Science, Technology and Space Ministry names Arab chemical engineer its deputy chief scientist
A few years ago, the ministry’s deputy chief scientist was an Israeli Arab from the North.
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHNASA's Dawn spacecraft heads toward the dwarf planet Ceres as seen in this undated artist's conception(photo credit: REUTERS)
Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed, a resident of the Sur Bahir neighborhood in southeastern Jerusalem, has been selected by public tender to become deputy chief scientist of the Science, Technology and Space Ministry, ministry director-general Ido Sharir announced on Monday.A few years ago, the ministry’s deputy chief scientist was an Israeli Arab from the North.Abu Hamed, a chemical engineer who competed against two other candidates, is replacing Dr. Victor Weiss who is retiring. Abu Hamed was educated in eastern Jerusalem schools, and he received his first three academic degrees in Turkey.He was praised for his “proven record of scientific activity and the integration of research in the field with many scientific publications.”Married with four children, Abu Hamed “is very familiar with the ministry and its fields, which will make it possible for him to carry out if work in the best possible way,” the director general said.Born in 1972, the new deputy chief scientist did his doctoral degree on the biological composition of petroleum wastewater.When he returned home from the University of Ankara, he began a post-doctorate in renewable energy for transportation at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot.In 2007, he completed an additional post-doctorate in mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota.He then returned to Israel to run the Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation in the Arava Institute and worked as head of the renewable energy department in the Dead Sea and Arava Science Center.In 2013, Abu Hamed joined the Science Ministry in the field of engineering and applied science and ran an operation involving 23 research projects totaling NIS 29 million. At the same time, he started studying for a second master’s degree in public policy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has published more than 40 scientific articles and received scholarships and awards for his work, including the Dan David Prize for social responsibility and environmental quality.
