A number of Saudi graduates of British universities were honoured for success in their careers at an awards ceremony at the UK Embassy in Riyadh earlier this month.
Now in its 11th year, the UK Study Alumni Award judges applicants in four categories: science and sustainability, culture and creativity, social action, and business and innovation.
Out of thousands of applicants, four winners were chosen for each category by a team of independent judges.
The Social Action Award was presented to Dr Qamar Naith, assistant professor at the University of Jeddah, who created pioneering medical devices after overcoming her own battle with heart disease.
While studying at the University of Sheffield, Qamar created three medical devices: the first for the early detection of strokes, the second for tracking post-operational changes, and the third for early detection of issues during pregnancy.
Qamar’s time at Sheffield shaped her resilience, collaborative skills, and drive to turn challenges into opportunities for the greater good. Now she's transforming lives by creating groundbreaking devices like the coronary artery disease monitor, early stroke detection device, and portable fever and post-surgical wound monitoring devices, with many more to come.
She said: “UK universities have played a vital role in shaping my journey. The UK system in general, motivates people to involve their real life in their education.”