Samira A. S. Omar Asem
Director General, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research; Member, Future Earth Regional Center Advisory Committee
On Feb 9, 2016, Dr. Samira A. S. Omar Asem, ICARDA Board member, was appointed by the Kuwait Council of Ministers to be the new Director General of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). Dr. Asem has forty years of research and development experience. She has led many projects to conserve biodiversity, restore ecosystems and promote sustainable agriculture in Kuwait. In addition to her work at KISR, Dr. Asem is also a Research Fellow at The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the Advancement of Sciences in the Developing Countries and a receiver of many honors and awards including the 2016 Medal Lectures honored by TWAS in November 2015. Dr. Asem is a certified Rangeland Manager, issued by the Society of Range Management, California Section, USA, and has advised many local, regional and international organizations. She is also a member of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD). She has been an elected Vice President of the Executive Board for the Arab Region of OWSD since 2012 and Regional Councilor for IUCN West Asia Region. Dr. Asem holds a Ph.D. in Wild Land Resource Science from the University of California, Berkeley.