Dr. Shihab Ghanem comes from a family distinguished by its learning. His father Prof. Muhammad A. Ghanem, was said to be the first university graduate in the Arabian Peninsula. His grandfather, Mohammed Ali Luqman, established the first independent journal in Aden and wrote the first novel in Yemen. His uncle, Ali M. Luqman, was a prominent poet, journalist and political leader. Farouq Luqman, former editor in chief of Arab News and Malayalam News, is the maternal uncle of Ghanem. Inevitably, Ghanem was attracted both to literature and to science, spurred on by his own abilities as well as family background. A UAE citizen living in Dubai, Ghanem was born in Aden, south Yemen in 1940. He obtained a double degree in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering from Aberdeen, UK in 1964, and a master of engineering degree in water resources development from Roorkee University of India in 1975 and a Ph.D. in Economics from Wales (Cardiff), UK, in 1989. He received the honorary doctorate (Literature) from Soka University in Tokyo in 2015. His working career includes deputy permanent secretary of Public Works and Communications in Aden, chief engineer of Eterno Supplies in Lebanon, plant manager of Gulf Eternit in Dubai, director of engineering of Dubai Ports and Jebel Free Zone, and managing director of Mohammed Bin Rashid Technology Park. He is founder and Managing Director of INDUSTEC Consulting. Ghanem, a bilingual and multilingual poet, has published 60 books including 16 books of verse in Arabic plus two in English, 24 volumes of translated verse, Arabic to English, and from other languages to Arabic via English, and 19 books in prose. His book "Industrialization in the United Arab Emirates" published by Avebury, UK in 1992 is still a main reference on its subject. Ghanem has received a plethora of awards and commendations. These included first prize for poetry in the UAE (1984), Rashid Award for Scientific Excellence 1989), Book prize from the Ruler of Sharjah for poetry translation (2003 and 2007), Tagore Peace Award (2012/2013), GALA Award (2013), Cultural Personality of the Year Award- Al-Owais Creativity awards (2013), World Poetry Society Intercontinental Award, Chennai (2013) and honor by Al
