WASHINGTON — American universities are home to a growing cohort of highly qualified Saudi academics who are taking on influential faculty and research roles across fields ranging from bioengineering and computer science to acoustics, law, and media. Their expanding presence reflects the Kingdom's accelerated investment in human capital — one of the central pillars of Vision 2030 — and its ambition to develop a globally competitive knowledge economy. Among them is Huda Asiri, part of a rising generation of Saudi women scholars in the United States. Awarded a government scholarship for her doctoral studies, she now serves as an associate professor and research assistant at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her PhD explores the representation of Saudi women in local and international media, and she teaches courses on journalism principles, media and diversity, and women's roles in sports—bringing her research directly into academic practice. In acoustics, Dr. Alaa Al-Qarqoush has gained international recognition for her work at the intersection of art, technology, and design. Named to MIT Technology Review's "Innovators Under 35" list, she has received multiple awards in innovation, sustainability, and the arts. Her research uses machine learning and computational modeling to design acoustic environments that enhance well-being and improve cognitive and social experiences. At the University of California, Dr. Reem Khoja is advancing work in bioengineering. Now an assistant professor at UC San Diego and a postdoctoral researcher at UC Irvine, she led a team developing microengines at the scale of human cells, pioneering new directions in cellular engineering. Her academic background spans UCLA, KAUST, and King Abdulaziz University. In computer science, Dr. Faisal Nawab has served as an associate professor at UC Irvine since 2020 while also working as a principal software engineer at Anylog. His career includes faculty roles at UC Santa Cruz and research positions at Hewlett-Packard Labs, alongside earlier work at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. In the legal field, Dr. Bandar Al-Muhammedi teaches at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law, offering courses on the structure and practice of the U.S. legal system. His academic work includes studies published in the United States and the United Kingdom on corporate liability under Islamic and American law, as well as research on WTO law and climate policy. These academics represent more than individual achievements, they reflect a national strategy. As Saudi Arabia works to diversify its economy and strengthen its international presence, Vision 2030 places strong emphasis on education, global exposure, and the development of a skilled, innovative workforce.
