Faiza Al-Kharafi facts for kids

Faiza Mohammed Al-Kharafi (born 1946) is a famous chemist and academic from Kuwait. She made history by becoming the first woman to lead a major university in the Middle East. She was the president of Kuwait University from 1993 to 2002. She also helps lead the World Academy of Sciences.

Early Life and Education

Faiza Al-Kharafi was born in Kuwait in 1946. From a young age, she was very interested in science. She went to Al Merkab High School. She earned her first degree from Ain Shams University in Cairo in 1967.

Later, she studied at Kuwait University. While she was a graduate student there, she started the Corrosion and Electrochemistry Research Laboratory. She received her master's degree in 1972 and her PhD in 1975.

Career Highlights

Al-Kharafi started working in the Chemistry Department at Kuwait University in 1975. She became the head of the department in 1984. From 1986 to 1989, she was the Dean of the Faculty of Science. In 1987, she became a full professor of chemistry at the university.

On July 5, 1993, the leader of Kuwait, Emir Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, chose Al-Kharafi to be the president of Kuwait University. This was a very important moment because she became the first woman to lead a major university in the Middle East.

She helped rebuild Kuwait University after the First Gulf War ended in 1991. As president from 1993 to 2002, she was in charge of over 1,500 staff members, more than 5,000 employees, and over 20,000 students.

Supporting Research in Kuwait

Faiza Al-Kharafi has always supported scientific research in Kuwait. In 1986, she showed how much scientific research had grown in Kuwait compared to other developing countries. She proved that Kuwait's universities could do important scientific studies.

Her Work as a Chemist

As a chemist, Al-Kharafi studied how corrosion affects different things. Corrosion is like rust, where materials break down over time. She looked at how it impacts:

• Engine cooling systems
• Machines that separate crude oil
• Hot water from underground (geothermal brines)
• Tap water

She also studied corrosion in polluted water and how pollution causes metals to corrode. As an electrochemist, she researched how different metals and metal alloys behave. These included aluminum, copper, platinum, and steel. She even helped discover new catalysts that make gasoline better without harmful by-products.

Later Roles and Advocacy

In 1998, she joined the Board of the United Nations University. After women in Kuwait gained the right to vote in 2005, she said that having political rights allows women to share their opinions and choose good leaders. In 2006, she helped start the American Bilingual School in Kuwait.

She is the vice president of The World Academy of Sciences. She also serves on many other important boards, like the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement Sciences.

Awards and Honours

Faiza Al-Kharafi has received many awards for her work:

• In 2005, Forbes magazine named her one of "The 100 Most Powerful Women – Women To Watch in the Middle East."
• She received the Kuwait Prize in Applied Sciences in 2006.
• The Council for Gulf Relations named her Top Gulf Woman of the Year in 2008.
• In 2011, she won the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science for her important research on corrosion.

Personal Life

Faiza Al-Kharafi is married to Ali Mohammed Thanian Al-Ghanim. They have five sons and ten grandchildren. One of her sons, Marzouq Al-Ghanim, used to be the speaker of Kuwait's National Assembly. Her brothers include Jassem Al-Kharafi, who was also a speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, and the late Nasser Al-Kharafi.

See also

In Spanish: Faiza Al-Kharafi para niños

• Women in chemistry