Dr. Asmaa Al-Thani

Dr. Asmaa Al-Thani is the Chairperson of Qatar Genome Committee and Vice Chairperson of Qatar Biobank Board. Her expertise lies in the fields of precision medicine, virology, and genome mapping.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, her research includes supporting efforts to increase local capacity in responding to viral outbreaks, sequencing the COVID-19 strain found in Qatar and understanding the impact of the virus on the genetic makeup of individuals. As director of the Biomedical Research Center at Qatar University, she also leads the only Biosafety level 3 laboratory for research in Qatar, which is used to help the Ministry of Public Health face the pandemic.

Dr. Al-Thani also fulfills roles as professor of virology at Qatar University, Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Founding Dean of the College of Health Sciences at Qatar University, and Director of Biomedical Research Centre at Qatar University.

Dr. Al-Thani has numerous published articles in her field of expertise, including 36 published papers in peer-reviewed international journals. She has also obtained several research grants, including seven Qatar University grants, 13 UREP grants and four NPRP grants. She works as reviewer for several scientific journals and conferences, and is a member in the American Society for Microbiology.

Dr. Al-Thani obtained her PhD in medical virology from the University of London, United Kingdom.