Dr. Said Ismail

Dr. Said Ismail is the Director of Qatar Genome Programme. His expertise and research lie in the fields of molecular biology and genetics, with a focus on cancer genetics, precision medicine, and the screening and characterization of disease-related mutations in the Arab population.

Dr. Ismail has work experience across various fields, including research, education, and consultancy. He served as a consultant to several regional and international pharma and biotech companies. He headed the Jordan University Hospital molecular diagnostics reference laboratory, and was a board member of the local advisory board of the International Consortium for the American Society for Clinical Pathology International (ASCPI).He is the first president and co-founder of the International Society on Aptamers and is also an editorial board member of multiple international journals.

Dr. Ismail has a special interest in promoting research among young students. He launched one of the largest efforts to enhance the Arabic medical content on the internet, The “Bel-Arabi” or “In-Arabic” initiative: "بالعربي". He is also a board member of the Phi Science Institute aiming to encourage young student to pursue careers in research.

Dr. Ismail won the Said Foundation prize for young Arab researchers in the UK, and the Shoman award for Arab researchers in biomedical sciences in 2013. Dr Ismail holds a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford.