UNIT TEAM
Director of the Unit for Teaching Excellence and Leadership
Senior Fellow of AdvancedHE, UK (SFHEA)
Assistant Professor, Department of Information Systems, College of Information Technology
Short Bio:
Dr. Amal Alrayes is the Director of Unit for Teaching Excellence and Leadership (UTEL) and an Assistant Professor in Department of Information Systems at the University of Bahrain. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the UK. Amal is one of the founders of the Unit for Excellence Teaching and Leadership at UOB. Amal received her master degree in Computer Science from the University of Wolverhampton in UK in 2004 and completed her Ph.D in Interactive Systems from University of Manchester in UK in 2013. Her research interests are in HCI, Interactive Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and the use of Technology in education.
She has a strong engagement with industry through developmental research and grant projects such as project of Bahrain Satisfaction Index for e-government Services. Also, she is an active member in many national and international societies like Technology and Business Society and part of their Cybersecurity committee, a member in Artificial Intelligence Society in Bahrain and Society of Excellence and Academic Research in Bahrain. She is the IEEE Computer Society Bahrain chapter secretary since December 2021. She is a board member in Women in Big Data Bahrain chapter. A member in Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World, member in Women in Tech organization. She is a member and chair of a sub-committee in Implementation of the GCC-SG strategic plan initiatives committee with Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council. She is a member with the National Network for International Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bahrain. She loves to serve the community with different tasks such as being a Technology mentor with Brinc projects and honored to mentor more than six projects as part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF) Acceleration Program. Served as a reviewer in many research journals and conferences. Published articles in newspapers to educate and disseminate knowledge to the public.
Amal is decisive and effective in positions that require timely results. Have twenty years of IT experience in academia. More than ten years of experience in teaching excellence and academic leadership. Engaged in many qualities’ assurance practices in higher education. Recently became a fellow with UK-GCC women in Cybersecurity program and very proud to be accredited and certified Innovation Leader as a fellow with the Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange in UK.
Contact details:
email: aalrayes@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: 17438282
Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP)
Coordinator
Associate Professor
English Language Education, Bahrain Teachers College
Short Bio:
Dr. Hasan Al-Wadi is an associate professor of TESOL in the Department of English Language Education – Bahrain Teachers College (BTC) and the coordinator of the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP) – 2022-2023 – at the Unit for Teaching Excellence and Leadership (UTEL). He is also a senior fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the UK (now AHE). Dr. Hasan teaches research methods in education, principles and practices of ELT, language testing and Best practices in ELT. His research interest is teacher education, curriculum development, CPD in education, and professional knowledge of ELT. Dr. Hasan is currently the associate editor of the IAFOR Journal of Language Learning – Journal of Education and he also was the Head of the Foundation Programme at BTC from 2012 to 2015
Contact details:
Email: halwadi@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: 17438282
Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP) Lecturer
Assistant Professor, Allied Health, College of Health & Sports Sciences
Short Bio:
Dr. Mohamed is an Assistant Professor of physiotherapy and sports injuries at the University of Bahrain. He has a clinical background in musculoskeletal physiotherapy and has been a part of the academic field since 2011. Dr. Mohamed earned his bachelor’s degree from Kuwait University in 2008 and his master’s in musculoskeletal rehabilitation from the University of Pittsburgh in 2013. In 2018, he received his philosophy degree from Leeds Beckett University, where he studied physical and functional changes following hip arthroscopy. His research interests include sports injuries, groin pain, and advancing health education and services. Dr. Mohamed is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) from the NSCA, a Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE), and a fellow of Advance HE. In 2022, he was awarded the Journal of Sports Health’s best international paper.
Contact details:
Email: moabdulla@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: 17437095
Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP) Lecturer
Assistant Professor, Architecture and Interior Design, College of Engineering
Short Bio:
Dr Hawra Jaafar Shaikh Mansoor is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture and Interior Design, University of Bahrain. She is a Fellow of the Advance HE and a PhD holder graduated from Canterbury School of Architecture, University for the Creative Arts/University of Brighton, UK, whose work explores interdisciplinary intersections between architecture, philosophy, psychology and cultural theory. Hawra’s research area mainly focuses on considering the immaterial aspects of the user’s spatial experience in a user-oriented architectural practice. Within her PhD thesis there is an attempt to understand how architecture could be meaningful and purposeful to its users while responding to the contemporary social and cultural conditions.
Hawra is also interested in research that discusses the relationship between architecture as a creative process and the lived experience of people as a way of consuming space as a product of the design process and the context in which architecture exists.
Hawra was originally trained as Interior designer, she holds a BSc. in Interior Design from the University of Bahrain. In 2012 she was awarded Master Degree in Design from the University for the Creative Arts, Rochester.
Contact details:
Email: halshaik@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: –
Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP) Advisor
Assistant Professor, Information System
Short Bio:
Dr. Fatema Alsebaie holds a PhD in Information Systems, University of Salford, Manchester, U.K. Fatema Alsebaie works as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Information Systems, College of Information Technology, University of Bahrain. She also obtained her BSc in Information Systems from University of Bahrain in 2005. She completed her MSc in Information Technology at Ahlia University in 2009. She obtained the Postgraduate Certificate for Academic Practice Program (PCAP) from the University of Bahrain and the fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, UK in 2023. She served six years as Research Fellow in Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy studies (Derasat). In addition, she worked as a System Analyst and Developer in the IT Department at Bahrain Center for Studies and Research from 2005 to 2009. Her research interests are in Information Systems, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and women in IT careers. Her research and articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals and by international conferences such as G20 insights Policy Briefs (G20 Riyadh-2020), and institutions like Middle East Institute in Washington, and UNDP Bahrain.
Contact details:
Email: falsebaie@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: –
Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP) Advisor
Assistant Professor, Information System, College of Information Technology
Short Bio:
Dr. Maan Aljawder is an assistant professor of Information Systems at the University of Bahrain. He received his Ph.D. in Information Systems from the University of Sydney in Australia in 2015 and completed his master’s degree in IT Management at the same university in 2007. Moreover, Dr. Aljawder had extensive experience extending to over 20 years in the business and academic field. He is a fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and a certified Enterprise IT process capability assessor (COBIT 5 Assessor). Dr. Aljawder was the Director of Administrative and Technical Programs at the College of Applied Studies. He also held several professional positions in accounting and IT where he was involved in several multidisciplinary projects of developing and implementing process workflows and financial systems. He has also presided over and been a member of several scientific and management committees at different levels. He worked with several teams on interdisciplinary projects related to enterprise systems, Smart Cities and Sustainability. He is also an active member in other research groups and committees conducting nation-wide research projects. His research has been published in local and international peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, and books. He had several reviews of scientific research and papers. Dr. Aljawder has supervised a number of Master’s theses in the field of Management and Technology in collaboration with the Bahrain Institute of Public Administration (BIPA). His teaching and research interest in Smart Cities, IS Project Management, IT Strategy and governance, Enterprise Systems, and Business Intelligence.
Contact details:
Email: maljawder@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: 17437627
Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP) Advisor
English Language Center
Short Bio:
Dalal A. Kareem Ahmed is an English Language Senior Lecturer with over 18 years’ experience working in the tertiary education sector. She graduated with an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Bahrain in 2007. Her areas of interest and expertise include e-Learning, the integration of technology in the ESL classroom, and the appropriate use of AI in the classroom to enhance student achievement. She is also a mentor in the Unit of Teaching and Leadership at the University of Bahrain, where she supports colleagues in pedagogical best practices and leadership skills. Dalal espouses the idea of integrating lifelong learning skills in the EFL classroom and has played a vital role in the successful implementation of micro-credential skills for foundation students. Furthermore, she promotes the use of Blockchain digital badging to formally recognize students’ lifelong and employability skills. She is a Fellow of The Higher Education Academy (HEA), UK.
Contact details:
Email: dmukhallaf@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: –
Coordinator of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
FHEA
Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture and Interior Design, College of Engineering
Short Bio:
Dr. Noor Aldoy is an Assistant professor in the Department of Architecture and Interior Design at the College of Engineering. She teaches and coordinates Computer Aided Interior Design, Computer Animations, Furniture Design and Interior Design Training courses. Dr. Aldoy was a Design and Innovation Manager at Lancaster China Catalyst Programme and a Senior Knowledge Exchange Associate in the London Fusion Project at Lancaster University in the UK. Before this, she worked as a Digital Space and Technologies Lecturer at the Arts University at Bournemouth and was a member of the Design Practice Research Group at Loughborough University. Her work focused on methods of digital industrial design and curriculum development. She also worked as a co-investigator in the Hewlett Packard Innovation in Education grant to explore the tablet PC’s use as a sketching tool. Dr. Aldoy holds a 1st Class Bachelor of Arts degree in Design and Technology and a Master of Science degree in Industrial Design from Loughborough University. Soon after completing her Masters, Dr. Aldoy was awarded a PhD studentship by Loughborough University. In 2011, she completed her PhD in Digital Industrial Design. Her research interest centres on the use of computer technologies within design practice. Dr. Aldoy was awarded her UK Higher Education Academy Fellowship in 2019 and joined UTEL as a mentor in 2020. She is currently the Continuous Professional Development Program (CPD) coordinator.
Contact details:
Email: naldoy@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: 17876102
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Lecturer
Lecturer, English Language Center, College of Arts
Short Bio:
“Preeti Jaiswal is a lecturer at the English Language Centre, University of Bahrain. She is a Senior Fellow (SFHEA) and Fellow (FHEA) of Advance HE, Higher Education Academy, United Kingdom. She is an active member of the Unit for Teaching Excellence and Leadership (UTEL) at the University of Bahrain. She is a Lecturer and mentor of UTEL’s faculty development program-Continuous Professional Development (CPD) program and a Moderator of the New to Teaching in Bahrain (NTB) program since 2017 till present. She has an MA in English literature from Delhi University, India, and has completed CELTA and TESOL. In September 2022, she published her book titled ‘A Walk down Memory Lane with Mother’ on Amazon Kindle. In 2006, the University of Omar Al Mukhtar published her book entitled English in Medicine: A Comprehensive Course. She has published many articles in international Scopus-indexed journals. and is a reviewer for some Scopus journals. She has twenty-eight years experience of teaching ESL, ESP, and EAP courses at the University level. Since 2011, she has been teaching at the University of Bahrain. In June 2018, she received the Teaching Excellence Award and Professional Development Award by the Director of, the English Language Centre, University of Bahrain. She is the winner of National Geographic Learning’s Learning Moments Competition held in conjunction with the English Language Centre, University of Bahrain in November 2020. She contributed to the Re-Accreditation Process for UTEL Faculty Development Programs of Advance HE, in March 2023.
Contact details:
Email: pjaiswal@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: 17438602
Senior Lecturer, English Language, Bahrain Teachers College
Short Bio:
Dr. Neesha Khan Malik is a Senior Lecturer at Bahrain Teachers College since 2012. She completed her doctorate in Education from the University of Mumbai, India with a gold medal in her Master of Education degree from the same university for the highest-grade aggregate across all university affiliated colleges. Her other qualifications are TEFL from Trinity College, London (2004), B.Ed. (1998) and M.Phil. in English Literature (1996) from University of Mumbai, India, and M.A. in English literature (1990) and B.A. honors in English (1989) from University of Delhi, India. Her areas of interest and expertise being teacher education and school improvement, they involve designing, teaching, assessing, moderating, accrediting courses with colleagues and periodically visiting public schools to supervise teaching of her undergraduate and diploma students at the elementary and intermediate levels. She acquired the Fellowship of Advance Higher Educations Academy (FHEA) in 2018 and is currently a member of the UTEL team as a mentor in the Continuous Professional Development Program (CPD). Her passion for research has led to the publishing of several research articles and conference presentations nationally and internationally.
Contact details:
Email: nmalik@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: 17437297
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) English
Advisor
Assistant Professor, Physics ,College of Science
Short Bio:
Dr. Basma Al-Najar has been awarded her PhD degree in Environmental and Sustainable Development from the University of Bahrain. Her PhD dissertation about investigating the properties of nanomaterials that can be applied efficiently in water treatment process, which is taking a part in the University of Oxford and the University of Bahrain collaboration project. She is the first author of the two published joint research articles between the two universities. She gained her M.Sc. in Medical Physics from the University of Leeds (UK) and B.Sc. in Physics from Newcastle University (UK). She is an author and co-author of more than 30 research works (research articles and book chapters) published in high indexed scientific journals. Dr. Basma has been lately appointed as an assistant professor in the department of physics in the University of Bahrain. Her current research area focuses on the characterization of novel nanomaterials and their applications in water treatment, purification and desalination.
Contact details:
Email: balnajar@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: –
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) mentor
Assistant Professor, English Language Education
Short Bio:
Dr Taha Rajab is an assistant professor at Bahrain Teachers College – University of Bahrain. Prior to that, Dr Taha worked as a full-time lecturer for more than a decade between the School of Education at Durham University (UK) and the Institute of Effective Education of the University of York (UK).
His research interests include dialogic teaching, intercultural communication, teacher education, academic development, teaching English to FL learners, and classroom learning in developing countries.
He published extensively on language education, intercultural communication and multilingualism. Dr Taha taught pedagogical and content language courses in addition to semantics, applied linguistics at the Universities of York, Glasgow, Manchester Metropolitan University and Durham.
Dr Rajab holds MA in Sociolinguistics from Leeds University and PhD in Educational Studies from the University of York, UK.
Contact details:
Email: trajab@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: –
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Arabic
Coordinator
Assistant Professor, English Language & Literature
Short Bio:
Dr. Mervat Isa Albufalasa brings over 25 years of experience as both a schoolteacher and a university professor, with extensive expertise in the fields of education, teacher professional development, and educational leadership. Her research portfolio includes numerous publications on topics such as teacher training, parental involvement in education, and inclusive education, many of which are indexed in globally recognized databases like Scopus. She has actively collaborated with international researchers and academic institutions, contributing to a broad exchange of knowledge and best practices. Dr. [Last Name] is also a frequent presenter at local and international conferences and has led various workshops across diverse educational contexts. Additionally, she has participated in multiple international professional development programs in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and New Zealand, enriching her global perspective on education.
Contact details:
Email: malbuflasa@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: 17437184
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Lecturer
Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering
Short Bio:
Holder of PhD in Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science at University of Manchester / Manchester, UK. Dr. Raed Aljowder has extensive academic and industrial experience in chemical engineering, specializing in water desalination, wastewater treatment, and system dynamics.
Contact details:
Email: raljowder@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: –
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Arabic mentor
Assistant Professor, Education Studies, Bahrain Teachers College
Short Bio:
Over 25 years of experience as a teacher and university professor. Dr. Osama holds a PhD in Education, specializing in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol, UK, in 2009. He also holds a Master’s in Primary Education, University of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bahrain, in 2001, and a bachelor’s degree in Primary Education, University of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bahrain.
In 1995. Dr. Osama has experience in education, teacher training, professional development, primary education, home school relations, inclusive education, and educational leadership. He has published multiple papers on topics including teacher professional development, parental involvement, and inclusive education, which have been featured in global research databases such as Scopus, among others. He has collaborated with researchers and international institutions and presented several studies at local and international conferences. He has also conducted workshops in various educational settings and participated in international professional programs (in the UAE, UK, USA, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and others).
Contact details:
Email: oalmahdi@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: 17437286
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Arabic mentor
Instructor, Education Studies, Bahrain Teachers College
Short Bio:
Dr. Sayed Salah Alawi is an instructor in the Department of Educational Studies at the Bahrain Teachers College, University of Bahrain. My qualifications are PhD in Special Education (2016), a Master of Gifted Education (2007), a Higher Diploma in Gifted Education (2004) from Arabian Gulf University, and a Bachelor of Mathematics in Education (1998) from the University of Bahrain. The areas of Ph.D. expertise and research interests revolve around the identification of gifted and creative students through the development of measures and tools to identify talented and creative students, and the development of programs to nurture gifted and creative students with multiple intelligences.
Contact details:
Email: ssalawi@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: –
Coordinator of the New to Teaching in Bahrain (NTB)
Senior Lecturer, Administration Programs, College of Information Technology
Short Bio:
Mrs. Tara Fryad Henari is a Lecturer at the Department of Information System, College of IT, University of Bahrain. Her expertise includes E-business, corporate social responsibility, marketing management, and entrepreneurship. She graduated with a Master of Science in Managing Business with IT from the University of Salford, UK and a Bachelor of Science in Business information Systems from the University of Bahrain, in 2006 and 2002, respectively. She is a Fellow of the Advanced Higher Education and is a Certified Microsoft Educator. She has publications in CSR, e-business, education and entrepreneurship. She was involved heavily in updating and creating new academic programs and courses. She is an active member of the Unit for teaching excellence and leadership (UTEL) since 2018 and is involved in various number of committees, she previously taught in the College of Applied Studies in the University of Bahrain. Her previous employments include marketing coordinator in Microsoft Bahrain, Project Manager in Al Nadeem IT Bahrain and research assistant in Materials Ireland Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
Contact details:
Email: thenari@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: 17437785
New to Teaching in Bahrain (NTB) Advisor
Assistant Professor, Physics, College of Science
Short Bio:
Dr. Khalil Ibrahim has been serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Bahrain since June 2004. He also served as the Coordinator of the Central Research Labs at the College of Science, University of Bahrain, from 2009 to 2011, and as a Visiting Professor at the Arabian Gulf University during 2005–2006. He previously worked as a Researcher and Assistant Professor (Grade B) in the Physics Department at the University of Bahrain from 1996 to 1999, and as a Researcher and Professor (Grade A) from 1992 to 1995 in the same department.
He earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Academic Practice in Higher Education from York St John University in 2009, a Ph.D. in Photonics: Laser Physics and Engineering from Brown University in Rhode Island, USA, in 2004, and an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering: Photonics from the same university in 2001. He also obtained an M.Sc. in Physics: Optoelectronics and Laser Devices in 1996 from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, and a B.Sc. in Physics and Education from the University of Bahrain in 1992.
His expertise lies in optical and electrical characterization of laser materials (semiconductors), fabrication and testing of optoelectronic devices (such as LEDs, solar cells, and detectors), nanotechnology (novel optoelectronic devices), nanostructure growth, and nonlinear optics (characterization of advanced materials and novel structures).
Dr. Khalil has extensive experience teaching and supervising many undergraduate and graduate research projects at the University of Bahrain (UOB) and the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) for over 20 years. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the Arab Physical Society and is a member of several national specialized committees. He is also a board member of the Bahrain Astronomical Society, a founding member and board member of the Bahrain Society for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, and a board member and donor member of the Aali Housing Charity Society.
He has reported on the operation of the Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VECSEL), which is expected to play a key role in future all-optical computing systems. He has participated in numerous local, regional, and international conferences, exhibitions, and scientific forums as a speaker or invited speaker on topics covering various areas of photonics, nanoscience, and nanotechnology. He has organized many workshops and delivered numerous public scientific lectures, presentations, and open-day science activities. He serves as an editor for several well-known regional and international scientific journals and has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in international journals and book chapters. He contributed to the preparation of Bahrain’s second and third national greenhouse gas inventory reports. He also co-authored two books on nanomaterials and nanotechnology-based solar cells, a book on metrology, and a book on traffic physics.
Contact details:
Email: kejasim@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: 17437438
New to Teaching in Bahrain (NTB) Advisor
Assistant Professor, English Language and Literature , College of Arts
Short Bio:
Dr. Shadiya Al-Hashmi has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of York, UK. Her MA degree is in General Linguistics from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. She attained her BA in TESL/TEFL from Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, where she taught Language and Linguistics courses. Her current research interests include the interface of Phonetics and Phonology, perception of non-native speakers of L2 phonetic and phonological cues, corpus linguistics, language contact, language and heritage, and language policy and education. She currently teaches Linguistics (mainly Phonetics and Phonology) and ESL courses at the Department of the English Language and Literature (DELL) at the University of Bahrain.”
Contact details:
Email: salhashmi@uob.edu.bh
Office phone: 17438831
