromatography/MS Application Specialist

M. Phil (Bharathidasan University, India 2008)

Head of

Department

Material Science

Cell and Molecular

Analyses

Chromatography and Mass

Spectrometry

Coordination Support & Maintenance


Ms. Muna Al-Hosni Chromatography/MS Senior Technician

BSc (Higher College of Technology, Oman 2010)

Mr. Singaravadivel.T Chromatography/MS Application Specialist

MBA (Anna University, India 2010)

Ms. Zahra Al-Mamari SEM/NMR Technician


Dr. Sanket Joshi Laboratory Application Specialist Deputy Director OGRC

PhD (M.S. University of Baroda, India 2008)

Ms. Wafa Al-Alawi (Team Lead) Molecular Biology Application Specialist

BSc (University of Jordan, Jordan 2001)

Ms. Ratiba Al-Maaini Molecular Biology Application Specialist

MSc (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman 2010)

Ms. Asma Al-Bahry Molecular Biology Application Specialist

MSc (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman 2013)



IT Zone Unit

Unit Staff

Ms. Wasila Al-Busaidi Head

(MSc, Liverpool Uni., UK)

Ms. Abeer Al-Siyabi IT Technical Support

Contacts

Mailing Address IT Zone Unit

College of Science


PO Box: 36, Postal Code: 123 Al-Khoudh

Muscat, Sultanate of Oman


Fax Number: (+968) 24413415


Website: http://www.squ.edu.om/science/units/IT-Zone

Overview

IT Zone, established in 2012, is a service unit that provides

Information Technology (IT) services to College of Science

community. Its mission is to provide high quality of IT services to

the end-users and raise the awareness about ethics in IT. Its main

objectives list includes: designing programs that satisfy the

requirement of local end-users, providing a wide range of IT

technical support for the local end-users, educating and training

local users for better utilization of IT, and serving the community

inside and outside SQU. The unit’s offices are located beside the

College of Science Dean’s office, and currently has two dedicated

staff.


HIGHLIGHTS

During the year 2020:

Head the project of installing conference/presentation system for meeting room 2037 in 2nd floor. The

objective of the system is to allow college members to run scheduled video/virtual conference, meeting,

job interview and presetations.

Coordinate with college computer user committee in the project of purchasing new computer equipment

required by the departments.

College Plotter Facility

High Performance Computation Facility

UNIT ACTIVITIES

The unit conducted the following activities in 2020:

New college website (Arabic & Englsih): the unit completed the project of new college website as per the

decsion made by the university administration to upgrade SQU website.

Development of Web Application: The Unit, in cooperation with the Center of Information System (CIS)

completed the development of Choice of Major Web Application. The web app allow students to apply for

major online. The selection process is automated since the system is providing the required condition to

make the correct selection.

New position: Ms. Wasila Al-Busaidi was appointed for 6 months to work with HPC system (High

Perfoamce Computing) as system analyst.

Computer Labs: Purchase new desktop computers for computer labs in Earth Science, Physics and

Mathematics


Life Science Unit

Unit Staff

Dr. Amina Al-Farsi Systematic Botanist/Herbarium Curator Ahmed Al-Wahaibi Botanic Garden Supervisor Thikra A. Al- Mandhari Herbarium Assistant Kandhsamy Gardener

Contacts: Life Science Unit

College of Science


PO Box: 36, Postal Code: 123 Al-Khoudh

Muscat, Sultanate of Oman


Fax Number: (+968) 24413415


Website: http://www.squ.edu.om/science/units/Life-Science-Unit

Overview

The unit provides conducive environment for education and

scientific research at Sultan Qaboos University. The Unit supports

the community both in and out of the university in different ways

such as consultancies and collaborative services with stakeholders

in the field of botany.

Vision:

Play an integral role as a center of expertise in the conservation

and sustainability of Oman’s Flora and Fauna.

Mission:

To create and inspire the understanding, appreciation and

conservation of life and the environment, and to further university

mission of research, education and outreach.

Objective:

Educational.

Research and conservation.

http://www.squ.edu.om/science/units/Life-Science-Unit

http://www.squ.edu.om/science/units/Life-Science-Unit


Highlights During the year 2020, the following notable developments took place:

Iben Sina Herbal garden: The designing and work for the herbal garden of Iben Sina entrance is in

progress. It shall be completed later in 2021.

The virtual herbarium website project is completed. At the moment the website is being subjected and

scrutinized to meet security checks to be hosted in the main SQU website this year.

Proposals for further works in the Botanical Garden for 2021:

A proposal for a new rock museum to be included in the Botanical Garden was put forward. It has been

approved. The unite will commence work as soon as the funds required are released.

A proposal was put forward for an open sitting area for students behind the Students Counseling

building. It is still pemding sapproval.

SQU Herbarium

Omani plant poster

SQU Herbarium SQU Herbarium’s collection has been reorganized based on new evidence in taxonomic status of taxa following

latest best practices highlighted in research publications in plant systematics. The herbarium High resolution

image scans of the specimens is in progress, and has accomplaished great progress so far. The images will be

available in the online herbarium database, which is going to be launched soon.

The herbarium continues to serve all SQU community and the public visitors from outside the university.

Postgraduate students benefited from collection and information available in the herbarium, and deposited

plant specimens from their research projects to be featured and classified in SQU hetbarium.

Seed Bank The seed bank focuses in collecting seeds of Omani plants and later will extend its interest and concentration

to assemble genetic resources for all plants in the Sultanate. The seed bank aims to maintain the plants from

the risk of extinction and to compensate for areas prone to poor environmental conditions with focusing in

plants of high economic, heritage and cultural value.

UNIT ACTIVITIES

Despite of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Life Sciences Unit has begun work in the crisis to accomplish and support

students as it continues to fulfill its mission.

Research

Annual Report



The College of Science is

continually striving for

excellence in all spheres of

academic life. It is a pleasure to

look back on the past year and

marvel at the remarkable

achievements made by the

College particularly in scholarly

activities. More often than not,

tertiary institutions are

recognized internationally by

their research profiles. The

College made huge strides

towards realizing this goal.

Research infrastructure was

strengthened in virtually all

departments and especially at

The Central Analytical and Applied

Research Unit. The MSc and PhD

degree programmes are fully fledged

in all the departments of the College.

There is a large increase in

postgraduate enrolment across a

diverse range of science disciplines,

in line with the implementation of

the College strategic plan.

Research funding approved in 2020

was in excess of 285,000 Omani

Riyals. Most of the funding was

secured by the Departments of

Chemistry, Physics and Biology from

the Internal Grant (IG). There were

also sizeable research grants from

external sources for projects in the

Departments of Biology, Chemistry

and Mathematics. With regard to the

internal grants (IG), 28, new

research projects were funded.

It is gratifying that the culture of

research in the College of Science is

well and truly cultivated. The

research output was also impressive

as evidenced by the number of

publications, exceeding 200, in

international journals and the SQU

Journal for Science as well as

conference presentations in keeping

with the improved research facilities

and increase in the number of

postgraduate and postdoctoral

researchers.

THE

DEAN’S

MESSAGE ABOUT THE RESEARCH

Ahmed Al-Rawas Professor, College Dean

(PhD, Uni. of Liverpool, UK; Physics; Mossbauer Spectroscopy & Solid State Physics )

2020 HIGHLIGHTS:

#of intakes in MSc 106

#of intakes in PhD 19

#of graduates from MSc 39

#of graduates from PhD 16

Total research funds from all

sources: O.R.285,550

#of publications of all type 296

Journals 204

Conferences 65

Book Chapters 27



DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

THE RESEARCH COUNCIL PROJECTS (TRC)

Simultaneous Assessment of Snail 1 Protein Expression and Tumor Infiltrating

Immune Cells in Omani Breast Cancer Patients’ Samples as a Potential

Prognostic Biomarker

Project Code: IG/SCI/BIOL/20/03

Investigators: Sirin Adham, Department of Biology, SQU.

Duration: 2 years

Budget: 1500 OMR

Year: 2020-2021

Triple negative breast cancer (TBNC) is considered the most dangerous subtype of breast

cancer since it lacks the main hormone receptors, the patients with this subtype do not

benefit from the targeted therapies. Therefore, looking for a distinguishing biomarker for

this type is very essential for the development of targeted therapy for this fatal subtype.

Previous research showed that the expression of a transcriptional factor SNAI1 on the

immune cells of breast cancer patients decreased significantly when compared to healthy

controls, in addition SNAI1 expression was significantly decreased in patients with stage

2, 3 and 4 compared with stage 1 disease as confirmed by ROC analysis. In this proposal,

we are interested to check the expression of SNAI1 in the breast cancer tissue collected

from the previous study and try to find a correlation between the expressed levels and

patients characteristics and outcome. In addition, we want to quantify the tumor

infiltrating immune cells (TIL) that express the CD3 and CD8 surface markers to check

their correlation with the levels of SNAI1. In parallel, the expression of SNAI1 will be also

detected on tissue microarray for at least 200 breast cancer samples to validate the data

obtained from the samples collected from the Omani patients.


THE INTERNAL GRANTS PROJECTS (IG)

Determine the Molecular Basis of Breast Cancer in the Omani Population:

Comparative Analysis with European Breast Cancer Cases

Project Code: EG/SCI/BIOL/20/01

Investigators: Sirin Adham, Department of Biology, SQU. Marwa Al Riyami Department of Pathology College of Medicine and Co-PI

Dr. John Bartlett, OICR, Totonto

Duration: 1 year

Budget: 6000 OMR

Year: 2020-2021

Breast cancer comes on the top of the list for the most common cancer in Omanis. Breast

cancer affects younger women compared to western countries with aggressive nature. In

this proposal, we will run a multidisciplinary research to understand the scientific

explanations behind the reason why it is affecting younger women in Oman and study the

specific features and characteristics of the disease. All Omani patients are diagnosed and

treated according to the Western standardized methods and protocols however, the local

breast cancer might have different features that need to be considered when applying the

international regimens. Currently, there is a very limited number of breast cancer research

in the country and there is a demand to conduct a comparative analysis to have a better

view of such a problem that will lead to a more customized method of managing the

disease. Precision medicine is a revolutionizing branch of Medicine that is dedicated to

finding precise molecular targets to minimize the side effects of chemotherapies.

Understanding the characteristics and the molecular basis of breast cancer in the Omani

population will eventually lead to better management of the disease, which will be

reflective of the patients' survival and outcome.

Waste Clean Make Green: Green Conversion of Municipal Solid Waste into Industrial Gases

Project Code: CR/SCI/BIOL/20/01

Investigators: Sivakumar Nallusamy, Department of Biology, SQU. Dr. Ala’a Al-Muhtaseb, College of Engineering, and Dr. Ahmed Al-Busaidi, College of Agriculture and Marine Science, SQU.

Duration: 1 year

Budget: 44400 OMR

Year: 2020-2021

The solid waste management is becoming a global problem due to the increasing accumulation trend every year. The high rate of urbanization, living style and economic development increased the global municipal solid waste generation. Different approaches such as burial, incineration and recycling are used to dispose the collected municipal solid wastes.

Improper management of solid wastes contaminates air, soil and water. In addition, disposal of solid wastes in landfills pollute the groundwater and cause emission of


JOURNALS

1. Al-Rashdi F. K. H.; Al-Sadi A. M.; Al Riyamy B. Z.; Maharachchikumbura S. S. N.; Al-Ruqaishi H. K.; Velazhahan R. (2020). “Alternaria alternata and Neocosmospora sp. from the medicinal plant Euphorbia larica exhibit antagonistic activity against Fusarium sp., a plant pathogenic fungus”. All Life. 13:1, 223-232.

2. Al-Rashdi F. K. H.; Al-Sadi A. M.; Al Riyamy B. Z.; Maharachchikumbura S. S. N.; Al-Sabahi J. N.; Velazhahan R. (2020). “Endophytic fungi from the medicinal plant Aloe dhufarensis Lavranos exhibit antagonistic potential against phytopathogenic fungi”. South African Journal of Botany. 00: 1-8.

3. Al-Kitani, F.A.; Baqir, S; Mansoor, M.K.; Al-Riyami, S.; Hussain, M.H.; Roberts, D. (2020). “Genetic survey of cystic echinococcosis in farm animals in Oman”, Tropical Animal Health & Production, 52: 331-337

4. Al Kindi, A.; Al Kindi, A.; Hassan, B.; Al Yahyai, S.; Waly, M.; Alansari, A. (2020). “Dietary Patterns and Nutrient Intakes in SLE Patients in Oman" J Food Sci Nutr Res, 3: 050-060

5. Al-Haddadi, W.; Elshafie, A.; Alansari, A. S.; Al-Mawly, J.; Al-Hatali, R.; Al-Habsi, H.; Al-Hshami, A.; Al-Ansari, A. (2020). “Bovine Mastitis in Oman is Mainly Associated with Environmental Bacteria that Show High Resistance to Commonly Used Antibiotics”, Arch Microbiol Immunology, 4: 38-50.

6. Cuéllar Soto, E.; Johnson, P. J.; Macdonald, D. W. (2020). “Woody plant encroachment drives habitat loss for a relict population of a large mammalian herbivore in South America”, Therya, 11: 484–494.

7. Victor, R.; Cuéllar Soto, E. (2020). “A preliminary study on the status of invasive palm squirrels in Oman”, International Journal of Environmental Studies, 77: 727–738

8. Neelam Sherwani and Sardar A Farooq. 2020. Evaluation of Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory activities of Periploca aphylla. Int. J. Pharma. Res (IJPR). 12(4): http://www.ijpronline.com/ViewArticleDetail.aspx?ID=20496

9. Al-Shidi, H. K., Hameed Sulaiman, & Alrubkhi, S. M. (2020). Mass concentration and morphological analysis of PM10 and PM2.5 particles in congested roads during day hours in three major cities of Oman. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2020.1795087

10. Al-Shidi, H. K.; Al-Reasi, H. A.; Hameed Sulaiman. (2020). “Heavy metals levels in road dust from Muscat, Oman: relationship with traffic volumes, and ecological and health risk assessments”, International Journal of Environmental Health Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2020.1751806.

11. Al-Shidi, H. K.; Hameed Sulaiman.; Al-Reasi, H. A.; Jamil, F.; Aslam, M. (2020). “Human and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in different particle sizes of road dust in Muscat, Oman”, Environmental Science and Pollution Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09319-6.

greenhouse gases. Hence, bioconversion or recycling of these wastes would reduce the environmental pollution.

Today, the scientific research is progressing towards the development of biodegradation

or bioconversion processes to convert the organic solid wastes into valuable resources

using potential microorganisms. Municipal solid waste management is a challenging issue

for the Sultanate of Oman because of its adverse impacts on environment and public health.

With a population of almost 3 million people, the country generates around 1.9 million tons

of solid waste per year. The per capita waste generation in Oman is more than 1.5 kg per

day, among the highest worldwide. Hence, utilizing the organic wastes for producing value

added products and other commodities not only reducing its cost of production but also

clean the environment through waste to energy approach. In this regard, the bio-waste or

green waste gains significant importance due to their high organic content. Biological

approaches utilizing microorganisms or their enzymes to degrade these organic wastes

offer eco-friendly approaches. Such eco-friendly approaches are more effective and make

the environment clean and green. Hence, in this proposed research, the types of solid

wastes accumulated in landfills of Oman will be studied and the feasibility of converting

MSW into industrial gases or using industrial gases to treat MSW will be analyzed.

http://www.ijpronline.com/ViewArticleDetail.aspx?ID=20496


12. Dobretsov, S., Sathe, P., Bora, T., Barry, M., Myint, M.T.Z., Al Abri, M. (2020). “Toxicity of different zinc oxide nanomaterials at three trophic levels: implications for development of low-toxicity antifouling agents”. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 39:1343-1354.

13. Awadh, M.; Mahmoud, H.; Abed, R. M. M.; El Nayal, A. M.; Abotalib, N.; Ismail, W. (2020). “Diesel-born organosulfur compounds stimulate community re-structuring in a diesel –biodesulfurizing consortium” Biotechnology Reports, 28:e00572

14. Latif Khan, A.; Asaf, S.; Abed, R. M. M.; Chai, Y. N.; Al-Rawahi, A. N.; Mohanta, T. K.; Al-Rawahi, A.; Schachtaman, D. P.; Al-Harrasi, A. (2020) “Rhizosphere microbiome of arid land medicinal plants and extra cellular enzymes contribute to their abundance” Microorganisms, 8:213.

15. Al-Senafi, F.; Abed, R. M. M. Muthukrishnan, T.; Anis, A.; Al-Rawahi, A.; Mahmoud, H.; (2020) “Development and diversity of bacterial biofilms in response to internal tides, a case study off the coast of Kuwait” Frontiers in Marine Science 7:21.

16. Abed, R. M. M.; Shanti, M.; Muthukrishnan, T.; Al-Riyami, Z.; Pracejus, B.; Moraetis, D. (2020) “The Role of microbial mats in the removal of hexavalent chromium and associated shifts in their bacterial community composition” Frontiers in Microbiology, 11/12

17. Abed, R. M. M.; Muthukrishnan, T.; Al-Khaburi, M.; Al-Senafi, F.; Abdul Munam; Mahmoud, H. (2020) “Degradability of oxo-biodegradable polyethylene and fouling bacterial communities in the planktonic and benthic zones of a marine environment” Marine Pollution Bulletin, 150.110639

18. Al‐Zeheimi N, Adham SA. Modeling Neoadjuvant chemotherapy resistance in vitro increased NRP‐1 and HER2 expression and converted MCF7 breast cancer subtype. British Journal of Pharmacology 2020, 177(9):2024-2041.

19. Ali BH, Al-Salam S, Balushi KAA, Za’abi MA, Adham SA, Beegam S, Yuvaraju P, Manoj P, Nemmar A. Ameliorative Effect of Gum Acacia on Hookah Smoke-Induced Testicular Impairment in Mice. Biomolecules 2020, 10(5):762.

20. Al Battashi, H.; Al-Kindi, S.; Gupta, V.K.; Sivakumar, N. (2020). Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Production Using Volatile Fatty Acids Derived from the Anaerobic Digestion of Waste Paper”. Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-020-01870-0.

21. Annamalai, N.; Sivakumar, N.; Fernandez-Castane, A.; Oleskowicz-Popiel, P. (2020). “Production of microbial lipids utilizing volatile fatty acids derived from wastepaper: A biorefinery approach for biodiesel production”. Fuel, 276, 118087.

22. Nair, A.S.; Al-Bahry, S.; Gathergood, N.; Tripathi, B.N.; Sivakumar, N. (2020). “Production of microbial lipids from optimized waste office paper hydrolysate, lipid profiling and prediction of biodiesel properties”. Renewable Energy, 148, 124-134.

23. Palanivel, T.M.; Sivakumar, N.; Al-Ansari, A.; Victor, R. (2020). “Bioremediation of copper by active cells of Pseudomonas stutzeri LA3 isolated from an abandoned copper mine soil”. Journal of Environmental Management, 253, 109706.

24. Nair, A.S.; Al-Bahry, S.; Sivakumar, N. (2020). “Co-production of microbial lipids and biosurfactant from waste office paper hydrolysate using a novel strain Bacillus velezensis ASN1”. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 10:383–391

25. Bom, R., van Gils, J.A., Molenaar, K., Kwarteng, A.Y, Victor, R and Folmer, E.O. 2020. The intertidal mudflats of Barr Al Hikman, Sultanate

26. Kirchner, S., Sattman, H., Haring, E., Victor, R. and Kruckenhauser, L. 2020. Hidden diversity- Delimitation of cryptic species and phylogeography of the cyprinid Garra species complex in northern Oman. Journal of Zoology, Systematics and Evlution Research, 00: 1-17.

27. Jana, Gerry Aplang ; Krishnamurthy, Pannaga ; Kumar, Prakash; and Yaish, M.W. (2020). Functional characterization and expression profiling of glyoxalase III genes in date palm grown under abiotic stresses. Physiologia Plantarum, 1-15.

28. Gerry Jana, and Yaish, MW. (2020). Functional characterization of the Glyoxalase-I (PdGLX1) gene family in date palm under abiotic stresses. Plant Signaling & Behavior, 1811527.

29. Jana, G.A., and Yaish, M.W. 2020. Isolation and Functional Characterization of a mVOC producing Plant-Growth-Promoting Bacterium isolated from the Date Palm Rhizosphere. Rhizosphere, Volume 16, 100267.

30. Gerry Jana, and Yaish, MW. (2020). Genome-wide identification and functional characterization of glutathione peroxidase genes in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) under stress conditions. Plant Gene, Volume 23, 100237.

31. Ibtisam Al-Harrasi, Gerry Aplang Jana, Himanshu V. Patankar, Rashid Al-Yahyai, Sivamathini Rajappa, Prakash P. Kumar, and Yaish, M.W. (2020). A novel tonoplast Na+/H+ antiporter gene from date palm (PdNHX6) confers enhanced salt tolerance response in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell Reports. 39, 1079–1093, Page 1-15.

32. Ibtisam Al-Harrasi, Himanshu V Patankar, Rashid Al-Yahyai, Ramanjulu Sunkar, Pannaga Krishnamurthy, Prakash P Kumar, and Yaish, M. W. (2020). Molecular Characterization of a Date Palm Vascular Highway 1-Interacting Kinase (PdVIK) Under Abiotic Stresses. Genes 11 (5), 568.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-020-01870-0


33. Latifa Al Kharusi, Gerry Aplang Jana, Himanshu V Patankar, Yaish M.W. (2020) Comparative Metabolic Profiling of Two Contrasting Date Palm Genotypes Under Salinity. Plant Molecular Biology Reporter. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11105-020-01255-6

34. Jamil F, Al‐Riyami M, Al‐Haj L, Al‐Muhtaseb A, T. Z. Myint, Baawain M, Al‐Abri M. (2020). “Waste Balanites aegyptiaca seed oil as a potential source for biodiesel production in the presence of a novel mixed metallic oxide catalyst”, International Journal of Energy Research.

35. Jamil, F., Sahaya, P., Kumar, M., Al-haj, L., Tay, M., Myint, Z., & Al-muhtaseb, A. H. (2020). Energy Conversion and Management : X Heterogeneous carbon-based catalyst modified by alkaline earth metal oxides for biodiesel production : Parametric and kinetic study. Energy Conversion and Management: X, (May), 100047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecmx.2020.100047

36. Murphin P, Kyaw K, Myint M , Al‐Haj L, Al‐Muhtaseb A, Al‐Abri M, Thanigaivel V, V. K. ponnusamy. (2020). Green route synthesis of nanoporous copper oxide for efficient supercapacitor and capacitive deionization performances. International Journal of Energy Research, 44(13), 10682–10694.

BOOK CHAPTERS

1. Al-Azkawi, A. H.; Al-Battashi, H.; Sivakumar, N. (2020). Nonionic surfactants for enhancement of lignocellulose enzymatic hydrolysis”. in Recent Developments in Bioenergy Research (Eds: Gupta, V.K., Treichel, H., Kuhad, R. C., Rodriguez-Cout, S.), Elsevier, 225-236.

2. Annamalai, N.; Elayaraja, S.; Oleskowicz-Popiel, P.; Sivakumar, N.; Al Bahry. S. (2020). “Volatile fatty acids production during anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass”. in Recent Developments in Bioenergy Research (Eds: Gupta, V.K., Treichel, H., Kuhad, R. C., Rodriguez-Cout, S.), Elsevier, 237-251.

3. Nair, A.S.; Sivakumar, N. (2020). “Recent advancements in pretreatment technologies of biomass to produce bioenergy”. in Recent Developments in Bioenergy Research (Eds: Gupta, V.K., Treichel, H., Kuhad, R. C., Rodriguez-Cout, S.), Elsevier, 311-324.

4. Al-Battashi, H.; Sivakumar, N. (2020). “Bioenergy technology for integrated production of polyhydroxybutyrate/bioplastic”. in Recent Developments in Bioenergy Research (Eds: Gupta, V.K., Treichel, H., Kuhad, R. C., Rodriguez-Cout, S.), Elsevier, 325-347.

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 1. Zulaiha Shakeel and Hameed Sulaiman. Religious principles as a tool to address human attitude to

modern environmental problems: An Islamic perspective. In the three day virtual conference on Environmental humanities, Western Ghats and Himalayan studies. Cape Comerin, India, 27-29 December 2020.

2. Abed, R. M. M., “How salt crust at halite saturation conditions affects the diversity and physiology of microbial mats?,” International Conference on Microbial Ecology in Arid Regions, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 11–13 February, 2020.

3. Sirin Adham, Azza Al Kalbani, Noura Al Zeheimi, The impact of glycemic load on the response of resistant breast cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs. The 10th Annual Meeting of the Middle Eastern Association for Cancer Research. December 5-6, 2020. Virtual conference via Cisco WebEx. (Invited keynote Speaker and abstract).

4. Sirin Adham and Noura Al Zeheimi, Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Upregulates HER-2 and Neuropilin-1 Conferring Drug Resistance. The First Biomedical Science conference in Oman (26-27 Feb. 2020).

5. Al Hashami, A. and Victor, R. 2020. Evaluation of treated wastewater using different technologies – the Oman Experience. The Second International Conference on Water Resources in Arid Areas. Online Conference, Sultan Qaboos University, Al Khod, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, 9-11 November 2020

6. Al Shidi, F and Victor, R. 2020. Distribution and classification of thermal springs in northern Oman. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, Online Conference on Water and Environment, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 17-18 December 2020.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11105-020-01255-6

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecmx.2020.100047


OTHERS

REVIEWING OF JOURNAL ARTICLES, BOOKS AND BOOK CHAPTERS:

1. Farooq, S. A. Reviewer of research papers for the following Journals; Plant Cell Tissue Organ

Culture (Springer Journal), Journal of Horticulture, African Journal of Biotechnology, Annals of

Phytomedicine; SQU Journal of Science

2. Hameed Sulaiman refereed papers for the following journal: Sustainability science.

3. Al-Reasi, H.A. refereed papers for the following journals: Chemosphere (Published by Elsevier

B.V.) and SQU Journal for Science (Published by Sultan Qaboos University).

4. Barry, M.J. refereed papers for the following journals: Environmental Pollution, Sultan Qaboos

University Journal of Science, Proceedings Royal Society of London (B), Ecotoxicology and

Environmental Safety, Chemosphere.

5. Sirin Adham reviewed article for the following journals: Molecular Cancer, Theranostics, Cancer Cell International, Gene, and BMC Cancer

6. Sirin Adham acted as an external examiner for Ph.D. thesis at Queen’s University, Canada. The student name is: Manpreet Sambi. Ph.D. Thesis “Investigating the Efficacy of a Combination Therapeutic Approach and Nanopolymer-Mediated Drug Delivery in Pancreatic and Breast Cancers. Role. External Examiner. Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. (8-January-2020).

7. Sirin Adham acted as an external examiner for Ph.D. thesis. The student name: Marzieh Moqadaas. Effects of Gallic Acid and Ellagic Acid on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Behavioral, Histopathological, Molecular and Biochemical Aspects. Department of Biology, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University (30-11-2020)

8. Sivakumar, N. refereed papers for the following journals: Heliyon,, Environmental Science and

Pollution Research, BMC Biotechnology, Current Biotechnology, ngeniería e Investigación, Current

Biotechnology, Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology, Waste Management, Journal of

Polymers and the Environment

9. Sivakumar, N. adjudicated a PhD thesis for Vellore Institute of Technology, India and University of

Fort Hare, South Africa.

10. Sivakumar, N. reviewed research proposals for The Research Council, Oman

RESEARCH VISIT Sirin Adham visited Queen’s Cancer Research center and discussed ongoing research with Prof. Peter Greer 8 and 9 of January 2020.

SERVING ON EDITORIAL BOARDS OF JOURNALS AND CHAIRING CONFERENCE SESSIONS

1. Farooq, S. A. Associate Editor: Annals of Phytomedicine (ISSN 2278-9839)

2. Hameed Sulaiman serving on the editorial board of “Current Pollution Reports” by Springer

3. Adham S A is a guest editor at Frontiers in Oncology, editing a research topic titled “Recent Advancement in Neoadjuvant chemotherapy to Suite Each Breast Cancer Subtype”.

4. Yaish, MW. Serving as an editorial board member in the following scientific journals: Cells. Data in Brief.

5. Sivakumar, N. serving as an editorial board member in International journal of nutrition pharmacology neurological diseases, Review Editor for Bioenergy and Biofuels from Frontiers in Energy Research


DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

STRATEGIC PLAN PROJECTS

Simultaneous Determination of Glucose, Fructose, Sucrose and Maltose in

Omani Natural Honeys Using Novel Microfluidic Paper-based Assays and

Smartphone Readout

Project Code: SR/SCI/CHEM/20/01

Investigators: Haider A. J. Al Lawati, Suliman, FEO. ; Al-Kindy, S. M. Z., Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Sultan

Qaboos University

Iranifam, M., Department: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran

Budget: R.O. 62,000

Year: 2020 – 2023

Natural Omani honey, well known as one the best in the world, is of great importance in the country and more attention should be paid to its quality and authenticity. Sugars are the major constituents of honey and used to determine its nutritious and energetic value. Therefore, simple and reliable methods are needed for the measurement of sugars in honey to control its quality and adulteration. In this work, the development of lab on-paper-based microfluidic devices using chemiluminescence (CL) and colorimetric detection is proposed for the simultaneous detection of glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltose, as the main sugars found in honey. It is based on the specific enzymatic reaction of each sugar, guaranteeing the selectivity of the method. Enzyme/enzymes essay for each sugar will be independently fixed on the paper, using new metal-organic frameworks, which can effectively improve their stability. Finally, the product of enzymatic reactions, H2O2, is measured by simple CL and colorimetric methods. The detection will simply be done using naked eye or more available smartphones. We hope that this research result in the development of miniaturized hand-held devices for the simple determination of sugars in food samples. It is worth mentioning that this work will be done for the first time and there is no similar report in the literature yet

INTERNAL GRANT PROJECTS

Synthesis and Phase Behaviour of Novel Organosiloxane Liquid-crystal Materials and Investigation of the Occurrence of de Vries Phases in them.

Project Code: IG/SCI/CHEM/20/01

Investigators: Wajdi Michel Zoghaib, Raid Abdel-Jalil, Chemistry & A. K. George,

Physics

Duration: 2 Years (2020- 2021)

Budget: R.O. 3,100

To continue our research in organosiloxane liquid crystal materials and to build upon the successes of previous years (10 publications in 7 years), we propose to design and synthesize at SQU a series of homologous materials based on modifications and analogs of materials previously synthetized at SQU. In this proposed work, we intend to modify the mesogenic moiety attached to the siloxane group. To our knowledge, this has not been


Acetylide-Functionalized Mono Pyridine Ancillary Sensitizer Ligands and their

Europium(III) β-diketonate Complexes For Opto-electronic Applications

Project Code: IG/SCI/CHEM/20/03

Investigators: M. S. Khan and M. K. Al-Suti

Budget: R.O. 1,640

Year: 2020 – 2021

The seed project was envisioned to address three areas: (i) synthesis of two π-conjugated Py based ancillary ligands (ii) characterization of the ligands by analytical, spectroscopic, and photo-physical techniques (iii) coordination of the new ligands to Eu(III) β-diketonate complexes aimed at generating new materials for OLED applications.

Two mono-pyridine based ancillary ligands were synthesized by adaptation of synthetic protocol developed by us and others, see Scheme 1. Briefly, acetylide-functionalized Py ligands was synthesized by a sequence of Sonogashira coupling and deprotection reactions followed by the dehydrohalogenation reaction to introduce the electron-rich systems.

Scheme 1: Synthetic protocol for π-conjugated Py ligands, L3 and L4.

The formulation of the ancillary ligands [L3 and L4) was confirmed by the elemental analysis, FTIR, multinuclear NMR and ESI-MS. Measurements of photo-physical properties of L3 and L4 such as determination of the absorbing capacity (molar absorptivity, ε), excitation, emission properties and photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) are in progress. Preliminary results look promising. The newly synthesized ligands will be incorporated into ternary Eu(III) β-diketonate complexes according to Scheme 2.

reported in the literature. We also propose to add a fluorine to the mesogenic core and to vary the length of the alkyl chain. We expect all the materials to display ferroelectric phases and some to display de Vries SmA* or SmC* behavior. We also expect to observe a SA* (de Vries) to SC* transition in some of the materials.

This timely and relevant project can be achieved at a relatively low cost. The Liquid-Crystal

Laboratory has been well-equipped through previous funding by SQU. The chemistry for

the synthesis is now well established in the chemistry department.


Scheme 2: Synthesis of ternary Eu(III) complexes of the type [Eu(BTFA)3L] (L = L3, L4)

Development of Superhydrophilic and Superoleophobic Surface on Metal Free

Graphitic Like g-C3N4 2D Nanosheets for Efficient Oil/Water Separation

Project Code: CL/SQU-QU/SCI/20/01

Investigators: Dr. Rengaraj Selvaraj, Principal

Investigator, Department of Chemistry, SQU

Prof. Salma Al Kindy, Co-Principal Investigator, Prof. Majeda Khraisheh, Principal Investigator,

Department of Chemical Engineering, Qatar University, Qatar

Budget: O.R. 60,000

Year: 2020 – 2022

The present SQU-QU joint research proposal will focus on (i) development of hybrid and

bare 2D graphite like carbon nitride (g-C3N4) materials from various precursors. (ii) fixing

of 2D g-C3N4 materials on the copper, stainless steel and other mesh with different pore

size. (iii) modification of g-C3N4 surface with super hydrophilic and superoleophobic

groups (iv) Characterization of the prepared materials by different advanced analytical

techniques (XRD, BET, XPS, SEM, EDX and HR-TEM) (v) application of prepared materials

for the separation of oil and water with real and synthetic oil and water mixers. The

separation phenomena will be studied as a function of the type of oil, mixing duration,

mixing speed and addition of coloring agents. Through this project, the development of

advanced methods for oil and water separation will become an emerging technology and

useful for both industrial and research community. The rheology, surface/interfacial tension

and density of the oil water mixtures will be examined to better understand the influence of

physical properties on oil-water mixing and separation phenomena. The project will

develop scientific and research skills and expertise in the Oman and Qatar.


JOURNALS

1. Al Mamari, H. H.; Al Harrasi, I.; Al Hadhrami, K.; Y. Al Lawati, Y.; Suliman. F. O. (2020) “Inclusion complexes of selected amines with pillar [5] arenes: experimental and molecular dynamics study”. Journal of Inclusion Phenomena and Macrocyclic Chemistry. 96(3): 297-306.

2. Al Sabahi, A.; Al Busafi, N. S.; Suliman, F. O.; S. M. Al Kindy, S. M. (2020) “Photophysical and theoretical studies on the solvatochromic effects and dipole moments evaluation of substituted 1-phenyl-3-naphthyl-5-(4-ethyl benzoate)-2-pyrazoline”. Journal of Molecular Liquids. 307: 112967.

3. I.J. Al-Busaidi, R. Ilmi, J.D.L. Dutra, W.F. Oliveira, A. Haque, N.K. Al Rasbi, F. Marken, P.R. Raithby, M.S. Khan, Utilization of a Pt(II) di-yne chromophore incorporating a 2,2'-bipyridine-5,5'-diyl spacer as a chelate to synthesize a green and red emitting d-f-d heterotrinuclear complex, Dalton Trans, DOI: 10.1039/D0DT04198J.

4. I.J. Al-Busaidi, A. Haque, J. Husband, N.K. Al Rasbi, O.K. Abou-Zied, R.A. Al-Balushi, M.S. Khan, P.R. Raithby, Electronic and steric effects of Platinum(II) di-yne and poly-yne substituents on the photo-switching behaviour of stilbene: Experimental and theoretical insights, Dalton Trans., DOI: 10.1039/D0DT03502E

5. M.S. Khan, R. Ilmi, W. Sun, J.D.L. Dutra, W.F. Oliveira, L. Zhou, W.-Y. Wong, P.R. Raithby, Bright and efficient red emitting electroluminescent devices fabricated from ternary europium complexes, J. Mater. Chem. C, 8 (2020) 5600-5612.

6. R. Ilmi, W. Sun, J.D.L. Dutra, N.K. Al-Rasbi, L. Zhou, P.-C. Qian, W.-Y. Wong, P.R. Raithby, M.S. Khan, Monochromatic red electroluminescence from a homodinuclear europium(iii) complex of a β-diketone tethered by 2,2′-bipyrimidine, J. Mater. Chem. C, 8 (2020) 9816-9827.

7. R. Ilmi, S. Kansız, N.K. Al-Rasbi, N. Dege, P.R. Raithby, M.S. Khan, Towards white light emission from a hybrid thin film of a self-assembled ternary samarium(iii) complex, New J. Chem., 44 (2020) 5673-5683.

8. A. Haque, R.A. Al-Balushi, P.R. Raithby, M.S. Khan, Recent Advances in π-Conjugated N^C-Chelate Organoboron Materials, Molecules, 25 (2020) 2645.

9. Ching-Yi Cheng, A. Haque, Ming-Fa Hsieh, S.I. Hassan, M.S.H. Faizi, N. Dege, and M.S. Khan, 1,4-Disubstituted 1H-1,2,3-Triazoles for Renal Diseases: Studies of Viability, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antioxidant Activities, , International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21 (2020) 3823.

10. Cheng, C.; Haque, A.; Hsieh, M.; Hassan, S. I.; Faizi, M. S. H.; Dege, N.; Khan, M. S. (2020). “1,4-Disubstituted 1H-1,2,3-Triazoles for Renal Diseases: Studies of Viability, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antioxidant Activities”, International Journal Molecular Sciences, 21, 3823-3840.

11. Al Mughairy, B.; Al Lawati, H. A. J.; (2020) “Recent analytical advancements in microfluidics using chemiluminescence detection systems for food analysis”. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry. 124:115802-115815

12. Al Yahyai, I.; Al Lawati, H. A. J.; (2020) “A review of recent developments based on chemiluminescence detection systems for pesticides analysis”. Luminescence DOI: 10.1002/bio.3947

13. Al Lawati, H. A. J.; Hassanzadeh, J.; (2020) “Dual-function 2D cobalt metal-organic framework embedded on paper as a point-of-care diagnostic device: Application for the quantification of glucose”. Analytica Chimica Acta. 1139, 15-26

14. Ismail, A.H., Khyasudeen, M.F., Husband, J., Ibrahim, A.R., Baqi, Y., and Abou-Zied, Steady-State Spectroscopy and Ultrafast Dynamics of Flavylium Derivatives in the Red Spectral Region, Journal of Luminescence, 2020, 223, 117261 (1−8)

15. Sharifi, M., Karim, A.Y, Nanakali, N.M.Q., Salihi, A., Aziz, F.M., Hong, J., Khan, R.H., Saboury, A.A., Hasan, A.,* Abou-Zied, O.K.,* and Falahati, M.* Strategies of Enzyme Immobilization on Nanomatrix Supports and Their Intracellular Delivery. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, 2020, 38, 2746–2762

16. Rouzafzay, F., Shidpour, R.* Abou-Zied, O.K., Bagheri, K., Al-Abri, M.Z.M.* Lifetime and Dynamics of Charge Carriers in Carbon-incorporated ZnO nanostructures for water treatment under Visible Light: Femtosecond Transient Absorption and Photoluminescence Study. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2020, 38, 2746–2762

17. Arcon I., Tarricone L., Cantone P., Golinelli F., Al-Hinai A.A.H., Valentini M. (2020) “Chemical characterization of copper in vineyard soil”, Agrochimica, Vol. LXIV, 28-40.

18. Domestici C., Tensi L., Zaccaria F., Kissimina N., Valentini M., D’Amato R., Costantino F., Zuccaccia C., Macchioni A. (2020) “Molecular and heterogenized dinuclear Ir-Cp* water oxidation catalysts bearing EDTA or EDTMP as bridging and anchoring ligands”, Science Bulletin, 65, 1614-1625.

19. Emad A. Khudaish, Reversible potentiodynamic deposition of VO2/V2O5 network onto strongly oxidative glassy carbon electrode for quantification of tamoxifen drug, Microchem. J., 152 (2020) 104327.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165993619305953

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165993619305953

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01659936



20. Emad A. Khudaish, Ameera Al-Khodouri, A Surface Network Based on Reduced Graphene Oxide/Gold Nanoparticles for Selective Determination of Norepinephrine in Real Samples, J. Electrochem. Soc., 167 (2020) 146516.

21. Zoghaib, W. M.*; George, A. K.; Carboni, C.; Molla, M. E.; Al-Mahrezi, S.; Al-Khan, H.; and Al-Kamshaki, D. (2020). “Mesomorphism of a series of aromatic single tail Biphenyl-yl-4-(alkoxy) benzoate and 4-(Benzyloxy)phenyl-4-(alkoxy)benzoate Liquid Crystalline materials”, Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals, 710 (1): 13-18.

22. Mohamed, T.*; Soliman, U.; Shaaban, I.; Zoghaib, W. M. and Wilson, L. (2020). “Raman, DRIFT and ATR-IR Spectra, Corrosion Inhibition DFT and Solid-state calculations of 4-Amino-3- choloro-2,5,6-trifluoropyridine”, Journal of Molecular Structure, 1207: 1-10

23. Mohamed, T. A.*; Shaaban, I.; Soliman, U. and Zoghaib, W. M. (2020). “Thiadiazole-2-thiol-5-thione and 2,5-Dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazol Tautomerism, Conformational Stability, Vibrational Assignments, Inhibitor Efficiency and Quantum Mechanical Calculations” Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie, 234 (3): 415–440.

24. Monochromatic red electroluminescence from a homodinuclear europium (III) complex of a β-diketone tethered by 2, 2ʹ-bipyrimidine, R Ilmi, W Sun, JDL Dutra, NK Al Rasbi, L Zhou, PC Qian, WYR Wong, paper accepted, Journal of Materials Chemistry C. 2020, 8 (29), 9816.

25. Towards white light emission from a hybrid thin film of a self-assembled ternary samarium (iii) complex, R Ilmi, S Kansız, NK Al-Rasbi, N Dege, PR Raithby, MS Khan, New Journal of Chemistry, 2020, 44 (15), 5673.

26. Investigation of binding tendency of Eu (III) and La (III)-Schiff base complexes to selected oxy-anions and amino acids, AN Al-Khalili, IJ Al-Busaidi, R Ilmi, M Al-Mandhary, MS Khan, NK Al-Rasbi, Inorganica Chimica Acta, 2020 (501) 119226.

27. Two Is Better than One? Investigating the Effect of Incorporating Re(CO)3Cl Side Chains into Pt(II) Diynes and Polyynes, A Haque, R Al-Balushi, IJ Al-Busaidi, NK Al-Rasbi, S Al-Bahri, MK Al-Suti, ...Inorganic Chemistry, 2020, accepted article.

28. Fatema T. H. Al Sarihi., Faisal Al Marzouqi, Alex T. Kuvarega., Sreejith Karthikeyan, Rengaraj Selvaraj*., (2020), Easy conversion of BiOCl plates to flowers like structure to enhance the photocatalytic degradation of endocrine disrupting compounds., Materials Research Express., Vol 6(12), 125537.

29. Faisal Al Marzouqi, Rengaraj Selvaraj*, Younghun Kim., (2020), Rapid photocatalytic degradation of Acetaminophen and Levofloxacin using g-C3N4 Nanosheets under solar light irradiation, Materials Research Express., Vol.6(12), 125538.

30. Sithembela A. Zikalala, Rengaraj Selvaraj, Faisal Al Marzouqi, Alex T. Kuvarega, Bhekie B. Mamba, Sabelo D. Mhlanga, Edward N. Nxumalo, (2020), Tailoring TiO2 through N doping and incorporation of amorphous carbon nanotubes via a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering., Vol. 8., pp. 104082.

31. Mohammed A Meetani, Ahmed Alzamly, Naji Al Dubaili, Mohamed F Malik, Nada Elmerhi, Noor I. Albadawi, Soleiman Hisaindee, Rengaraj Selvaraj, Muhammad A Rauf., (2020), Transformation products and mechanistic pathway of levofloxacin degradation in aqueous solution using advanced oxidation processes in the presence of BiVO4 and visible light, Desalination and Water Treatment., Vol. 183, pp. 325 – 334.

32. Kezhen Qi, Rengaraj Selvaraj* and Liwei Wang, (2020) Functionalized Inorganic Semiconductor Nanomaterials: Characterization, Properties, and Applications., Frontiers in Chemistry. Vol. 8, 616728.

33. Sithembela A. Zikalala, Rengaraj Selvaraj, Faisal Al Marzouqi, Alex T. Kuvarega, Bhekie B. Mamba, Sabelo D. Mhlanga, Edward N. Nxumalo, (2020), Amorphous carbon nanotube residue modification of solgel-synthesized C, N-doped TiO2 via for photocatalytic applications, Journal of Nanoparticle Research (NANO),Vol.22(12), pp.1-18.

34. R. Umapathi, Imran Khan, João A.P. Coutinho, P. Venkatesu: Unravelling the interactions between biomedical thermoresponsive polymer and biocompatible ionic liquids, Journal of Molecular Liquids, Elsevier, U.S., 300 (2020) 112362. DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2019.112362

35. S.I. Hassan, A. Haque, Y.A. Jeilani, R. Ilmi, S.H. Faizi, Imran Khan, M. Musftaque: Thioxanthone-based organic probe with aggregation enhanced emission and exceptional mineral acids sensing abilities, Journal of Molecular Structure, Elsevier, U.S., 1224 (2020) 129004. DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2020.129004

36. Velmurugan, Sethupathi, Sridharan Balu, Selvakumar Palanisamy, Thomas C-K. Yang, Vijayalakshmi Velusamy, Shih-Wen Chen, and El-Said I. El-Shafey. "Synthesis of novel and environmental sustainable AgI-Ag2S nanospheres impregnated g-C3N4 photocatalyst for efficient degradation of aqueous pollutants." Applied Surface Science 500 (2020): 143991.

37. Velmurugan, Sethupathi, Sridharan Balu, Selvakumar Palanisamy, Thomas C-K. Yang, Vijayalakshmi Velusamy, Shih-Wen Chen, and El-Said I. El-Shafey. "Synthesis of novel and environmental

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sustainable AgI-Ag2S nanospheres impregnated g-C3N4 photocatalyst for efficient degradation of aqueous pollutants." Applied surface science 500 (2020): 143991.

BOOK CHAPTERS

1. Alex T Kuvarega, Rengaraj Selvaraj* and Bhekie B Mamba, Graphene Based Photocatalytic Materials - An overview, Nanostructured Materials for Environmental Applications., Publisher Springer, 2020.

2. U. Gazal, Imran Khan*, A.H. Bhat, and V. Pathak, Ionic liquids as green solvents in the pharmaceutical industry in book ‘Green Sustainable Process for Chemical and Environmental Engineering and Science’ Publisher: Elsevier, Peer Reviewed Book Chapter (2020) 41-54.

3. A. Haque, A. Al Otaibia, M.W.A. Khan, and Imran Khan, Emerging trends in ionic liquid-based drugs: An update in book ‘Green Sustainable Process for Chemical and Environmental Engineering and Science’ Publisher: Elsevier, Peer Reviewed Book Chapter (2020) 293-301.

4. A.H. Bhat, Imran Khan, S.A. Bhawani, M.K.A. Rahim, U. Gazal, Stimuli-responsive polymer composites for fabric applications in book ‘Smart Polymer Nanocomposites: Biomedical and Environmental Applications’ Publisher: Elsevier, Peer Reviewed Book Chapter (2020) 351-376.

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

1. M. S. Khan, R. Ilmi, N. K. Al-Rasbi, P.R. Raithby, Low Turn-On Voltage White Light Emitting Organic Light Emitting Devices From an Oragno-terbium Complex, 14th International Conference on Surfaces, Coatings and Nanostructured Materials (NANOSMAT), UK (Virtual), 2020.

2. Al Lawati, H. A. J.,“Green micro-separation of phenolic acid and flavonoid using 3D printed lab on a chip device," MSB, online, 27–30 September, 2020.

3. Alya Albusaidi, Rengaraj Selvaraj., Bimetallic photocatalytic materials Cd(1-x)ZnxO for the degradation of antibiotics present in aqueous solution under solar light Irradiation., AEBIN Photochemistry School 2020 (online-Video Conference), DIPC (Donostia International Physics Center), 20018 DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIAN (Gipuzkoa), SPAIN to be held during September 7 – 9, 2020. (Via Online)

4. Rasheeda Al Abri, Rengaraj Selvaraj., Nanostructured cerium-doped ZnO for photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceuticals in aqueous solution., AEBIN Photochemistry School 2020 (online-Video Conference), DIPC (Donostia International Physics Center), 20018 DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIAN (Gipuzkoa), SPAIN to be held during September 7 – 9, 2020. (Via Online)

5. Thuraya Al Fahdi, Rengaraj Selvaraj., Synthesis of CdS and Modified CdS Sub-microspheres for the Degradation of Chlorophenols under Visible Light Irradiation., AEBIN Photochemistry School 2020 (online-Video Conference), DIPC (Donostia International Physics Center), 20018 DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIAN (Gipuzkoa), SPAIN to be held during September 7 – 9, 2020. (Via Online)

6. Fatema Al Sarihi, Rengaraj Selvaraj., Photocatalytic degradation of endocrine disruptor chemicals by BiOCl micro flower under UV-B light irradiation, AEBIN Photochemistry School 2020 (online-Video Conference), DIPC (Donostia International Physics Center), 20018 DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIAN (Gipuzkoa), SPAIN to be held during September 7 – 9, 2020. (Via Online)

7. Kawther Al Ismaili, Rengaraj Selvaraj., Solar photocatalytic degradation of chlorophenols by CdS microspheres prepared by microwave method., AEBIN Photochemistry School 2020 (online-Video Conference), DIPC (Donostia International Physics Center), 20018 DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIAN (Gipuzkoa), SPAIN to be held during September 7 – 9, 2020. (Via Online)

8. Moza Al Ruqaishi, Rengaraj Selvaraj., Template free synthesis of TiO2 microspheres for the

degradation of dyes present in aqueous solution., AEBIN Photochemistry School 2020 (online-Video

Conference), DIPC (Donostia International Physics Center), 20018 DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIAN

(Gipuzkoa), SPAIN to be held during September 7 – 9, 2020. (Via Online)

CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE

1. Hassan, S. I, Webinar on Organized by COMSTECH “Light and Polymers” 10th September 2020. 2. Hassan, S. I, Webinar on Organized by COMSTECH “Opportunities for production of Affordable

Biosimilar Medicines, and Plant-Based Novel Therapeutics, in the Islamic World” 12th November 2020.


CONFERENCE PRESENTATION

1. S. Naheed Furqan Ali, El-Said I. El-Shafey, Haider A. J. Al Lawati, Saleh N. Al-Busafi, Preparation and Characterization of Acidic, Basic and Hydrophobic Dehydrated Carbons and their Capability for Methylene Blue, ibuprofen and chlorpheniramine Adsorption, The 2nd International Conference on Water Resources in Arid Areas November 9-11, 2020, Muscat, Oman

2. Imran Khan, Virtual International Seminar 2020, 1-2th September 2020, Muscat, Oman, (Attended).

OTHERS

RESEARCH VISIT

1. (Osama Abou-Zaid) visited University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (5-21 January): Collaboration with Dr. Idayu Zahid and Dr. Faisal Kaysudeen (Chemistry Department). Delivered a seminar in the College of Science about our recent results in solar cell research.

POPULAR ARTICLES AND NON REFEREED ARTICLES

1. Al Lawati, H., “ الكبير.. سرد التاريخ بأدوات علمية التاريخ ”, Al roya, Oman, 9 September, 2020. 2. Al Lawati, H., “ ١عندما تنهار البديهيات!! ”, Al roya, Oman, 26 September, 2020. 3. Al Lawati, H., “ ٢عندما تنهار البديهيات!! ”, Al roya, Oman, 3 October, 2020. 4. Al Lawati, H., “ ٣البديهيات!! عندما تنهار ”, Al roya, Oman, 10 October, 2020. 5. Al Lawati, H., “ ٤عندما تنهار البديهيات!! ”, Al roya, Oman, 19 October, 2020. 6. Al Lawati, H., “ ٥عندما تنهار البديهيات!! ”, Al roya, Oman, 27 October, 2020. 7. Al Lawati, H., “ ٦عندما تنهار البديهيات!! ”, Al roya, Oman, 1 November, 2020. 8. Al Lawati, H., “ ٧عندما تنهار البديهيات!! ”, Al roya, Oman, 8 November, 2020. 9. Al Lawati, H., “ ٨عندما تنهار البديهيات!! ”, Al roya, Oman, 23 November, 2020.

INVITED SEMINARS AND PRESENTATIONS

1. Rengaraj Selvaraj, delivered lecture in the topic of “Metal free 2D Nanostructure Materials: a green materials for the degradation of pharmaceuticals present in aqueous solution” at Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, China on 24th July, 2020 through online (Via Zoom) (Host: Dr. Kezhen Qi).

2. Rengaraj Selvaraj, delivered lecture in the topic of “2D Nanostructure Materials: an Efficient Materials for Environmental Remediation“ at Laappeenranta University of Technology (LUT), Laappeenranta, Finland on 20th August, 2020. (Through online – Google meet) (Host: Dr. Eveliina Repo).

3. Rengaraj Selvaraj., delivered lecture in the topic entitled “Harvesting Solar Energy for Environmental Remediation” at University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa on 21st August, 2020(Via Google meet) (Host: Dr. Edward N. Nxumalo).

4. Rengaraj Selvaraj, delivered lecture in the topic of “Metal free 2D Nanostructure Materials: a green materials for the degradation of pharmaceuticals present in aqueous solution” at Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, China on 24th July, 2020 through online (Via Zoom) (Host: Dr. Kezhen Qi).

REVIEWING OF JOURNAL ARTICLES, BOOKS AND BOOK

1. Khan, M. S. refereed papers for the following journals during 2020: Refereed one paper for J. Mat. Chem. C Refereed one paper for J. Photochem. Photobiol. A: Chem. Refereed two papers for Dalton Trans. Refereed two papers for J. Organomet. Chem. Refereed one paper for Inorg. Chem. Refereed one paper for J. Coord. Chem. Refereed one paper for Macromol. Refereed one paper for Syn. Met.

2. Hasan, S. I., refereed papers for the following journals: Advancement in Medicinal Plant Research, Asian Journal of Cancer Prevention.

3. Valentini, M. refereed papers for the following journals: Molecules, Food Chemistry, Journal of the Science in Food and Agriculture, Agrochimica.

4. Emad Khudaish reviewed papers for the following journals:


Electrochimica Acta, Current Pharmaceutical Analysis, Arabian Journal for science and Engineering 5. Rengaraj Selvaraj refereed papers for the following journals: Journal of Taibah University of

Science, Chemical Engineering Journal, SQU Journal of Science, Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Journal of Electronic Materials, Journal of Industrial and Environmental Chemistry, Nanostructures and Nano Objects, NPJ Clean water.

6. Imran Khan, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Journal of Molecular Liquids, Chemical

Data Collections, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics, International Journal of Biological

Macromolecules, International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Arabian Journal of

Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics, The Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics,

The Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics, Chemical Data Collections, Karbala International

Journal of Modern Science.

7. El-Shafey, E. I. refereed papers for the following journals: Environmental chemical engineering, Scientific reports, adsorption science and technology.

SERVING ON EDITORIAL BOARDS OF JOURNALS AND CHAIRING CONFERENCE SESSIONS:

1. Khan, M.S. served as the Editor-in-Chief of the SQU J for Science and as a Member of the SQU Academic Publication Board.

2. Khan, M.S. served as a member of the Editorial Board of the Taibah University J for Science. 3. Osama Abou-Zaid served as an Editorial Board Member for Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing

Group) 4. Osama Abou-Zaid served as an Editorial Board Member for the ISRN Physical Chemistry Journal

(Hindawi Publishing) 5. W. Zoghaib served as an Editorial Board member, Journal of Drug Design and Development 6. W. Zoghaib served as an Editorial Board member, Asian Chemistry Letters 7. Rengaraj Selvaraj served as Associate Editor for SQU Journal for Science. 8. Rengaraj Selvaraj served as Editorial Board member for Desalination and Water Treatment

Journal. 9. Rengaraj Selvaraj served as Editorial Board member for Frontiers in Chemistry Journal. Editorial Board Member of Journal of Composites and Biodegradable Polymers since November

2013. Review Editor, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics since 2019.

(https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/614391/editorial) Reviewer Editor, Journal Polymer since October 2020.

(https://www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers/submission_reviewers)


DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES


Interactive Web Service Composition in Pervasive Systems

Project Code: IG/SCI/COMP/20/02

Investigators: Y. Jamoussi and Z. Al-Khanjari

Duration: 2 years

Budget: O.R. 2550

Year: 2020-2021

Nowadays, with the massive diffusion of information technologies, the spectrum of interfaces and interaction devices has expanded in recent years to better integrate with their physical environments of use. Multi-device distributed interaction in pervasive systems demands more and more efforts for integrating efficiently the human-computer interaction (HCI). This trend resulted in gathering developers and end-users in different tasks, particularly, the interactive Web services composition (WSC) task.

Indeed, to search for solutions that go beyond their individual limited views, an increasing demand of collaboration among users has emerged. However, they are still facing uncomfortable situations especially when they are invited to select the appropriate Web service among similar functionally ones. More support is then needed to provide an effective composition. In this regard, a group recommender system providing the required functionality while considering the users’ preferences, might be highly useful

The main objective of this research project is to present a holistic process spanning from capturing users requirements, constructing a global goal model reflecting their intentions to performing a collaborative, interactive WSC performed by different users acting through a pervasive system that is now widely known by its high level of elasticity a plasticity

JOURNALS

1. Hedjam, R., Abdesselam, A. & Melgani, F., Change Detection in Unlabeled Optical Remote Sensing Data Using Siamese CNN”. IEEE J-STARS.

2. Rahiche, A., Hedjam, R., Al-Maadeed, S. & Cheriet, M., Historical documents dating using multispectral imaging and ordinal classification. Journal of Cultural Heritag

3. Zhong, G., Qu, J., Wang, H., Liu, B., Jiao, W., Fan, Z., Miao, H. & Hedjam, R., Trace-Norm Regularized Multi-Task Learning for Sea State Bias Estimation. JOUC.

4. Al-Abri, A., Jamoussi, J., Al-Khanjari, Z. & Kraiem, K., PerLCol: A Framework for Personalized eLearning with Social Collaboration Support”, International Journal of Computing and Digital Systems (IJCDS), Elsevier, May 2020, ISSN 2210-142X.

5. Al-Khanjari, Z. and Al-Kindi, I., Proposing the EBP Smart Predictive Model Towards Smart Learning Environment. The Journal of Talent Development and Excellence (JTDE), 12(2s): 2020 Special Issue, pp. 2422-2438, June 2020.

6. Al-Kindi, I., Al-Khanjari, Z., & Al-Salmi, J., Managing the Triangular Bond of the EBP for SQU Students Through the Proposed Test Model. International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT). ISSN: 2249-8958, Volume-10 Issue-1, October 2020. DOI:10.35940/ijeat. A1914.1010120.

7. Day, K., Al-Salti, S., Touzene, A. & Alzeidi, N., An Efficient Data Collection Protocol for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks”, International Journal of Computer Networks & Communications, Vol. 12, No.5, September 2020, pp. 1-15, DOI: 10.5121/ijcnc.2020.12501.

8. Jadad, H., Touzene, A. & Day, K., Offloading as a Service Middleware for Mobile Cloud Apps, International Journal of Cloud Applications and Computing, Vol. 10, Issue 2, pp. 36-55, 2020.


9. Al-Salti, F., Alzeidi, Z., & Day, K, Localization Schemes for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks: Survey, International Journal of Computer Networks and Communications, 12(3):113-130, 2020, DOI: 10.5121/ijcnc.2020.12307

10. Touzene, A. Al Yahyai, S. & Melgani, F., Smart grid resources allocation using smart genetic heuristic. International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology (IJCAT), 62(4), 2020.

11. Al Sawafi, Y., Touzene, A., Day, K., & Alzeidi, N., Mobile Crowd Sensing RPL-Based Routing Protocol for Smart City, International Journal of Computer Networks & Communications, Vol. 12, No.2, March 2020

12. Al Sawafi, Y., Touzene, A., Day, K. & Alzeidi, N., Hybrid RPL-Based Sensing and Routing Protocol for Smart City, International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications, Volume 16, Issue 3, 2020

BOOK CHAPTERS

1. Jalali, S. M., Hedjam, R., Khosravi, A., Heidari AA. & Mirjalili S, Autonomous Robot Navigation Using Moth-Flame-Based Neuroevolution, Springer Publisher.

2. Baghdadi, Y. Harfouche, A. & Musso, M., ICT for a Better World and a Better Life, Springer Publisher 3. Al-Sheriqi, A. & Baghdadi, Y. (2020) “ BP mining for SOA” in (Baghdadi, et al. Eds), Springer

Publisher


1. Slimani, Y., Hedjam, R., Which Cnn Layer For Which Change? A Cnn Adaptation Approach For Change Detection In Remote Sensing Data, IEEE M2GARSS.

2. Alsaadi, H.S., Hedjam, R., Touzene, A., Abdessalem, A., Fast Binary Network Intrusion Detection based on Matched Filter Optimization, IEEE, ICoIT.

3. Touzene, A., Alkalbani, A., Day, K. & Alzeidi, N., Performance Analysis of a New Energy-Aware RPL Routing Objective Function for Internet of Things, in Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Electrical, Communication and Computer Engineering, ICECCE 2020, 14-15 April 2020, Istanbul, Turkey, pp. 53-58.

4. Al Sawafi, Y., Touzene, A., Day, K. & Alzeidi, N., Context-Aware RPL-Based Mobile Crowd Sensing and Routing Protocol for Smart City Networks, 16th International Conference on Wireless Communications & Mobile Computing (IWCMC 2020), Limassol, Cyprus - June 15 - 19, 2020.

5. Al-Kindi, I. &d Al-Khanjari, Z., A Novel Architecture of SQU SMART LMS: The New Horizon for SMART City in Oman. The 3rd International Conference on Smart Systems and Inventive Technology (ICSSIT 2020). 20th -22nd August 2020. Tirunelveli, India, ISBN: 978-1-7281-5820-4. pp.751-756). doi: 10.1109/ICSSIT48917.2020.9214141. http://icssit.com/2020/

6. Al-Kindi, I. & Al-Khanjari, Z., The Efficiency of Utilizing NVivo for Analyzing Interview Data to Define Student EBP among Faculty Members. The International Conference On IoT Based Control Networks and Intelligent Systems (ICICNIS 2020). Organized by St. Joseph's College of Engineering and Technology, Palai, Choondacherry (Po), Kottayam, Kerala, India on 10-11, December 2020.

7. Al-Thuhli, A & Al-Badawi, M., A Framework to Analyze Social Tagging and Unstructured Data 2020 3rd International Conference on Information and Computer Technologies

REVIEWING OF JOURNAL ARTICLES, BOOKS AND BOOK CHAPTERS

1. Abdesselam, A. reviewed papers for: Pattern Recognition Journal

2. Al-Hamadani, A. Refereed papers for Service Oriented Computing and Applications (SOCA) Journal.

3. Al-Khanjari, Z. refereed manuscripts for: King Saud University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The International Arab Journal of Information Technology (IAJIT). The British Journal of Applied Science & Technology The Journal of Emerging Technologies in Web Intelligence (JETWI) The Journal of Software Engineering and Its Applications (JSEIA). The International Journal of Cloud-Computing and Super-Computing (IJCS). The Journal of Internet Services and Applications. The International Journal of Knowledge Content Development and Technology (IJKCDT). The International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education (IJEEE).

http://icssit.com/2020/

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http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi-7eKi_5nLAhWBuxQKHW5cBtUQFggeMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fisindexing.com%2Fisi%2Fjournaldetails.php%3Fid%3D743&usg=AFQjCNFliwpBpaBHGYEjckVCF6PIuOYeBw&bvm=bv.115339255,d.bGs


4. Day, K. refereed manuscripts for: Springer Nature Operations Research Forum journal

International Symposium on Informatics and its Applications (ISIA'20)

5. Baghdadi, Y. refereed manuscripts for: Service-Oriented Computing and Applications (SOCA) International Journal of Computer Applications in Technologies (IJCAT) IET Software, SQUJS

6. Hedjam, R., refereed manuscripts for: IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine

IEEE transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology

Neurocomputing, Elsevier

The Journal of Engineering Research [TJER].

Mediterranean Conference on Pattern Recognition and Artificial Intelligence.

7. Jamoussi, Y. refereed manuscripts for: The International Journal of Software Engineering and its applications,

The Journal of Engineering Research

International Journal of Web Applications and Technology

8. Touzene, A. refereed manuscripts for: Ad Hoc Networks journal (Elsevier).

IEEE Wireless Communication journal

IEEE Access journal

The Supercomputing journal.

ORGANIZING CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS

1. Baghdadi, Y. organized: A seminar on “How to write a scientific report” at the DCS, SQU 2. Al Hajri, A. organized: A seminar on “How to edit with Latex” at the DCS, SQU DCS, SQU


1. Abdessalem, A. is an Associate Editor for SQU Journal for Science. 2. Al-Khanjari, Z., is a member of The Editorial Board of the International Arab Journal of

Information Technology, Zarqa Private University, Jordan. 3. Baghdadi, Y. is an associate editor of IJCAT 4. Touzene, A. is

Member of the editorial board for Computer Networks & Communications: International Journal (CNCIJ). http://flyccs.com/jounals/CNCIJ/EditorialBoard.html Member of the editorial board for Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jsan/editors Member of the editorial board for Journal Telecommunications. http://www.mdpi.com/journal/telecommunications/editors A member of the editorial board for International Journal of Computer & Software Engineering, an international open access journal, Graphy Publications. A Member of the advisory/editorial board of The World Academy of Research in Science and Engineering (WARSE)

SERVING ON PROGAM COMMITTEE OF CONFERENCES

1. Baghdadi, Y, Member of: The program committee of the 4th International Committee on ICT in organizations (ICTO2020) The porgramme committee of 14th Int. Conference on Research Challenges in Information Systems (RCIS 2020) The programme committee of 23rd Int. Conference on enterprise Information Systems (ICEIS 2020)

2. Day, K. served on The program committee of the International Symposium on Informatics and its Applications (ISIA'20)


3. Hedjam R., Member of The program committee of the 4th Mediterranean Conference on Pattern Recognition and Artificial Intelligence (MedPRAI’2019). Hammamet, Tunisia, December 20-22, 2020

4. Jamoussi, Y, served on The program committee of the 19th International Conference on Software and Systems Reuse (ICSR 2020), December 2020, virtual conference (http://www.icsr2020.org/)


DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

RESEARCH FUND

Evaluation of PGE and Au in Laterites and Geochemistry and Origin of

Ironstones

Project Code: RF/SCI/ETHS/20/01

Investigators: Salah Al-Khirbash

Duration: 1 year

Budget: O.R. 3,000

Year: 2020-2021

The presence of near surface cavities resulting from excavating effects of underground water

is very common in carbonate rocks. These excavations can serve as accommodation spaces

for fresh groundwater accumulation suitable for exploitation. However, in certain

circumstances they can pose serious environmental and geotechnical problems in case they

occur beneath residential and urban structures. Because of the widespread presence of

carbonate rocks in Oman, surface and subsurface cavities can be found in many areas over

the Sultanate. In fact, these cavities have even caused some major problems for residential

areas; thus, detecting them and investigating their key properties can help in exploiting

freshwater they may contain and mitigating the risk associated with them.

Seismic refraction and surface wave methods have been widely used for near surface

characterization. These methods have demonstrated several successful applications in

detecting near surface cavities in many areas over the world.

In this project we conduct seismic refraction tomography and multi-channel surface wave

analysis (MASW) method to study seismic properties of cavities on surface and in subsurface.

The first method provides P-wave velocity-depth model, while the second produces S-wave

velocity-depth model of subsurface structures. Having P-wave and S-wave models will enable

us to characterize the targeted geological formations and to derive a number of their

qualitative elastic properties such as Poisson Ratio, stiffness, Young modulus. To support the

interpretations from the seismic methods, gravity and GPR data will also be collected and

analyzed. We will start by characterizing formations honoring cavities on the surface such as

Bimmah sinkhole located in Qurayt, North Oman. This will allow us to calibrate our recorded

data with observation and surface data. Conclusions and lessons learned from the

characterized cavities will be implemented in searching for hidden cavities in the area. The

study can provide key features that would allow future investigations in other areas in the

Sultanate.


JOURNALS

1. Al-Jahwari, N.S., Yule, P.A., Douglas, K.A., Pracejus, B., Al-Belushi, M.A., ElMahi, A.T., 2020 (book in press). The Early Iron Age metal hoard from the Al Khawd area (Sultan Qaboos University) Sultanate of Oman. Ministry of Heritage and Tourism - Sultanate of Oman, 309 pp.

2. Al-Khirbash, S., 2020, Mineralogical Characterizations of Low-grade Nickel–Iron Laterites from North Oman: MLA-SEM based automated quantitative mineralogy approach. Ore Geology Reviews. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2020.103429

3. Abed, R.M.M., Shanti, M., Muthukrishnan, T., Al-Riyami, Z., Pracejus, B., Moraetis, D., 2020. The Role of Microbial Mats in the Removal of Hexavalent Chromium and Associated Shifts in Their Bacterial Community Composition. Frontiers in Microbiology 11.

4. Ahmad, A.; Al Ghadeer, S.; Al-Hosni, T. K. (2020). “Study on gray water treatment using cement kiln dust and chemical coagulants”, Journal of Applied Water Engineering and Research, https://doi.org/10.1080/23249676.2020.1761900.

5. Callegari, I., Scharf, A., Mattern, F., Bauer, W. (2020). “Deformation styles in the western Jabal Akhdar Dome: Evidence of two Early Paleozoic folding events and key outcrops”, Al-Hajar, 28, 16-29, Muscat (Geological Society of Oman).

6. Callegari, I., Scharf, A., Mattern, F., Bauer, W., Pinto, A.J., Scharf, K., Rarivoarison, H. & Al-Kindi, M.H. (2020) Gondwana accretion tectonics and implications for the geodynamic evolution of eastern Arabia: First structural evidence of the existence of the Cadomian Orogeny in Oman (Jabal Akhdar Dome, Central Oman Mountains). Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 187, 104070, doi: 10.1016/j.jseaes.2019.104070. Elsevier

7. Carminati, E., Aldega, L., Smeraglia. L., Scharf, A., Mattern, A., Albert, R. & Gerdes, A. (2020) Tectonic evolution of the Northern Oman Mountains, part of the Straits of Hormuz Syntaxis: new structural and paleothermal analyses and U-Pb dating of synkinematic calcite. Tectonics 39(4), e2019TC005936, doi: 10.1029/2019TC005936. AGU Publications

8. Farfour, M. 2020. Amplitude Components Analysis: theory and Methods. The Leading Edge Journal, Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG). 39 (1), 62a1-62a6.

9. Farfour, M., Al-Hosni, T. (2020). Seismic Refraction Tomography for Mapping near surface formation: a case study from Al-Amerat, Oman. Arabian Journal of Geosciences 13 (12), 1-9

10. Farfour, M., Yoon W., Gaci, S., and Ouabed, N. (2020). Spectral Decomposition and AVO-based Amplitude Decomposition: a comparative study and application. Journal of Seismic Exploration. 29, 261-273.

11. Farfour, M.; Al-Hosni, T. (2020). “Mapping of near-surface formations by refraction seismic tomography: a case study from Al-Amerat, Sultanate of Oman”, Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 13, 462. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05459-8

12. Mattern, F., Al-Sayigh, A.R., Farfour, M., Scharf, A., Al-Amri, S., Al-Omairi, J. (2020). “Microfacies, Biostratigraphy, Depositional Environment, Seismic Refraction and Correlation of Coralline Limestones of the Barzaman Formation (Oligocene-Pliocene?, Al-Khod, Muscat Area, Oman)”, SQU Journal for Science, 25, p. 85-99, Muscat (SQU).

13. Mattern, F., Scharf, A., Pu-Jun, W., Callegari, I., Abbasi, I., Al-Wahaibi, S., Pracejus, B. & Scharf, K. (2020). Deformation of the Cambro-Ordovician Amdeh Formation (members 1 and 2): characteristics, origins and stratigraphic significance (Wadi Amdeh, Saih Hatat Dome, Oman Mountains). Geosciences 10, 48, doi: 10.3390/geosciences10020048. MDPI

14. Mattern, F., Sudo, M., Callegari, I., Pracejus, B., Bauer, W., Scharf, A., 2020. Late Lutetian 40Ar/39Ar age dating of a mafic intrusion into the Jafnayn Formation and its tectonic implications (Muscat, Oman), AAPG Search and Discovery Article #51663.

15. Mattern, F., Al-Sayigh, A. Farfour, M., and Andreas Scharf., Al-Amri Sh, Al-Omairi, J. (2020). Microfacies, Biostratigraphy, Depositional Environment, Seismic Refraction and Correlation of Coralline Limestones of the Barzaman Formation (Oligocene-Pliocene? Al-Khod. SQU Journal for Science 25 (2), 85-99

16. Mosavat, N., Al-Riyami. S., Pourafshary, P., Al-Wahaibi, Y., Rudyk, S. (2020) Recovery of viscous and heavy oil by CO2-saturated brine, Energy and Climate Change 1.

17. Moraetis, D., Al Kindi, S.S., Al Saadi, S.K., AL Shaibani, A.A.R., Pavlopoulos, K., Scharf, A., Mattern, F., Harrower, M.J., Pracejus, B.: “Terrace agriculture in a mountainous arid environment – A study of soil quality and regolith provenance: Jabal Akhdar (Oman)”, Geoderma, 363, Art. #114152, Amsterdam (Elsevier).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2020.103429

https://doi.org/10.1080/23249676.2020.1761900

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05459-8


18. Moraetis, D., Al-Suhai, A.S., Pracejus, B., Pyrgaki, K., Argyraki, A., Dermatas, D., 2020. Origin of Cr in Alluvial and Aeolian Sediments and Ultramafic Rocks in Sultanate of Oman: Magnetic Fractionation and Sunlight Effect, Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. Springer Science + Business Media.

19. Moraetis, D., Scharf, A., Mattern, F., Pavlopoulos, K. & Forman, S. (2020) Quaternary thrusting in the Central Oman Mountains – novel observations and causes: insights from OSL dating and kinematic fault analyses. Geosciences 10, 166, doi: 10.3390/geosciences10050166. MDPI

20. Palanivel, T.M., Pracejus, B., Victor, R., 2020. Phytoremediation potential of castor (Ricinus communis L.) in the soils of the abandoned copper mine in Northern Oman: implications for arid regions. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 27, 17359-17369.

21. Pinto, A., Sanchez-Pastor, N., Callegari, I., Pracejus, B. & Scharf, A. (2020). Challenges to rutile-based geoscientific tools: low-temperature polymorphic TiO2 transformation and corresponding reactive pathways. Scientific Reports 10, 7445, doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-64392-8. Nature

22. Rudyk, S., Al-Khamisi, S., Al-Wahaibi, Y. (2020) Governing factors of foam flow in porous media of Berea sandstone at 1-8%NaCl, Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 83.

23. Scharf, A., Sudo, M., Pracejus, B., Mattern, F., Callegari, I., Bauer, W. & Scharf, K. (2020) Late Lutetian (Eocene) mafic intrusion into shallow marine platform deposits north of the Oman Mountains (Rusayl Embayment) and its tectonic significance. Journal of African Earth Sciences 170, 103941, doi: 10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2020.103941, Elsevier.

BOOK CHAPTER

1. Al-Khirbash, S., 2020, Mineralogical Characterizations of Low-grade Nickel–Iron Laterites from North Oman: MLA-SEM based automated quantitative mineralogy approach. Ore Geology Reviews. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2020.103429

2. Abed, R.M.M., Shanti, M., Muthukrishnan, T., Al-Riyami, Z., Pracejus, B., Moraetis, D., 2020. The Role of Microbial Mats in the Removal of Hexavalent Chromium and Associated Shifts in Their Bacterial Community Composition. Frontiers in Microbiology 11.

3. Ahmad, A.; Al Ghadeer, S.; Al-Hosni, T. K. (2020). “Study on gray water treatment using cement kiln dust and chemical coagulants”, Journal of Applied Water Engineering and Research, https://doi.org/10.1080/23249676.2020.1761900.

4. Callegari, I., Scharf, A., Mattern, F., Bauer, W. (2020). “Deformation styles in the western Jabal Akhdar Dome: Evidence of two Early Paleozoic folding events and key outcrops”, Al-Hajar, 28, 16-29, Muscat (Geological Society of Oman).

5. Callegari, I., Scharf, A., Mattern, F., Bauer, W., Pinto, A.J., Scharf, K., Rarivoarison, H. & Al-Kindi, M.H. (2020) Gondwana accretion tectonics and implications for the geodynamic evolution of eastern Arabia: First structural evidence of the existence of the Cadomian Orogeny in Oman (Jabal Akhdar Dome, Central Oman Mountains). Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 187, 104070, doi: 10.1016/j.jseaes.2019.104070. Elsevier

6. Carminati, E., Aldega, L., Smeraglia. L., Scharf, A., Mattern, A., Albert, R. & Gerdes, A. (2020) Tectonic evolution of the Northern Oman Mountains, part of the Straits of Hormuz Syntaxis: new structural and paleothermal analyses and U-Pb dating of synkinematic calcite. Tectonics 39(4), e2019TC005936, doi: 10.1029/2019TC005936. AGU Publications

7. Farfour, M. 2020. Amplitude Components Analysis: theory and Methods. The Leading Edge Journal, Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG). 39 (1), 62a1-62a6.

8. Farfour, M., Al-Hosni, T. (2020). Seismic Refraction Tomography for Mapping near surface formation: a case study from Al-Amerat, Oman. Arabian Journal of Geosciences 13 (12), 1-9

9. Farfour, M., Yoon W., Gaci, S., and Ouabed, N. (2020). Spectral Decomposition and AVO-based Amplitude Decomposition: a comparative study and application. Journal of Seismic Exploration. 29, 261-273.

10. Farfour, M.; Al-Hosni, T. (2020). “Mapping of near-surface formations by refraction seismic tomography: a case study from Al-Amerat, Sultanate of Oman”, Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 13, 462. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05459-8


1. Scharf, A., Mattern, F., Pracejus, B., Al-Hosni, T.: International Conference on Ophiolites and the Oceanic Lithosphere: Results of the Oman Drilling Project and Related Research, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, 10.-12.1.2020.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2020.103429

https://doi.org/10.1080/23249676.2020.1761900

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05459-8


2. Al-Hosni, T., “Tools for Peer Instruction”, Muscat, Oman, 9 February 2020. 3. Al-Hosni, T., “CETL Reimagining Teaching”, Muscat, Oman, 10-12 February 2020. 4. Mattern, F.: Reimagine Teaching to Maximize Student Learning, First International Conference on

Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Convened by Sultan Qaboos University Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL), Muscat, February10th, 2020.

5. Al-Hosni, T., “New teaching approaches of university science courses”, Muscat, Oman, 13 February 2020.

6. Mattern, F.: EGU (European Geosciences Union) General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, April 4th – April 8th, 2020 (online).

7. Scharf, A.: Virtual EGU 2020 in Vienna (online), 02.-07.05.2020 8. Pracejus, B.: Iron Age Metallurgy in Arabia, Work-In-Progress online Zoom Meeting, 27.07.2020. 9. Al-Hosni, T., 2nd International conference on Water Resources in Arid Areas", Muscat, Oman, 9-11

November 2020. 10. Scharf, A., Mattern, F., Pracejus, B., Al-Hosni, T.: International Conference on Ophiolites and the

Oceanic Lithosphere: Results of the Oman Drilling Project and Related Research, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, 10.-12.1.2020.






November 2020. 19. Scharf, A., Mattern, F., Pracejus, B., Al-Hosni, T.: International Conference on Ophiolites and the

Oceanic Lithosphere: Results of the Oman Drilling Project and Related Research, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, 10.-12.1.2020.






November 2020.

OTHERS


1. Andreas Scharf

Guest Co-Editor for a Special issue of “Geosciences” on Arabian tectonics

(https://www.mdpi.com/journal/geosciences/special_issues/tectonics_plate)

2. Bernhard Pracejus:

Guest Associate Editor for a Special issue of Frontiers in Microbiology: Bio-Geochemical

Constraints on Water Contaminants: Microbes, Minerals, and Fluids.

3. Frank Mattern

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/geosciences/special_issues/tectonics_plate


Invited Guest Editor to edit a special volume of the journal “Geosciences” (MDPI):

“Tectonics of the Arabian Plate and Adjacent Regions—from the Precambrian to the

Present”

4. Iftikhar Abbasi: Associate Editor, SQUJ for Science Associate Editor, Journal of Himalayan Earth Sciences

5. Talal Al-Hosni

“Sultan Qaboos University Journal for Science” (SQUJS),

https://journals.squ.edu.om/index.php/squjs/about/editorialTeam

“The Journal of Oman Studies” (JOS), https://www.mhc.gov.om/ministry-

projects/journal-of-oman-studies/

RESEARCH VISITS:

Bauer, W., Callegari, I., Scharf, K. & Scharf, A. (2020) Tectonic Structures in the Hawasi-na

Window, Oman Mts. Geological Society of Oman Field trip, January 17th, 2020, 16 p., Muscat,

Oman

INVITED ADVISORY/REVIEWER:

Andreas Scharf Invited External Advisory Board Member for the Bachelor Program in Applied Geosciences of the German University of Technology GUtech, Halban, Oman

Bernhard Pracejus Invited External Advisory Board Member for the Bachelor Program in Applied Geosciences of the German University of Technology GUtech, Halban, Oman

Frank Mattern Invited External Reviewer of one Academic Promotion Application for the German University of

Technology GUtech, Halban, Oman. Invited External Advisory Board Member for the Bachelor Program in Applied Geosciences of the

German University of Technology GUtech, Halban, Oman.

Rifaat Abdalla External Reviewer, Neelain University Promotion Committee, Sudan

REVIEWING OF JOURNAL ARTICLES, BOOKS & BOOK CHAPTERS:

Andreas Scharf reviewed:

Geology,

Minerals,

Geosciences,

Geosphere,

Tectonics

Bernhard Pracejus reviewed:

Environmental Science and Pollution Research (1x)

Ore Geology Reviews (2x)

Frank Mattern reviewed:

Marine and Petroleum Geology (Elsevier)

Arabian Journal of Geoscience (Springer)

SQU Journal for Science (SQU)

Journal of African Earth Sciences (Elsevier)

Geosciences (MDPI)

Iftikhar Abbasi reviewed:

Geological Journal (3x)

Mohammed Farfour reviewed:

https://journals.squ.edu.om/index.php/squjs/about/editorialTeam

https://www.mhc.gov.om/ministry-projects/journal-of-oman-studies/

https://www.mhc.gov.om/ministry-projects/journal-of-oman-studies/


Journal of Applied Geophysics

Journal of Geophysics

African Journal of Earth Science

Arabian Journal of Geoscience

The leading edge

Rifaat Abdalla reviewed:

Scientific Reports, Nature Science, ISSN: 2045-2322

Arabian Journal of Geoscience, Springer, ISSN: 1866-7511

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Elsevier, ISSN: 2212-4209

ORGANIZING CONFERENCES OR WORKSHOPS:

Frank Mattern Assigned as the Convener for the following session of the EGU General Assembly 2020:

“TS9.4 The Arabian Plate and its surroundings – past and present” Talal Al-Hosni

2nd International conference on Water Resources in Arid Areas", Muscat, Oman, 9-11 November, 2020.

“CETL Reimagining Teaching”, Muscat, Oman, 10-12 February, 2020. “International Conference on Ophiolite and Oceanic Lithosphere”, Muscat, Oman,

12-14 January, 2020.


DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS RESEARCH ACTIVITIES


TRANSPORT PROCESSES THROUGH MULTI-DISPERSE POROUS MEDIA

Project Code: RC/RG-SCI/MATH/20/01

Investigator: M. M. Rahman, N. Al-Salti, and P. Chandran. Mathematics,

Science, SQU

Budget: 20,000

Duration: 2020-2021

In this project, we propose to examine a number of relevant aspects of the flow in a multi-disperse porous medium. We propose to consider two types of fluids occupying the porous medium-(i) regular clear fluid and (ii) nanofluids. The porous matrix will be characterized by bi-disperse as well as multidisperse features which makes the analyses more novel as compared to classical porous media flows. It is expected that the work on this applied and interdisciplinary project will result in imparting effective training to a number of personnel at different levels of its execution. It will thus contribute positively to capacity building in this important and topical area of research. The successful completion of the project is expected to produce interesting results for understanding the basic characteristics of the transport mechanisms through multi-disperse porous media and could provide novel applications in science and technology. The results are likely to be very relevant to a number of geophysical and industrial applications in Oman where the interaction of fluids and multi-disperse permeable media are encountered. In the project work, an attempt will be made to establish new research collaborations and strengthen ongoing collaborations with leading institutions in America, Europe and Asia. The outcomes of the project are also expected to enhance SQU’s standing and ranking in research internationally by disseminating research findings in high impact international journals and in major international conferences.

ALMOST FLAT RELAXATION FUNCTIONS IN VISCOELASTICITY

Project Code: IG/SCI/MATH/20/01

Investigators: S. Kerbal and N. Al Salti, Science, SQU

Budget: O.R. 1150

Duration: 2020-2021

We considered a new type of stability namely Mittag-Leffler stability of a more general class for fractional version of a problem appearing in the theory of rigid heat-conductors with memory. We constructed an appropriate Lyapunov type functionals used to establish Mittag-Leffler stability leading to the expected main new result that is not studied yet in the existing literature.


Lp Bounds For Certain Maximal Functions


Investigators: A. Al-Salman and Sanjiv Gupta, Science, SQU

Budget: R.O. 1,600 RO

Year: 2020-2021

This project concerns the investigation of the Lp mapping properties of a class of maximal

functions. The aim is to prove Lp bounds of the targeted maximal functions when their kernels

are rough and supported by subvarieties determined by mappings that are more general than

polynomials and convex functions.

Thermo-Convection in a Bidisperse Porous Medium


Investigators: M. M. Rhaman and N. Al-Salti, Science, SQU,

Budget: O.R. 2500

Duration: 2020-2021

Thermo-convection in porous media has diverse applications in various fields of science and engineering especially for geothermal operations, crude oil production and petroleum refinery, thermal insulation, chemical catalytic reactors, pollutant dispersion in aquifers etc. It is very important to consider the multiple porosity scales for the fluid flow and heat transfer when there appear cracks or fishers on the porous matrix. In this project, we plan to investigate the thermo-convection phenomenon in a porous medium having cracks (or fishers) on the porous matrix considering numerous flow and thermal conditions. The mathematical model constituting the physical problem will be simulated numerically and the obtained results will be interpreted from physical and engineering viewpoints. The successful completion of the project is expected to produce interesting results and could provide novel applications in real life problems. Strengthen of ongoing collaborations with leading institutions around the globe and publishing research findings in international journals and in renowned conferences will enhance SQU’s standing and ranking in research worldwide.


Optimization of Wavelets in Signal Enhancement Studies


Investigators: E. Balakrishan and S. Narasimman, Science, SQU

Budget: O.R. 900

Duration: 2020-2021

Wavelet transform and its offshoots such as wavelet packet transform (WPT), stationary wavelet transform (SWT) etc play a significant role in extracting useful information from non-stationary signals and also data/image compression in comparison with the traditional Fourier transform (FT), short time Fourier transform (STFT) etc for adequate level of time-frequency resolution. However, the right choice of mother wavelet ensure the ultimate desired results in all fields. We therefore propose this research with an objective to bring out an optimization scheme of mother wavelets amongst available wavelets such as Marlet /Mexican hat/Ricker wavelets etc or construct a couple of novel wavelets in the study of some biomedical signals as well as seismic signals.

New Conjugate Gradient Methods for Unconstrained Optimization


Investigators: M. Al Baali and A. Purnama, Science, SQU

Budget: O.R. 2400

Year: 2020

Our recent class of self-scaling conjugate gradient (CG) methods for solving large-scale

unconstrained optimization problems will be considered. Using any line search framework, the class

suggests certain strategies for enforcing the sufficient descent and global convergence of the

methods to rectify certain drawbacks of the original CG methods. The useful property of the quasi-

Newton condition will be introduced to the CG methods. Numerical results will be studied and

reported to illustrate the behaviour of the new strategies for the class of CG methods. It is expected

that the proposed quasi-Newton CG strategy would improve substantially the performance of

several well-known CG methods (such as Fletcher-Reeves, Polak-Ribi?re-Polyak, Hestenes-Stiefel,

Dai-Yuan, and Hager-Zhang).


Products of Differentiation Operators and Weighted Composition Operators between Weighted Bergman

Spaces (Weighted Banach Spaces) and Weighted Zygmund-type Spaces (Weighted Bloch Spaces)


Investigators: Jasbir S. Manhas, SQU, Gerald Wanjala, SQU,

Ruhan Zhao, SUNY, Brockport U.S.A

Budget: O.R. 1250

Duration: 2020-2021

The product of two classes of operators: namely composition operators and multiplication operators gives rise to the class of weighted composition operators which have extensively been studied by many mathematicians and appearing in a natural way on different spaces of analytic functions. For instance, the isometries of Hardy spaces, Bergman spaces and many other Banach Spaces of analytic functions are weighted composition operators. Also, it is well known that the differentiation operator is typically unbounded on many analytic function spaces. In recent years, many mathematicians are attracted towards the study of product of differentiation operators and weighted composition operators on different spaces of analytic functions. In our proposed research project, our objective is to explore the properties of boundedness and compactness of the products of differentiation operators and weighted composition operators from weighted Bergman spaces to weighted Zygmund-type spaces and weighted Bloch spaces.

JOURNALS

1. Al-Ayyoub, I.; Nasernejad, M. (2020): “Freiman ideals and the number of generators of powers of monomial ideals,” Communications in Algebra, 49 (2): 877-891.

2. Al-Ayyoub, I: (2020): “On the reduction numbers of monomial ideals, Journal of Algebra and its Applications, 19: 2050201 (27 pages).

3. Al-Ayyoub, I.; Jaradat, M; Al-Zoubi, K. (2020): “A note on the ascending chain condition of ideals,” Journal of Algebra and its Applications, 19 (7):2050135 (19 pages).

4. Al-Baali M., Caliciotti A., Fasano G., and Roma M., A class of approximate inverse preconditioners based on Krylov-subspace methods, for large-scale nonconvex optimization, SIAM J. Optimization, 30 (2020), pp. 1954-1979.

5. Al-Siyabi, A.; Al-Baali, M.; Purnama, A. (2020): “Optimal models for estimating future infected cases of COVID-19 in Oman,” General Letters in Mathematics, 9(2): 1-20.

6. Al-Ghassani, A. S.; AlSharawi, Z. (2020): “The effect of maps permutation on the global attractor of a periodic Beverton-Holt model,” Applied Mathematics and Computation, 370: 124905.

7. Ali, M M.; Al Kharousi, F. (2020): “Comultiplication submodules of multiplication modules” Communications in Algebra, 48(11): 4832-4845.

8. Al-Salman, A.; AlSharawi, Z.; and Kallel, S. (2020): “Extensionm, embedding and global stability in two-dimensional monotone maps,” Discrete and Continuous Dynamical Systems Series B, 25(11): 4257-4276.

9. Hawawsheh, L.; Al-Salman, A.; and Momani, S. (2020): “A note on rough parametric Marcinkiewicz functions,” Analysis in Theory and Applications, 36: 52-59.

10. Al-Salman, A. (2020): “L^{p} Bounds for a class of Marcinkiewicz integral operators,” Journal of Integral Equations and Applications, 31(2): 165-182.

11. Boudellioua, M. S.; Galkowski, K.; Rogers, E. (2020): "Equivalence of wave linear repetitive processes to singular 2-D state space Roesser model", Multidimensional Systems and Signal Processing, 31(1): 103-116.

12. Boudellioua, M. S.; Cluzeau, T. (2020): "On the connections between two classical notions of multidimensional system equivalence", International Journal of Control, 1-8, doi:10.1080/00207179.2020. 1749939.

13. El-Bashir, T., Chandran, P., Sacheti, N.C. (2020): "On the steady boundary layer flow of an inelastic material: Williamson fluid model," Applied Mathematical Sciences, 14: 59–74.


14. Anurag, Singh, A.K., Chandran, P., Sacheti, N.C. (2020): Effect of non-Newtonian heating/cooling on free convection in an annular permeable region in the presence of heat source/sink", Heat Transfer, 1–21, https://doi.org/10.1002/htj.21900.

15. Elmojtaba, I. M.; Al-Sawaii, A.; Al-Moqbali, M. (2020): “Optimal control analysis of a predator-prey model with harvesting and variable carrying capacity,” Communication in Mathematical Biology and Neurosciences, 2020: 12.

16. Gandhi, V.; Al-Salti, N.; Elmojtaba, I. M. (2020): “Mathematical analysis of a time delay visceral Leishmaniasis model,” Journal of Applied Mathematics and Computing, (63): 217–237.

17. Pantha, B.; Agusto, F.; Elmojtaba, I. M. (2020): “Optimal Control Applied to a Visceral Leishmaniasis Model,” Electronic Journal of Differential Equations, 80: 1-24.

18. Al-Salti, N.; Al-Musalhi, F.; Al-Yahyai, M.; Elmojtaba, I. M.. (2020): “The hidden role of the pre-symptomatic individuals in the transmission dynamics of COVID-19,” Communication in Mathematical Biology and Neurosciences, 2020:71.

19. Karaa S. (2020): “Galerkin type methods for semilinear time-fractional diffusion problems,” Journal of Scientific Computing, 83(3), Paper No. 46, 22 pages.

20. Karaa S.; Pani, A. K. (2020): “Mixed FEM for time-fractional diffusion problems with time-dependent coefficients,” Journal of Scientific Computing, 83(3), Paper No. 51, 22 pages.

21. Al-Shamsi, H.; Kadirkulov, B.J.; Kerbal, S. (2020): “The Bitsadze-Samarskii type problem for mixed type equation in the domain with the deviation from the characteristics,” Lobachevskii Journal of Mathematics, 41(6): 1021-1030.

22. Khan, Q. J. A.; Al-Kharousi, F. A.; Al Shamsi H. (2020): “Breeding suppression in Prey due to Fear of Predator” International journal of Applied Mathematics, Accepted for publication.

23. Greenhalgh, D.; Khan, Q. J. A.; Al-Kharousi, F. A. (2020): ”Eco-epidemiological model with fatal disease in prey”, Nonlinear Analysis: Real World Applications, 53: Article No.103072.

24. Al-Ghafri, K. S.; Krishnan, E. V.; Biswas, A. (2020): “Chirped solitons with full nonlinear perturbation for Fokas-Lenells equation”, Advances in Difference Equations, 2020(1): 191.

25. Al-Ghafri, K.S.; Krishnan, E. V. (2020): “Optical solitons in metamaterials dominated by anti-cubic nonlinearity and Hamiltonian perturbations”, International Journal of Applied and Computational Mathematics, 6(5): 144.

26. Aulaskari, R.; Makhmutov, S.; Rättyä, J. (2020): “Hyperbolically close to Q_p^\#-sequences,” Bulletin of Korean Mathematical Society, 57(1): 133–138.

27. Makhmutov, S.; Rättyä, J.; Vesikko, T. (2020): “Growth estimate for meromorphic solutions of higher order algebraic differential equations,” Tohoku Mathematical Journal, 72(4): 621–629.

28. Al Ghafri, Mohammed S.; Manhas, Jasbir S. (2020) “On Stević-Sharma operators from weighted Bergman spaces to weighted-type spaces”, Math. Inequal. Appl. 23(2020), no. 3, 1051-1077.

29. Maouche, A. (2020): “Commutable matrix-valued functions and operator valued functions,” Communications in Advanced Mathematical Sciences, 3(3): 225-235.

30. Maouche A., (2020): “Analytic families of self-adjoint compact operators which commute with their derivative,” Communications in Advanced Mathematical Sciences, 31(2): 9-12.

31. Shi, W.; Shao, D. D.; Gualtieri, C.; Purnama, A.; Cui, B. S. (2020): “Modelling long-distance floating seed dispersal in salt-marsh tidal channels, Ecohydrology, e2157: 1-13. Doi: 10.1002/eco.2157.

32. Purnama, A.; Al Maamari, H. A.; Al Muqbali, A. A.; Balakrishnan, E. (2020): “The effect of a step change in seabed depth on spreading discharged brine effluents from a two-outfall system, Journal of Mathematical and Computational Science, 10(4): 758-777.

33. Saghir, M. Z.; Rahman, M. M. (2020): “Forced convection of Al2O3, Fe3O4, ND-Fe3O4 and (MWCNT- Fe3O4) mixtures in rectangular channels: Experimental and numerical results,” International Journal of Energy Research, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1002/er.6145

34. Rahman, M. M.; Al Amri, K. A.; Pop, I. (2020): “Darcy-Boussinesq convective flow in a trapezoidal enclosure with thermal stratification,” Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-020-09912-4

35. Uddin, M. J.; Rasel, S. K.; Rahman, M. M.; Vajravelu, K. (2020): “Analysis of natural convective heat transfer in a nanofluid filled square vessel having a wavy upper surface in the presence of a magnetic field and an inclined gravity,” Thermal Science and Engineering Progress, 19: 100660.

36. Saghir, M. Z.; Rahman, M. M. (2020): “Forced convection of Al2O3-Cu, TiO2-SiO2, FWCNT-Fe3O4 and ND-Fe3O4 hybrid nanofluid in porous media,” Energies, 13(11):2902.

37. Al-Kalbani, K. S.; Rahman, M. M.; Saghir, M. Z. (2020): “Entropy generation in hydromagnetic nanofluids flow inside a tilted square enclosure under local thermal nonequilibrium condition,” International Journal of Thermofluids, 5-6:100031.

38. Uddin, M. J.; Rahman, M. M. (2020): “Heat transportation in copper oxide-water nanofluid filled triangular cavities,” International Journal of Heat and Technology, 38(1):106-124.

https://doi.org/10.1002/er.6145

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-020-09912-4


39. Alhajaj, Z.; Bayomy, A. M.; Saghir, M. Z.; Rahman, M. M. (2020): “Flow of nanofluid and hybrid fluid in porous channels: experimental and numerical approach,” International Journal of Thermofluids, 1-2:100016.

40. Al-Balushi, L. M.; Rahman, M. M. (2020): “Natural convective heat transfer in the presence of a magnetic field in a square enclosure with heat source distribution utilizing magnetic nanoparticles,” Fluid Dynamics & Material Processing, 16(3):441-463.

41. Al-Weheibi, S. M.; Rahman, M. M.; Saghir, M. Z. (2020): “Impacts of variable porosity and variable permeability on the thermal augmentation of Cu–H2O nanofluid-drenched porous trapezoidal enclosure considering thermal nonequilibrium model,” Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, 45(2):1237-1251.

42. Shahryari M.; Tayyebi J. (2020): “On equationally Artinian groups”, Journal Siberian Federal University, 13(5), 583-595.

43. Samadi M.; Shahryari M. (2020): “Characteristic and IA-invariant radicals”, Bull. Iranian Math. Soc., dio.org/10.1007/s41980-020-00386-6.

44. Al-Kindi Fatma, Mahomed Fazal and Ziad M. (2020), Integrability of systems of ordinary differential equations via Lie point symmetries, Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences (ISI indexed) (to appear) DOI: 10.22541/au.158594506.65519668

BOOK CHAPTER

1. Al-Baali M., Grandinetti L., and Purnama A. (Editors), Numerical Analysis and Optimization: NAO-V, Muscat, Oman, January 2020, Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics (to appear).

2. Al-Baali M., Purnama A., and E. W. Sachs (Guest Editors), “Numerical Analysis and Optimization: NAO-V,” Optimization Methods and Software (OMS), Special Issue (to appear).

3. Al-Siyabi A., and Al-Baali M., New Basic Hessian Approximations for Large-Scale Nonlinear Least-Squares Optimization, in P. Vasant, I. Zelinka and GW. Weber (eds) Intelligent Computing and Optimization. ICO 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, Springer, 1072 (2020), pp. 608-619.


1. Al-Siyabi, A. (Speaker); Al-Baali, M., Numerical experiments with new basic Hessian approximations for large-scale nonlinear least-squares optimization, 5th International Conference on Numerical Analysis and Optimization (NAOV), Oman, 6-9 January 2020.

2. Al-Saidi, A. (Speaker); Al-Baali, M., Computational studies of conjugate gradient methods for large-scale unconstrained optimization,” 5th International Conference on “Numerical Analysis and Optimization (NAOV),” Oman, 6-9 January 2020.

3. Al-Salman, A., On Parametric Marcinkiewicz Integral Operators, 2nd Qatar Math Day, Feb. 16, 2020.

4. Boulbrachene, M., Optimal error estimate for the impulse control quasi-variational inequality., 9th international Eurasian Conference on Mathematical Sciences and Applications, International Balkan University, August 25-28, 2020, Skopje, North Macedonia (online presentation).

5. Gunarathna, W.A., Nasir, H.M., A unified explicit form for difference formulas for fractional and integer-order derivatives and applications, First Online Conference On Modern Fractional Calculus And Its Applications (OCMFCA-2020) Biruni University, Istanbul, Turkey, 4- 6 December 2020.

6. Karaa, S., Invited speaker, “The time-fractional Cahn-Hilliard equation: analysis and approximation,” 4th Conference on Numerical Methods for Fractional-Derivative Problems, Beijing, China, 22-24 October, 2020.

7. Makhmutov, S., On the Growth of Dirichlet Integral for Some Function Spaces, International Conference “Function Theory, Operator Theory, Quantum Information Theory”. Ufa, Russia. September 28-October 1, 2020. (Online presentation)

8. Maouche A., Analytic Families of Compact Operators Commuting with their Derivative, Third International Conference on Mathematics and Statistics (AUS-ICMS’20) February 6-9, 2020, Sharjah, UAE


9. Maouche A., Commutable matrices and functional commutativity of compact normal operators, 9th International Eurasian Conference on Mathematical Sciences and Applications (IECMSA-2020), August 25-28, 2020, Skopje - MACEDONIA

10. Pinto, G., “Eventually pointed principally ordered regular semigroups” The Third International Conference on Mathematics and Statistics, Sharjah, United Ara Emirates, February 6–9, 2020.

11. Al Weheibi, Sheikha M.; Rahman, M. M.; Al-Salti, N., “Influences of variable permeability and porosity on the thermal characteristics of nanofluids inside a permeable trapezoidal cavity,” The 5th International Symposium on Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences, Selangor, Malaysia, 22-23 August 2020.

12. Shahryari, M. “Symbolic dynamic over groups", International Conference on Group Theory, METU, Ankara.

CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOP ATTENDANCE

1. Al-Baali, M.:

The 2nd International Conference on Water Resources in Arid Areas, SQU, November 9-11, 2020.

International Conferences on Numerical Analysis and Optimization NAOV, SQU, January 6-9, 2020.

First International Conference on Higher Education Teaching and Learning entitled “Re-imagine Teaching to Maximize Student Learning”, SQU, February 10-12, 2020.

International Symposium for Telemedicine and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine ISTAIM2020, SQU, February 17-18, 2020.

Age could be driving variable COVID-19 epidemic trajectories worldwide: Mathematical modeling analyses, Qatar University, May 14, 2020

Al-Ghassani, A. S. was a member in the organizing committee for “The First International

Conference on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Reimagine Teaching to

Maximize Student Learning”, held on 10-12/2/2020.

2. Al-Kharousi, F., attended the 6th Oman Mathematics Day, OMC, SQU, 21-23 December 2020.

Al-Salman, A., Second Qatar Math Day, Feb. 16, 2020.

Boulbrachene, M. attended the Fifth International Conference on Numerical Analysis and Optimization, January 6-8, 2020 at SQU, Sultanate of Oman.

Nasir, H. M., attended International Conference on Mathematical Methods and

Computation, Jamal Mohamed College (ICMMC), Trichy, INDIA, February 19, 2020.

3. Kerbal, S., attended the following events:

Numerical Analysis and Optimization Conference, SQU, Muscat, Oman, January 5-9, 2020.

GCC Work Shops on Onenote, Kuwait University, Kuwait, 30 November, 2020. 1st Online International Conference on Modern Fractional Calculus and its Applications

(OCMFCA- 2020), Biruni University, Istanbul, Turkey, 4-6 December 2020. 4. Krishnan, E.V., attended the Fifth International Conference on Numerical Analysis and

Optimization, January 6-8, 2020 at SQU, Sultanate of Oman.

5. Makhmutov, S. attended Complex Analysis Video Seminar, UCL, UK (weekly seminar from May 2020).

6. Pinto, G., attended the following events:

“The Third International Conference on Mathematics and Statistics”, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, 6-9 February 2020.

7. Purnama, A. attended the Fifth International Conference on Numerical Analysis and Optimization (NAOV-2020), Muscat, Oman, 6–9 January 2020.

8. Ziad M., International Conferences on Numerical Analysis and Optimization NAOV, SQU, January 6-9, 2020.


OTHERS

RESEARCH VISIT

Ziad M., invited Professor Hassan Azad, Abdus Salam School of Mathematical Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan under the SQU internal grant: IG/SCI/DOMS/19/02 (January 11 – 18, 2020). During his visit Professor Azad gave a Seminar on January 16 on Lie Algebras and Applications to Differential Equations in the College of Science besides having research meetings with Fatma Al-Kindi, my PhD student.

POPULAR ARTICLES AND NON REFEREED ARTICLES

1. M. Al-Baali, M. Al-Hinai, F. Al-Kharousi, N. Al-Salti, I. Dweib, E. Balakrishnan, S. Kerbal, A. Oukil and A. Purnama, “Fifth international conference on numerical analysis and optimization: Information, programme and abstracts,” January 6-9, 2020, SQU Press, Oman, 64p.

2. M. Al-Baali and A. Purnama, “NAOV-2020: The 5th International Conference on Numerical Analysis and Optimization,” Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, IFOR News, Issue 100, March 2020.

3. M. Al-Baali, VITU External Assessor Reports, Glasgow Caledonian University in Oman, July 2020.


1. Al-Ayyoub, I. Seminar Presentation at Sultan Qaboos University, On the Normality of Monomial Ideals, October 2020.

2. Nasir, H.M., An Explicit form for Difference Approximations for fractional derivatives, International Conference on Mathematical Methods and Computation (ICMMC-2020), Jamal Mohamed College, Trichy, INDIA, February 19, 2020.

3. Nasir, H.M., Wonders with Python, International Workshop on Python Programming, Jamal Mohamed College, Trichy, INDIA, February 19, 2020.

4. Makhmutov, S., CAvid (Complex Analysis video seminar, UCL, UK) international weekly online seminar. Title of presentation: Growth estimates for meromorphic solutions of higher order algebraic differential equations, October 13, 2020,

5. Shahryari, M. Delivered the following Invited Seminars: a. International Conference on Group Theory, METU, Ankara

b. Workshop on Geometry and Algebra, SQU.


1. Al-Baali, M., Refereed papers for a number of journals such as Computational Optimization and Applications (COAP), Optimization Methods and Software (OMS), Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics (JCAM), Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications (JOTA), Mathematics of Computation, Numerical Algorithm (NUMA).

2. Al-Baali, M., Edited/Reviewed (with Grandinetti, L., and Purnama, A.) the forthcoming book “Numerical Analysis and Optimization NAOV-2020, Muscat, Oman” Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics (to appear).

3. Al-Baali, M., Edited/Reviewed (with Purnama, A., and Sachs, E.) the special issue “Numerical Analysis and Optimization,” OMS (Special Issue Proceedings, to appear).

4. Al-Salman, A. refereed papers for several mathematical journals such as Jordan Journal of

Mathematics and Statistics, Journal of Function Spaces, Forum Mathematica, Frontiers of

Mathematics in China, Journal of Inequalities.

5. Boudellioua, M.S. refereed a paper for Multidimensional Systems and Signal processing (Springer)

6. Boulbrachene, M. refereed a paper for Journal of Applied Mathematics and Computing.

7. Boulbrachene, M. reviewed papers for Mathematical Reviews (American Mathematical Society).


8. Boulbrachene, M. served as a member in the scientific committee of the 9th International Eurasian

Conference on Mathematical Science and Applications. August 25-28, 2020, Skopje, North

Macedonia,

9. Elmojtaba, I., refereed papers for: Palestine Journal of Mathematics, Journal of Applied

Mathematics and Computing

10. Nasir, H. M. refereed papers for the following journals: SQU Journal of Science.

11. Kerbal, S. reviewed a manuscript for Horizon Research Publishing Journal, USA (HRPUB), Sept.

2020

12. Khan, Q. J. A. refereed papers Journal Ecological Complexity, Iranian Journal of Science and

Technology, Transactions A, Journal Computer Method and Programs in Biomedicine, Journal

Biosystem .

13. Krishnan, E. V. refereed papers for Results in Physics, Optik, Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear

Science, SN Operations Research Forum etc.

14. Maingi, D. refereed papers for algebra, geometry and applications, Journal of Mathematics and

Statistics published by, Horizon Research USA.

15. Makhmutov S. refereed papers for (i) Computational Methods and Function Theory; (ii) Nihonkai

Mathematical Journal; (iii) Sultan Qaboos University Journal for Science.

16. Makhmutov S. refereed and examined a PhD defense of Juha-Matti Huusko (PhD Thesis: Results

on the Asymptotic Growth of Solutions of Complex ODE’s) in University of Eastern Finland,

Joensuu, Finland, on 20th of November 2020. (Online)

17. Makhmutov S. refereed papers for Mathematical Reviews (the American Mathematical Society).

18. Pinto, G., refereed papers for Bulletin of the Iranian Mathematical Society, Sultan Qaboos

University Journal for Science (SQUJS).

19. Purnama, A. refereed papers for the following journals: Arabian Journal of Geosciences,

Desalination, Desalination and Water Treatment, Environmental Science and Pollution Research,

Journal of Applied Water Engineering and Research, Journal of Mathematical and Fundamental

Sciences, Ocean and Coastal Management, and SN Operations Research Forum

20. Rahman, M. M. refereed manuscripts for the following journals: (i) International Journal of

Thermal Sciences, (ii) International Journal of Thermofluids, (iii) Heat Transfer, (iv) HELIYON, (v)

Arabian Journal of Science and Engineering, (vi) International Journal of Thermofluids Science

and Technology (3 papers), (vii) Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, (viii) SN Applied

Sciences

21. Rahman, M. M. was the External Examiner to evaluate the M.Sc. thesis of Ekhlas Khalfan Saif Alsiyabi: Structure and atomic coordination in liquid metals at various temperatures, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman; July 2020.

22. Rahman, M. M. as Principal Investigator submitted the Progress Report to College of Science for

the funded project IG/SCI/MATH/20/03.

23. Shahryari, M. refereed papers for (i) Communications in Algebra, (ii) Siberian Mathematics Journal, (iii) Transactions of Combinatorics, (iv) Bull. Iranian Mathematical Society, (v) Turkish Journal of Mathematics, (vi) South-East Asian Bulletin of Mathematics, (vii) International Journal Group Theory, (viii) Journal of Algebra and Applications, (ix) Bulletin Malaysian Mathematical Society, (x) Mathematical Review, (xi) Zentralblat Matematik.

24. Tout, O., refereed papers for Journal of Algebraic Combinatorics


1. Al-Baali, M., Organized (Chair) 5th International Conference on “Numerical Analysis and Optimization: NAOV-2020,” SQU, January 6-9, 2020.

2. Al-Kharousi, F., (member) helped in organizing sixth Oman Mathematics Day VI highlighting on ‘’The Role of Teacher’s Professional Development in Increasing Educational Achievement, SQU, Oman, 21 –23 December 2020.


3. Kerbal, S., Member of the organizing Committee of Fifth International Conference on Numerical

Analysis and Optimization: Theory, Algorithms, Applications, and Technology (NAOV-2020). SQU,

Department of Mathematics, 6 - 9 January 2020.

4. Maingi D., (member) organized weekly seminars, African Mathematics Seminar, University of

Nairobi.

5. Purnama, A., co-chair of the Organizing Committee for the Fifth International Conference on Numerical Analysis and Optimization (NAOV-2020), Muscat, Oman, 6–9 January 2020.


1. Al-Baali, M., Continue Editorial Board Member (and Associate Editor) for (i) Optimization Methods and Software, Sweden, (ii) Computational Optimization and Applications, USA, (iii) Advanced Modeling and Optimization, Romania, (iv) International Journal of Operations Research, Iran, (v) SQU Journal for Science, Oman, (vi) the Scientific World Journal: Operations Research, etc.

2. Al-Baali, M., Continue Reviewer for Mathematical Reviews (AMS)/ MathSciNet. 3. Al-Salman, A., Continue as Associate Editor for SQU Journal for Science. 4. Kerbal, S., serving on Editorial Board of the Journals, 5. Universal Journal of Applied Mathematics, Horizon Research Publishing Corporation.

a. New Trends in Mathematical sciences. b. MAYFEB Journal of Mathematics c. Abstract and Computational Mathematics

6. Khan, Q. J. A., Associate editor of the IAENG International Journal of Applied Mathematics (International Association of Engineers) Journal since 2007.

7. Krishnan, E.V. continues to serve on the Editorial Boards of 8. International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematical Sciences 9. Global Journal of Mathematics and Mathematical Sciences 10. Nonlinear Dynamics and Systems Theory

11. Al-Baali, M., Purnama, A. and Sachs, E.W. (Guest Editors) Special Issue of the Journal Optimization Methods and Software (OMS) on the conference NAOV-2020.

12. Rahman, M. M. served as Associate Editor & Online Advisor of the SQU Journal for Science 13. Rahman, M. M. served as Member of the Editorial Board for the following international journals:

International Journal of Thermofluid Science and Technology, International Journal of Heat and Technology, Fluid Dynamics and Materials Processing.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

1. Boulbrachene, M. served the internal examiner in the MSc. Thesis Examination Committee of Afrah Al-Shihi, Sultan Qaboos University.

2. Boulbrachene, M. served as internal examiner in the PhD Thesis Examination Committee of Fatma Al Kindi, Sultan Qaboos University.

3. Chandran, P. served as Chair, Thesis Examination Committees of two MSc students.

4. Kerbal, S. was Member and External for BSc, MSc, and PhD Examination committees.

5. Krishnan, E.V. reviewed promotion dossier for a candidate from the rank of Assistant Professor to Associate Professor in Amman Arab University, Jordan in August, 2020.

6. Rahman, M. M. was the External Examiner to evaluate an M.Sc. thesis from the Department of Physics, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman; July 2020.

7. Rahman, M. M. continued supervising BSc, MSc, and PhD students.

8. Ziad, M., Chaired the MSc defense of the thesis: Structural Evaluation of Greater Nimr Area: Insight into Salt Minibasins Evolution, of Tariq Al-Raisi of the Earth Science Department, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, January 20, 2020.


9. Ziad, M., served as member of the Thesis Examining committee of the PhD thesis: Integrability of systems of ordinary differential equations via Lie point symmetries, of Fatma Al-Kindi, Department of Mathematics, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, July 13, 2020



DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

STRATEGIC RESEARCH

Nanowires for Low Power and High Capacity Storage Memory

Project Code: SR/SCI/PHYS/20/01

Investigators: Prof. Rachid Sbiaa (PI) and Dr. Zach Ioannou (Co-PI)

Duration: 1 Year

Budget: O.R. 52,000

Year: 2020-2022

The project aims to show a proof of concept of a functional random access memory with

more than one bit per cell. The memory is based on a magnetic nanowire with different

nano-constrictions. The proposed writing mechanism of the data is based on injecting a

spin-polarized current through the nanowire for creating and moving a magnetic domain

wall. The position of the domain wall and its speed will be analyzed by electrical

measurement combined with a high-resolution Kerr microscopy. The reading will be

realized by sensing the position of the domain wall in the memory layer with respect to a

reference layer.


Modeling Computational Complexity via Gauge/String Duality

Project Code: IG/SCI/PHYS/20/07

Investigators: MOMENI, DAVOOD,

Mudhahir Al Ajmi

Duration: 1 Year

Budget: O.R. 1,050

Year: 2020-2021

One of the alternative theories to Einstein’s general theory, a divergence-free theory was

proposed by J. Nash . Although it was proved that the Nash theory doesn’t have classical

Einstein limits, it has been proven to be formally divergent free and considered to be of

interest in constructing theories of quantum gravity. The original Nash gravity without

matter contents can’t explain the current accelerated expansion of the Universe. A possible

extension of theory is by adding some matter contents to the model. In this work, we

generalize Nash's theory of gravity by adding the matter fields. In order to examine the

effects of this generalization, we first derive the equations of motion in the flat FLRW

spacetime and examine the behaviors of the solutions by invoking specific forms of the

Hubble parameter. We also classify the physical behaviors of the solutions by employing

the stability analysis and check the consistency of the model by considering particular

cosmological parameters.


Investigation of Semiconductor Nanoparticle’s Desiccation Pattern Formation Dynamics


Investigators: Abey Issac, Sumesh Sofin Pillai

Duration: 1 Year

Budget: O.R. 2,100

Year: 2020-2021

Our study demonstrates that desiccation of colloidal suspension of SnO2 nanoparticles in water forms centimeter-sized linear self-assembly patterns on a glass surface. The velocity of individual evaporation fronts shows static and dynamic heterogeneity. As a result, the pattern occupation area first increases non-linearly with time, then followed by a decrease. The decrease of area indicates shrinkage of pattern size due to residual evaporation of solvent.

The self-assembly of CuInS2 (CIS) QD-rhodamine 575 assembly show strong PL quenching

of QDs with increase of dye loading. Steady-state and time-resolved optical measurements

show that trapping followed by stabilization of conduction band electrons on the surface

of QDs is the main cause of PL quenching. Dye binding on the surface of QDs induces local

variation of electrostatic potential, which trap the conduction band electron by tunneling

process. Since trapping and stabilization occur on sub microsecond to second timescale,

static quenching dominates dynamic quenching.

High Resolution Domain Wall Investigation in Nanodevices


Investigators: Prof. Rachid Sbiaa (PI) and

Dr. Zach Ioannou (Co-PI)

Duration: 1 Year

Budget: O.R. 1,750

Year: 2020

Magnetic materials are widely used in our life. They can be found in most electronic devices, power supplies, telecommunication devices, memory storage in hard disk drives … etc. For each application, the magnetic materials properties have to be adjusted with several requirements. In our previous study, we constructed a magneto-optical Kerr microscope for the characterization of magnetic materials with emphasis to domain wall motion. The setup is working properly for imaging devices down to even 0.5 m. For domain wall investigation, it can be used for down to about 1 m. In many cases, the domains are not very clear and may

not even been seen for less than 1 m. To have a better resolution, it is important to carry

out signal processing using a high-resolution camera. In this project, we will work on

integrating a camera which will be running under a program to control the key parameters

such as subtracting the noise signal and improving the magnetic domain contrast in real

time.


JOURNALS

1. Momeni, D.; (2020). “Covariant quantum-mechanical scattering via Stueckelberg–Horwitz–Piron theory”, Int.J.Mod.Phys.D 29 (2020) 01, 2050008.

2. Momeni. D.; (2020). “Bose–Einstein condensation for an exponential density of states function and Lerch zeta function”, Physica A 541 (2020) 123264.

3. Faizal. Mir.; Momeni. D.; (2020). “Universality of Short Distance Corrections to Quantum Optics”,Int.J.Geom.Meth.Mod.Phys. 17 09, 09.

4. Davood Momeni, Phongpichit Channuie, Mudhahir Al Ajmi, On gravitational wave modes in Nash theory of gravity, (2020) JMI, International Journal of Mathematical Sciences.

5. Davood Momeni, Phongpichit Channuie, Mudhahir Al Ajmi, Quantum information metric for time-dependent quantum systems and higher order corrections, (2020) JMI, International Journal of Mathematical Sciences.

6. Amr Radi*, Mudhahir Al-Ajmi and Hasina Al-Maskari, Modeling Proton-Proton and Proton-Antiproton Collisions Using Genetic Programming Approach, Applied Mathematical Sciences, Vol. 14, 2020, no. 3, 103 – 111.

7. Mohit Kumar Sharma, Kairat Myrzakulov, Mudhahir Al Ajmi, Curvaton: Perturbations and reheating, Modern Physics Letters A, Vol. 35, No. 31, 2050259 (2020), doi.org/10.1142/S0217732320502594.

8. M. Sami, Shynaray Myrzakul, Mudhahir Al Ajm, Can massive neutrinos be responsible for late time phase transition a^ {\it la} deceleration to acceleration in our Universe? Physics of the Dark Universe, Volume 30, December 2020, 100675, doi.org/10.1016/j.dark.2020.100675.

9. M Shahalam, Mudhahir Al Ajmi, R Myrzakulov and Anzhong Wang, Revisiting pre-inflationary universe of family of α−attractor in loop quantum cosmology, Classical and Quantum Gravity, Volume 37, (2020) Number 19, 195026, 10.1088/1361-6382/aba486.

10. Improved-RPC for the CMS muon system upgrade for the HL-LHC, P Kumari, KS Lee, A Gelmi, K

Shchablo, A Samalan, M Tytgat, ..., Journal of Instrumentation 15 (11), C11012

11. Aging study on Resistive Plate Chambers of the CMS Muon Detector for HL-LHC, R Aly, A Gelmi, P

Kumari, N Zaganidis, A Samalan, M Tytgat, GA Alves, ..., Journal of Instrumentation 15 (11),

C11002

12. Experiences from the RPC data taking during the CMS RUN-2, MA Shah, A Samalan, M Tytgat, N

Zaganidis, GA Alves, F Marujo, ..., Journal of Instrumentation 15 (10), C10027

13. CMS RPC activities during LHC LS-2, MA Shah, M El Sawy, A Samalan, M Tytgat, N Zaganidis, GA

Alves, ..., Journal of Instrumentation 15 (10), C10025

14. A new approach for CMS RPC current monitoring using Machine Learning techniques, A Samalan,

M Tytgat, N Zaganidis, GA Alves, F Marujo, FTDS De Araujo, ..., Journal of Instrumentation 15 (10),

C10009

15. RPC system in the CMS Level-1 Muon Trigger, A Samalan, M Tytgat, N Zaganidis, GA Alves, F

Marujo, FTDS De Araujo, ..., Journal of Instrumentation 15 (10), C10007

16. Effects of the electronic threshold on the performance of the RPC system of the CMS experiment,

W Elmetenawee, A Samalan, M Tytgat, N Zaganidis, GA Alves, F Marujo, ..., Journal of

Instrumentation 15 (09), C09025

17. RPC upgrade project for CMS Phase II, MI Pedraza-Morales, A Fagot, M Gul, C Roskas, M Tytgat, N

Zaganidis, ..., Journal of Instrumentation 15 (05), C05072

18. arXiv: Experiences from the RPC data taking during the CMS RUN-2, MA Shah, B Hong, G Pugliese,

M Gouzevitch, DA Perez Navarro, ...,

19. arXiv: CMS RPC Background--Studies and Measurements, R Hadjiiska, B Hong, G Pugliese, M

Gouzevitch, DA Perez Navarro, ...

20. Improved-RPC for the CMS muon system upgrade for the HL-LHC, A Gelmi, K Shchablo, A Samalan,

M Tytgat, N Zaganidis, GA Alves, ..., 15th Workshop on Resistive Plate Chambers and Related

Detectors

21. Al Risi, S.; Sbiaa, R.; Al Bahri, M.; (2020). “Domain Wall Dynamics in Stepped Magnetic Nanowire with Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy”, Phys. Status Solidi A, 2020: 2000225.

22. Kumar, D.; Sbiaa, R.; Sengupta, P.; Piramanayagam, S. N.; (2020). “Spin transfer torque induced domain wall oscillation in ferromagnetic nanowire with a nanoscale Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction region”, J. Magn. Magn. Materials, 507: 166807.

https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0219887819500890

https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0219887819500890

https://arxiv.org/search/gr-qc?searchtype=author&query=Sharma%2C+M+K

https://arxiv.org/search/gr-qc?searchtype=author&query=Myrzakulov%2C+K

https://arxiv.org/search/gr-qc?searchtype=author&query=Ajmi%2C+M+A

https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscinet/mpla

https://www.worldscientific.com/toc/mpla/35/31

https://doi.org/10.1142/S0217732320502594

https://arxiv.org/search/?searchtype=author&query=Sami%2C+M

https://arxiv.org/search/?searchtype=author&query=Myrzakul%2C+S

https://arxiv.org/search/?searchtype=author&query=Ajm%2C+M+A



https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22126864/30/supp/C

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dark.2020.100675

https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0264-9381

https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0264-9381

https://iopscience.iop.org/volume/0264-9381/37

https://iopscience.iop.org/issue/0264-9381/37/19

https://arxiv.org/ct?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1088%2F1361-6382%2Faba486&v=f6d21a62


23. Al Risi, S.; Batti, S.; Al Subhi, A.; Piramanayagam, S. N.; Sbiaa, R.; (2020). “Magnetic domain structure and magnetization reversal in (Co/Ni) and (Co/Pd) multilayers”, J. Magn. Magn. Materials, 503: 166579.

24. Mohammed, H.; Al Risi, S.; Jin,T. L.; Kosel, J.; Piramanayagam, S. N.; Sbiaa, R.; (2020). “Controlled spin-torque driven domain wall motion using staggered magnetic wires”, Appl. Phys. Letters., 116: 32402.

25. R. Horchani, Jelassi, H, Ikot, AN, Okorie, US. Rotation vibration spectrum of potassium molecules via the improved generalized Pöschl‐Teller oscillator. Int J Quantum Chem.; e26558 (2020).

26. R. Horchani, N. Al-Kindi, H. Jelassi, “Ro-vibrational energies of caesium molecules with the Tietz-Hua oscillator”, Molecular Physics, e1812746, (2020).

27. R. Horchani, H. Jelassi, “Accurate and general model to predict molar entropy for diatomic molecules”, South African Journal of Chemical Engineering, 33, 103-106 (2020).

28. R. Horchani, H. Jelassi, “A four-parameters model for molar entropy calculation of diatomic molecules via shifted Tietz-Wei potential”, Chem. Phys. Lett. 753, 137583 (2020).

29. R. Horchani, H. Jelassi, “Effect of quantum corrections on thermodynamic properties for dimers”, Chemical Physics, 532, 110692 (2020).

30. Gowhar A. Naikoo, Umar J. Pandit, Mehraj U. D. Sheikh, Israr Ul Hassan, Gulzar A. Khan, Ajmal R. Bhat, Ratnesh Das & Ridha Horchani, “Synergistic effect of carbon nanotubes, copper and silver nanoparticles as an efficient electrochemical sensor for the trace recognition of amlodipine besylate drug”, SN Applied. Science. 2, 983 (2020).

31. R. Horchani, Jelassi, H, Ikot, AN, Okorie, US. Rotation vibration spectrum of potassium molecules via the improved generalized Pöschl‐Teller oscillator. Int J Quantum Chem.; e26558 (2020).


1. Momeni, D., Position-Dependent Mass Quantum systems and ADM formalism, Hanoi, Vietnam, International Conference on Holography, String Theory and Discrete Approaches, 3-8 August, 2020.

2. Momeni, D.,Unrivaled Quantum Vacuum in the Primordial Universe , Santa Barbara, CA, USA, Geometry from the Quantum, 13-17 Jan, 2020.

3. Mudhahir Al-Ajmi, Stability of Einstein and de Sitter Universes in the Quadratic Theory of Modified Gravity, International Conference on Holography, String Theory and Discrete Approaches in Hanoi Phenikaa University August 3-8, 2020 Hanoi, Vietnam.

4. Ridha Horchani, “Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensing of Nanoparticles”, Acta Physica Polonica A, 137, 1121 (2020).

CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE

1. Momeni, D.,Unrivaled Quantum Vacuum in the Primordial Universe , Santa Barbara, CA, USA, Geometry from the Quantum, 13-17 Jan, 2020.

2. Momeni, D, Young Researchers Workshop on Quantum Fluctuations in Ultra-cold Gases, 9-10 November (2020)-Online.

OTHERS

RESEARCH VISITS

Ridha Horchani visited Prof. Haikel Jelassi at the National center for nuclear sciences and technologies during 13-31 July 2020 to hold discussions on the ongoing research collaboration.


Abey Issac: Invited speaker in the International Webinar on ‘Spectroscopy’ organized by Lekshmipuram college of arts and science, Neyyoor, India held on June 25, 2020. Invited speaker in the Two day Webinar on ‘Current Trends in Materials Science’ organized by Christian college, Kerala, India held on May 26-27, 2020.



Amr Radi refereed papers (10) for the following journals: ● Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI). ● Applied Soft Computing (The Elsevier Foundation).

Davood Momeni refereed the following: Organization (Journal, Conference, etc.) for which I Judged: Classical and Quantum gravity (IOP): 4 papers Annals of Physics (Elsevier) : 7 papers Physics of Dark Universe (Elsevier) : 2 papers Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences: 2 papers International Journal of Geometric Methods in Modern Physics(WSPC): 3 papers Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions A: 1 paper Mathematical Reviews MathSciNet Reviewer(AMS): 1 paper Modern Physics Letters A: 3 papers Punjab University Journal of Mathematics : 1 Paper


Rachid Sbiaa served as:

Editorial Board Member of Nature Scientific Reports. ● Editorial Board Member of SQUJS. ● Reviewer for several journals: Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, Advanced Electronic

Materials, Nanoscale, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Spin, Advanced Materials and Applied Physics Letters.



DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS RESEARCH ACTIVITIES


Physical Activity and its Impact on Health Status and Risk of Non-communicable Diseases in Oman

Project Code: IG/SCI/STAT/20/01

Investigators: M. Mazharul Islam and Dr. Ahmed Al-Hadhrami, Department of

Statistics, Dr. Mamunur Rashid, DePauw University, Indian, USA

Duration: 1 Year

Budget: O.R. 1,150

Year: 2020-2021

Physical activity is widely recognized as one of the key health behaviors for maintaining

good health status, en¬hancing quality of life for all age groups and reducing the risk of

diseases, especially the non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The aim of this study are: (1)

to examine the level and pattern of physical activities among the adult Omani people and

identify the subgroup of physically inactive people; (2) to examine the association between

levels of physical activity and self-rated health (SRH) status of Omani adults; and (3) to

examine the association between level of physical activity and some selected non-

communicable diseases like diabetics, coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension and

cancer, using the 2008 World Health Survey (WHS) in Oman.

Threshold Modeling: Application to Air Traffic Flow at Muscat International Airport

Project Code: IG/SCI/STAT/20/03

Investigators: Wesonga, Ronald, Bakheit, Charles,

Ababneh, Faisal, Dr. Abraham Owino, School of Statistics and Planning, Makerere University, Uganda, Prof. Fabian Nabugoomu, Kyambogo University, Uganda

Duration: 1 Year Budget: O.R. 1,850

Year: 2020-2021

Linear models have drawn much attention due to their relative simplicity in understanding

and implementation. However, many practical time series show non-linear patterns. Non-

linear models are appropriate for predicting volatility changes in time series. Various

nonlinear models have been suggested in literature that includes threshold autoregressive

(TAR). TAR models have been applied to predict stock price movements among many

other applications. The overall objective of this study was to develop TAR model and use it

to predict the passenger flow at the Muscat International Airport.


JOURNALS

1. Arfi, M. (2020). “On the kernel prediction for a stationary mixing process”, Far East Journal of Mathematical Sciences, 123: 91 – 105.

2. Alodat, T. Khan, S., Alodat, M. T. and Memon, M. A. (2020). Generalized Alpha Skew Normal Distribution. Statistica & Applicazioni - Vol. XVIII, n. 1, pp. 1-16.

3. Alodat, M. T., Shakhatreh, M. K., Al-Subh, S. A. and Omari, D. A. (2020). Increasing the Efficiency of Ranked Set Sampling via Visual Grouping With Respect to a Threshold. Statistica and Applicazioni, Vol. 1.

4. Alodat, T. Khan, S., Alodat, M. Memom, M. A. (2020). Generalized Alpha Skew Normal Distribution. Statistica and Applicazioni, Vol 2.

5. Islam MM and Al Hadhrami AY (2020). Socioeconomic Inequality in Health Domains in Oman: Evidence from Oman World Health Survey. Global Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health, 2020, Vol. 5, 12-18

6. Al-Balushi ZMD and Islam MM (2020). Geometric regression for modeling count data on the time-to-first antenatal care visit, Journal of Statistics: Advances in Theory and Applications. Vol 23 (1): 35 – 57.

7. Islam, M.M. (2020) Demographic Transition in Sultanate of Oman: Emerging Demographic Dividend and Challenges, Middle East Fertility Society Journal, 25(7): 1-14.

8. Islam, M.M., Ababneh F., Akter T. and Khan M.H.R. (2020). Low birth weight in Jordan: level, trends, risk factors and implications for under-five mortality: a population based study. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 26(10): 113 – 124 (Published by World Health Organization (WHO)).

9. Al Balushi, M and Islam, M.M. (2020) Predicting academic performance of graduate students of Sultan Qaboos University , Oman, using multilevel modeling approach, Far East Journal of Theoretical Statistics, 58(1): 59-76.

10. Al Balushi, M.S., Ahmed M.S. Islam M.M. and Khan, M.H.R. (2020) Multilevel Poisson Regression Modeling to Identify Factors Influencing the Number of Children Ever Born to Married Women in Oman, Journal of Statistics & Management Systems, 23(8): 1357 – 1373.

11. Tumwesigye, N. M., Mutungi, G., Bahendeka, S., Wesonga, R., Katureebe, A., Biribawa, C., & Guwatudde, D. (2020). Alcohol consumption, hypertension and obesity: Relationship patterns along different age groups in Uganda. Preventive Medicine Reports, 19, 101141.

12. Lumu, W., Kibirige, D., Wesonga, R., & Bahendeka, S. (2020). Effect of a nurse-led lifestyle choice and coaching intervention on systolic blood pressure among Type 2 diabetic patients with a high atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk: study protocol for a cluster randomized trial.


Arfi, M., “Nonparametric Estimation for the Hazard Function”, Third International Conference in Mathematics and Statistics 2020 (ICMS2020), American University of Sharjah, 6-9 February, 2020.

BOOKS & BOOK CHAPTERS:

1. Moh’d Alodat نظرية جديدة، عالم الكتب الحديث، األردن.نحو -(. البنية اإليقاعية في الشعر العربي2020العودات، محمد)

2. Islam M. M. (2020). Fertility transition in Oman: Understanding the puzzles of rapid decline in fertility. In J. E. Lansford, A. Ben Brik, & A. Badahdah (Eds.), Family changes in the context of social changes in the Gulf region. (Published by Taylor & Francis).

3. Ronald Wesonga, David Guwatudde, Silver Bahendeka, Gerald Mutungi, Fabian Nabugoomu, Abraham Owino, Demographic Data Analytics and Visualisation: Focus on Hypertension and Cumulative Risk Factors for Non-communicable Diseases in Uganda. Fountain Publishers, Pages 66-87 in a Commemorative Book titled “Uganda and its Demography”


OTHERS


1. Arfi, M., “Nonparametric Estimation for the Hazard Function”, Third International Conference in Mathematics and Statistics 2020 (ICMS2020), American University of Sharjah, 6-9 February, 2020.

2. Alodat, M. T., The asymptotic distribution of overlapping Matusita's overlapping measures and its application to wind speeds. Department of Statistics, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, March 24, 2020.


Moh’d Alodat 1. Jordan Journal of Mathematics and Statistics, 3 times 2. Communication in Statistics 3. Journal of computational and Applied Mathematics 4. Machine Learning 5. Sultan Qaboos Journal of Science

Islam, M. M. reviewed papers for the following journals:

6. Clinical Medicine Insight

7. BMC Public Health,

8. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal,

9. Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine

10. PLOS ONE

11. Sultan Qaboos University Journal for Agri and Marine Science

12. Annals of Human Biology.


1. Ronald Wesonga conducted a one-day online workshop on Factor Analysis: Theory and Analysis, on 20 August 2020. The workshop was organized by the East African Statistics Institute and hosted at Makerere University.

2. Ronald Wesonga conducted a one-week’s workshop on R statistical programming language, in January 2020. The workshop was organized by the East African Statistics Institute and hosted at Makerere University.


Islam M.M. served as member of the Editorial Board for the following Journals: 1. South Asian Journal of Population and Health, 2. American Journal of Innovative Research and Applied Science, 3. International Journal of Community and Family Medicine, 4. Sultan Qaboos University Journal for Science (Associate Editor) 5. EC Paediatrics Journal, 6. Global Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health

Ronald Wesonga : Associate Editor (Statistics) for the Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal (SQUMJ)


SUMMARY OF RESEARCH GRANTS

INTERNAL GRANTS (IG) AWARDED IN 2020

Dept. Principle Investigator Project Title Budget – O.R.

Bio

logy

BAHJA Z. AL-RIYAMI BIOTECHNOLOGY OF HALOPHILIC MICROORGANISMS ISOLATED FROM HYPERSALINE MICROBIAL MATS IN OMAN

3950

Ch

emistry

WAJDI M. ZOGHAIB

SYNTHESIS AND PHASE BEHAVIOUR OF NOVEL ORGANOSILOXANE LIQUID-CRYSTAL MATERIALS AND INVESTIGATION OF THE OCCURRENCE OF DE VRIES PHASES IN THEM.

2100

YOUNIS BAQI NOVEL ADENOSINE RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST: DESIGN, SYNTHESIS AND STRUCTURE ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIPS

3700

MUHAMMAD S KHAN

ACETYLIDE-FUNCTIONALIZED MONO PYRIDINE ANCILLARY SENSITIZER LIGANDS AND THEIR EUROPIUM(III) ?-DIKETONATE COMPLEXES FOR OPTO-ELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS

1640

Co

mp

uter

Scien

ce

YOUCEF BAGHDADI A REQUIREMENT ENGINEERING FRAMEWORK FOR S-COMMERCE PLATFORMS

3250

YASSINE AL JAMOUSSI INTERACTIVE WEB SERVICE COMPOSITION IN PERVASIVE SYSTEMS

2550

Math

ematics

SEBTI KERBAL ALMOST FLAT RELAXATION FUNCTIONS IN VISCO-ELASTICITY

1150

AHMED J. AL SALMAN LP BOUNDS FOR CERTAIN MAXIMAL FUNCTIONS

1600

MOHAMMAD MANSUR THERMO-CONVECTION IN A BIDISPERSE POROUS MEDIUM

2500

SAMIR KARAA NUMERICAL APPROXIMATION OF SEMI-LINEAR SUB-DIFFUSION PROBLEMS WITH LOCAL LIPSCHITZ CONDITIONS

1550

EASWARAN BALAKRISHNAN

OPTIMIZATION OF WAVELETS IN SIGNAL ENHANCEMENT STUDIES

900

MOHAMMAD KHAN BEST PROXIMITY POINTS OF GENERALIZED CYCLIC WEAK CONTRACTIONS

950

MEHIDDIN AL-BAALI NEW CONJUGATE GRADIENT METHODS FOR UNCONSTRAINED OPTIMIZATION

2400

JASBIR MANHAS PRODUCTS OF DIFFERENTIATION OPERATORS AND WEIGHTED COMPOSITION OPERATORS BETWEEN WEIGHTED BERGMAN SPACES (WEIGHTED BANACH SPACES) AND WEIGHTED ZYGMUND-TYPE SPACES (WEIGHTED BLOCH SPACES)

1250

KAMEL NAFA COMBINIG FINITE ELEMENT METHODS AND LEVEL SET FORMATION FOR SIMULATION OF GROUND WATER-SURFACE WATER SYSTEMS

900

Ph

ysics

NOORALHUDA AL SAQRI

OPTO-ELECTRONIC INVESTIGATIONS ON INTERMEDIATE BAND SOLAR CELLS

5150

MUDHAHIR M. AL-AJMI GRAVITATION WAVES IN EARLY UNIVERSE

1400

ALAA I. IBRAHIM GRAVITATIONAL MICROLENSING OF COSMOLOGICAL GAMMA RAY BURSTS WITH SPECTROGRAM ANALYSIS

3700


NAZIFE KOCA STUDY OF THE MAXIMUM TRACK DENSITY IN PROTON-PROTON COLLISIONS AT 13 TEV IN CMS EXPERIMENT AT LARGE HADRON COLLIDER AT CERN

3100

IMADDIN A. AL-OMARI MAGNETIC AND STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF NANOCRYSTALLINE GD1-XYXCRO3 PEROVSKITES

2500

AMR M. RADI ASSEMBLING/SIMULATION A MUONS DETECTOR EXPERIMENT.

2320

DAVOOD J. MOMENI NASH THEORY OF GRAVITY AS AN ALTERNATIVE FOR GENERAL RELATIVITY

1050

MOHAMMED SOUIER GROWTH, DOPING, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF OPTOELECTRONIC PROPERTIES OF HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE ZNO NANOWIRES FILMS

3240

ABEY ISSAC INVESTIGATION OF SEMICONDUCTOR NANOPARTICLE?S DESICCATION PATTERN FORMATION DYNAMICS

2100

RACHID SBIAA HIGH RESOLUTION DOMAIN WALL INVESTIGATION IN NANODEVICES 1350

Statistics

MAZHARUL ISLAM PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND ITS IMPACT ON HEALTH STATUS AND RISK OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN OMAN

1700

FAISAL MOHAMMED FACTORS INFLUENCING ROAD ACCIDENTS IN OMAN.

1100

RONALD WESONGA THRESHOLD MODELING: APPLICATION TO AIR TRAFFIC FLOW AT MUSCAT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

1850


EDITORIAL BOARD

COLLEGE ANNUAL REPORT COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Dr. Wajdi Zoghaib Editor-in-Chief

(Chemistry)

Dr. Nallusamy Sivakumar (Biology)

Prof. Youcef Baghdadi (Computer Science)

Dr. Mohammed Farfour (Earth Sciences)

Dr. Nazife Koca (Physics)

Dr. Faisal Ababneh (Statistics)

Prof. Edamana Krishnan (Mathematics)

Ms. Ruby Natividad (Editor’s Assistant, Dean’s Office)


EDITORIAL BOARD

COLLEGE RESEARCH REPORT COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Prof. Edamana Krishnan (Mathematics)

Dr. Nallusamy Sivakumar (Biology)

Prof. Youcef Baghdadi (Computer Science)

Dr. Emad Khudaish (Chemistry)

Dr. Mudhair Al Ajmi Chair

(Physics)

Dr. Bernhard Pracejus (Earth Sciences)

Prof. Majid Ali (Mathematics)

Prof. Abbasher Gismelseed (Physics)

Dr. Moh’d Alodat (Statistics)

http://www.squ.edu.om/science/Departments/Physics/People/Staff#divOurTeam_10576


COLLEGE COMMITTEES 2020 College Board Prof. Ahmed Al Rawas, Dr. Mudhahir Al-Ajmi, Dr. Hassan Al Reasi, Dr. Mohammed Al Badawi, Dr. Aisha Al Shehi, Dr. Bahja Al Riyami, Prof. Fakhr Eldin Suliman, Dr. Nawal Al Rasbi, Dr. Abdullah Al Hamdani, Dr. Abir Al Hajri, Dr. Talal Al Hosni, Prof. Osman Abdalla, Prof. Ahmed Al Salman, Dr. Azzouz Sellai, Prof. Imaddin Al Omari, Dr. Khidir Abdelbasit, Dr. Iman Al Hassani, Mr. Mohammed Al Harthi, Mr. Ali Al Sulaimi, Prof. Raed Abed (Observer), Prof. Musa Shongwe (Observer)

Executive Committee Prof. Ahmed Al Rawas, Dr. Mudhahir Al-Ajmi, Dr. Nasser Al-Salti, Dr. Mohammed Al Badawi, Dr. Aisha Al Shehi, Prof. Fakhr Eldin Suliman, Dr. Abdullah Al Hamdani, Dr. Talal Al Hosni, Dr. Ahmed Al Salman, Dr. Khidir Abdelbasit, Dr. Azzouz Sellai, Mr. Mohammed Al Harthi

Academic Promotions Committee Prof. Ahmed Al Rawas, Dr. Aliya Al Ansari, Prof. Musa Shongwe, Prof. Khaled Day, Prof. Edamana Krishnan, Dr. Bernard Pracejus, Prof. Abraham George, Dr. Moh’d Alodat

Alumni Dr. Mohammed Al Badawi, Dr. Bahja Al Riyami, Dr. Bushra Al-Wahaibi, Dr. Amal Hassan, Dr. Salah Al-Khirbash, Dr. Amina Al-Sawai, Dr. Nooralhouda Al Saqri, Dr. Ahmed Al Hadhrami

Annual Report Dr. Wajdi Zoghaib, Dr. Sivakumar Nallusamy, , Prof. Youcef Baghdadi, Dr. Mohammed Farfour, Prof. Edamana Krishnan, Dr. Nazife Koca, Dr. Faisal Ababneh

Capital Equipment Committee Dr. Mudhahir Al-Ajmi, Dr. Aisha Al Shehi, Prof. Fakhr Eldin Suliman, Dr. Abdullah Al Hamdani, Dr. Talal Al Hosni, Dr. Ahmed Al Salman, Dr. Azzouz Sellai, Dr. Khidir Abdelbasit Choice of Major Committee Dr. Hassan Al Reasi, Dr. Sardar Farook, Dr. Laila Al Moqbali, Dr. Huda Al Aamri, Dr. Abdul Razak Al- Sayigh, Dr. Jasbir Manhas, Dr. Ahmed Al Hadhrami, Dr. Nidhal Sulaiman

Community Services Dr. Mohammed Al Badawi, Dr. Lamya Al Haj, Dr. Laila Al Moqbali, Dr. Huda Al Aamri, Dr. Rifaat Abdullah, Dr. Aljalila Al Abri, Dr. Alaa Ibrahim, Dr. Ronald Wesonga

Computer Users Committee Dr. Easwaran Balakrishnan, Dr. Aziz Al Habsi, Dr.Imran Syed, Mr. Suliman Al-Salmi, Mr. Abdullah Al Fahdi, Dr. Amr Radi, Dr. Muhammed Idris Ahmed Curriculum Committee Dr. Hassan Al Reasi, Dr. Elsadig Eltayeb, Dr. John Husband, Prof. Khaled Day, Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed, Dr. Messaoud Boulbrachene, Dr. Fatma Al Ma’mari, Dr. Khidir Abdelbasit Examination Dr. Hassan Al Reasi, Dr. Michael Barry, Dr. Bushra Al Wahaibi, Dr. Abdelhamid Abdessalem, Dr. Abdul Razak Al Sayigh, Dr. Sanjiv Gupta, Dr. Ridha Horchani, Dr. Faisal Ababneh International Academic Cooperation Dr. Raid Abdel-Jalil, Dr. Sirin Adham, Prof. Zuhoor Al Khanjari, Prof. Sobhi Nasser, Prof. Pallath Chandran, Dr. Ridha Horchani, Dr. Faisal Ababneh

Journal for Science Prof. Muhammad Khan, Prof. Raeid Abed, Dr. Rengaraj Selvaraj, Dr. Nasser Al Zeidi, Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed, Dr. Talal Al Hosni, Prof. Mehiddin Al Baali, Prof. Mohammad Rahman, Prof. Ahmed Al Salman, Dr. Rachid Sbiaa, Dr. Mohammed Alodat

Library and Textbook Committee Dr. Anton Purnama, Dr. Senan Baqir, Dr. Hamad Al Mamari, Mr. Mohammed Sajeed, Dr. Andreas Scharf, Prof. Qamar Khan, Dr. Alaa Ibrahim, Dr. Amadou Sarr Newsletter Dr. Nallusamy Sivakumar, Dr. Imran Khan, Mr. Mohammed Sajeed, Dr. Frank Mattern, Prof. Mehiddin Al Baali, Dr. Nazife Koca Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation Dr. Abdelhamid Abdesselam, Dr. Hameed Sulaiman Lebbai, Dr. Wajdi Zoghaib, Dr. Yassine Al Jamoussi, Prof. Sundarajan Narasimman, Prof. Pallath Chandran, Dr. Yahya Al Saleh, Dr. Mazharul Islam Peer Observation Prof. Osama Abou Zied, Dr. Derek Roberts, Prof. Youcef Baghdadi, Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed, Dr. Sebti Kerbal, Prof. Hisham Widatallah


Postgraduate Studies Committee Dr. Muhdahir Al Ajmi, Dr. Mahmoud Yaish, Dr. Nawal Al Rasbi, Prof. Abderazak Touzene, Dr. Mohammed El Ghali, Prof. Majid Ali, Prof. Edamana Krishnan, Prof. Hisham Widatallah, Dr. Mohammed Alodat

Research Committee Dr. Mudhahir Al-Ajmi, Dr. Sivakumar Nallusamy, Dr. Emad Khudaish, Prof. Youcef Baghdadi, Dr. Bernard Pracejus, Prof. Majid Ali, Prof. Edamana Krishnan, Prof. Abbasher Gismelseed, Dr. Mohammed Alodat

Risk Committee Dr. El-Said El-Shafey, Dr. Sardar Farooq, Dr. Massimiliano Valentini, Mr. Ronnie Salialam, Dr. Andreas Scharf, Dr. Aref Kamal, Dr. Sumesh Pillai, Dr. Ahmed Al Hadhrami, Mr. Saif Al Mamari Science Education Dr. Nidhal Suliman, Dr. Elsadiq Eltayeb, Dr. Emad Khudaish, Dr. Hanaa Al Zadjali, Dr. Talal Al Hosni, Dr. Nadia Al-Dhamri, Dr. Nooralhouda Al Saqri Social Activities Committee Mr. Mohammed Al Harthi, Mrs. Moza Al Jabri, Dr. Nawal Al Rasbi, Ms. Hiba Al Busaidi, Dr. Mohammed Mustafa, Dr. Tayfour El Bashir, Dr. Hajir Al Hamrashdi, Dr. Amadou Sarr

Staff Training Committee Dr. Mohammed Al Badawi, Dr. Bahja Al Riyami, Dr. Raid Abdel Jalil, Dr. Hanaa Al Zadjali, Mr. Hilal Al Zidi, Dr. Nadia Al Dhamri, Dr. Tariq Ghulam, Dr. Ahmed Al Hadhrami, Mr. Mohammed Al Harthi, Mr. Ali Al Sulaimi Strategic Plan Implementation Prof. Ahmed Al Rawas, Prof. Mohammed Elzain, Dr. Hassan Al Reasi, Dr. Mudhahir Al Ajmi, Dr. Mohammed Al Badawi, Dr. Aisha Al Shehi, Prof. Fakhr Eldin Suliman, Dr. Abdullah Al Hamdani, Dr. Khidir Abdelbasit, Dr. Ahmed Al Salman, Dr. Talal Al Hosni, Dr. Azzouz Sellai

Student Activities Dr. Mohammed Al Badawi, Dr. Aziz Al Habsi, Dr. Raid Abdel Jalil, Dr. Hanaa Al Zadjali, Mr. Hilal Al Zidi, Dr. Nadia Al Dhamri, Mrs. Fadhila Al Mabsali, Dr. Ahmed Al Hadhrami, Mr. Ali Al Sulaimi, College of Science Student Society Chair, Student Group Leaders (6) Staff-Student Liaison Committee Prof. Ahmed Al Rawas, Dr. Hassan Al Reasi, Dr. Mudhahir Al-Ajmi, Dr. Mohammed Al Badawi, Dr. Sirin Aham, Dr. Sultan Al Saadi, Dr. Nasser Al Zidi, Dr. Mohammed Farfour, Dr. Amina Al Sawaii, Dr. Hajir Al Hamrashdi, Dr. Faisal Ababneh, Mr. Mohammed Al Harthi, 1 Male Undergraduate Student per dept, 1 Female Undergraduate Student per dept, 1 Postgraduate Student per dept. Student Training Dr. Mohammed Al Badawi, Dr. Erika Soto, Dr. Younis Baqi, Dr. Hamza Zidoum, Dr. Rifaat Abdullah, Dr. Ahmad Al Hadrami, Dr. Shamil Makhmutov, Dr. Abey Issac

Website Ms. Wasila Al-Busaidi, Dr. Aziz Al Habsi, Dr. Imran Syed, Dr. Imran Khan, Mr. Said Al Abri, Dr. Mohamed Boudelloua, Dr. Amr Radi, Dr. Ronal Wesonga CAARU Prof. Ahmed Al Rawas, Prof. Saif Al-Bahry, Prof. Fakhr Suliman, Dr. Bernhard Pracejus, Prof. Hisham Widatallah, Dr. Ahlam Al Azkawi

Superintendents Mr. Ali Al Sulaimi, Salah Al-Shukairi, Mahmoud Al-Azwani, Sulaiman Al-Salmi, Hilal Al Zidi, Hamad Al Asmi

Col

https://www.squ.edu.om/science

@sci_squ @sci_squ

College of Science

P.O. Box 36, Postal Code 123, Al Khoud Sultanate of Oman

Tel. No.: +968 2414 1401 Fax No.: +968 2441 3415

Email: [email protected] http://www.squ.edu.om/Science

Sultan Qaboos University Printing Press, Muscat – Sultanate of Oman

2018


College Annual Report 2020.pdf - Sultan Qaboos University

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