Board Member, KFAS

Professor Al-Kharafi was born in Kuwait and earned a Bachelor’s of Science from Ain Shams University in Egypt, as well as her Master’s of Science and doctoral degree from Kuwait University. She joined the Faculty of Sciences at Kuwait University as a Professor of Chemistry and served as the first female president of Kuwait University from 1993 to 2002. As president of Kuwait University, she was in charge of 1,500 staff members, more than 5000 employees and over than 20,000 students annually.

Finding innovative ways to fight corrosion Professor Al-Kharafi has spent her career investigating the mechanisms underlying the corrosion of metals and finding practical solutions to inhibit it. The fight against corrosion is essential for the development of the energy sector in Kuwait, but her work has had an impact far beyond, leading to real progress for basic science, water treatment and the oil industry. She holds a record of high productivity in several areas of corrosion science and engineering such as the electrochemical behavior of vanadium, niobium, aluminum and their respective alloys. In addition, she has employed her expertise in several major studies on the impact of corrosion on commonly used systems in the State of Kuwait, including crude oil distillation units and engine cooling systems. She founded the first Corrosion and Electrochemistry Research Laboratory at Kuwait University, establishing a research center for corrosion, including training and facilitating collaborations with other researchers around the world.

Professor Al-Kharafi is currently Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement Sciences (KFAS). In 2005 Forbes magazine named her as one of “The 100 Most Powerful Women – Women to Watch in The Middle East”. She was awarded the Kuwait Prize in Applied Sciences in 2006 and in 2011, for her work on corrosion, she was awarded the L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science. She has and continues to advocate for the pertinent role of women in scientific research, where she believes that the engagements and contributions of women will lead to the advancement of the scientific, technological, and innovative capabilities of any society.