At the 5th Forum for Women in Research (QUWA 2025), AUC faculty and alumnae are raising the bar with their work, tackling issues ranging from AI-generated news imagery in journalism and Arabic natural language processing in computer science to the removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater in environmental engineering.
Held at the University of Sharjah and the University of Khorfakkan, this year's forum included 890 research submissions from 260 universities in 57 countries, with 297 shortlisted. Less than 5% of all submitted projects across multiple disciplines were awarded grants.
Assistant Professor Alia El Bolock
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
El Bolock's co-authored research on “Advancing Zero-Shot and Few-Shot Learning for Arabic and Code-Switched NLP Tasks” won a prestigious research grant at the forum.
"The forum fostered collaboration and engagement with experts in the field, making it an enriching experience for all participants."
The project aims to enhance understanding of daily-life interactions and address data scarcity in Arabic natural language processing through advanced learning methods. El-Bolock's work ranked among the top 2% of select computing and engineering projects at the forum.
"QUWA 2025 provided a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange, bringing together leading researchers to discuss groundbreaking advancements," said El Bolock. "The forum fostered collaboration and engagement with experts in the field, making it an enriching experience for all participants."
El-Bolock was awarded for her co-authored work
Donia Abdelnasser (MA '24)
Abdelnasser was awarded a research grant in the engineering category for her AUC Master of Science thesis in environmental engineering on the removal of certain pharmaceuticals from wastewater using an innovative advanced oxidation technique. Abdelnasser's thesis was conducted under the supervision of Professor Ahmed El-Gendy.
"This award not only validates my research but also fuels my commitment to advancing sustainable solutions. It signifies recognition, encouragement and the opportunity to push the boundaries of innovation in environmental engineering."
Abdenasser's thesis is titled “Removal of the Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic Levofloxacin from Pharmaceutical Wastewater Using Photocatalytic Oxidation With Recoverable CoFe₂O₄ @ ZnO Nanocomposites.”
"Winning the engineering grant at the QUWA 5th Forum for Women in Research is a profound honor and a testament to the impact of my master's thesis," said Abdelnasser. "This award not only validates my research but also fuels my commitment to advancing sustainable solutions. It signifies recognition, encouragement and the opportunity to push the boundaries of innovation in environmental engineering. More importantly, it highlights the future of wastewater treatment innovations, emphasizing the need for cutting-edge solutions to address global water challenges."
Abdelnasser was awarded for her master's thesis at AUC
Menna Elhosary (MA '23)
Elhosary received a grant for the Best Research Proposal in Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences for her independent research study on “Pixels of Prejudice: Decoding Embedded Biases in AI-Generated News Imagery and Their Implications for Visual Journalism — Toward an Algorithmic-Mediated Visual Framing.”
"I am deeply grateful for my time at AUC during my master’s, where I learned communication research from the ground up. That journey equipped me with the skills that continue to shape my work and make such recognitions possible.”
Elhosary's study also received the Top Student Paper Award in the Visual Communication division of the International Communication Association’s 75th annual conference, which will be held in Denver from June 12 to 16, 2025. "I am deeply grateful for my time at AUC during my master’s, where I learned communication research from the ground up," said Elhosray. "That journey equipped me with the skills that continue to shape my work and make such recognitions possible.”
Elhosary is currently pursuing her PhD at City St George's, University of London.
“There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your hard work recognized after countless sleepless nights," said Elhosary. "While this is my sixth academic award, it holds a special place in my heart as the first earned during my PhD journey — unlike the previous five, which I received during my master's. It’s even more meaningful coming from an Arab-led forum dedicated to empowering women scholars worldwide.”
Elhosary received the Best Research Proposal award for her independent study on AI-generated news imagery
Asmaa Heiba
Heiba, a postdoctoral research fellow at AUC, received a research grant for her work on developing novel materials for energy storage and conversion technologies. The research was conducted entirely at AUC in collaboration with Mohammed Abdel-Salam, a senior research fellow at the University, under the supervision of Associate Professor Ehab Elsawy as part of the NanoElectrochemistry Lab research group headed by Elsawy.
"[This award] represents the collective effort, dedication and passion of our entire team."
"This award signifies not just a recognition but a celebration of the journey, growth and people who supported me,: said Heiba. "It represents the collective effort, dedication and passion of our entire team. The guidance and vision of our team leader, Dr. Ehab Elsawy, genuinely shaped our success. This award fuels my drive, pushing me to work harder and reach even greater heights."
Heiba was awarded for her postdoctoral research at AUC
