Hazzaa AlMansoori gets honorary doctorate from Khalifa University

Abu Dhabi - The ceremony celebrated graduation of a total of 408 students.

The first Emirati astronaut, Hazzaa AlMansoori, has been awarded an honorary doctoral degree by Abu Dhabi's Khalifa University.

Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court, on Sunday presented the Khalifa University's first-ever honorary PhD degree to AlMansoori during the graduation ceremony of Khalifa University of Science and Technology's Class of 2019 at Emirates Palace Hotel.

The ceremony celebrated graduation of a total of 408 students, 20 of which were PhD students, 87 Master's and 301 Bachelors of Science, Engineering and Art programmes.

AlMansoori became the first Emirati astronaut to go to the International Space Station in September 2019.

Khalifa University said it has consistently contributed to the aerospace sector, especially by graduating the first-ever batch of students in Aerospace Engineering. Khalifa University students have also designed and developed CubeSat-1 which was launched into space in February 2019, while the launch of CubeSat-2 is scheduled for the near future.

During the ceremony, Sheikh Theyab conferred the degrees, congratulating the students on their graduation and wishing them success for the future. He said wise directives of UAE leaders has helped the university achieve prestigious ranking both regionally and internationally through its distinguished academic programmes and advanced research projects. Sheikh Theyab added that efforts towards achieving future milestones would further cement the university's position among the top institutions in the world.

Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President, Khalifa University said: "Khalifa University today has achieved significant milestones including 126 issued patents, with 343 pending patent applications and more than 400 invention disclosures. Such a remarkable intellectual capital output in scientific fields reflects not only the steady progress the university has made in the recent years, but also the commitment of our faculty and students in obtaining new solutions in key technology sectors that are vital to the UAE's economic transformation."

The ceremony was also attended by Eng. Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education and Vice-Chairman of the Khalifa University Board of Trustees, and Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State, Group Chief Executive Officer, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Chairman, Masdar.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi