Draft:Mahmoud Hashem Abdel-Kader

Mahmoud Hashem Abdel-Kader. is a physical chemist and Professor of Photochemistry at Cairo University/NILES Institute. Following an intense academic career path in science and higher education, where he served as professor, researcher, vice dean, and university president, he founded the European Universities in Egypt (EUE), which opened in 2021, an institution for transnational education based on the Egyptian IBC Law located in the New Administrative Capital.

Education
He received his BSc from Alexandria University in 1969, and was then associated with the Faculty of Science (chemistry) at Tanta University (initially a branch of Alexandria University, from 1972 on an independent university), where he performed "Spectroscopic Studies on Some Hydroxybenzanilides" and served as teaching and research assistant (1970-1973). He was granted a DAAD scholarship in 1974 to perform doctoral studies in Germany and received his Ph.D. (Dr. rer. nat.) in “Spectroscopy and Photochemistry” from Stuttgart University in Germany in 1979. His doctoral studies were supervised by two German physicochemists, the reputable Theodor Förster († 1974) and his former scholar Horst E.A. Kramer. It included physicochemical investigations on the isomerization of a merocyanine (polymethine dye) of the stilbazolium betaine type and its corresponding acid

Career
After a 3-years period as lecturer in physical chemistry at Tanta University (1979-1982) and a post-doctoral research period at the University of Karlsruhe, now KIT = Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Department of Physical Chemistry, 1982 to 1983), he was appointed as Visiting Senior Researcher at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland) from 1983 to 1984. He joined the Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain (Professor of Physical Chemistry/Photochemistry at the Faculty of Applied Sciences, 1985-1992), then the United Arab Emirates University (Professor of Physical Chemistry/Photochemistry at the Faculty of Science, 1992-1995). Furthermore, Mahmoud Abdel-Kader served as Visiting Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta (USA) and at the Institute for Laser Technology in Medicine and Metrology of Ulm University (Germany).

He joined Cairo University in 1992 and acted as Department Chairman and Vice Dean of the National Institute of Laser-Enhanced Sciences (NILES) until August 2002. He had been involved in the establishment of the German University in Cairo (GUC), which opened in 2002 and where he served as University President until 2017.

Research Interests

 * Laser spectroscopy to study the kinetics and mechanism of ultrafast chemical reaction (photochemical isomerization, protolytic reactions and electron transfer processes),
 * Utilization of solar energy in photochemical conversions for malaria, filaria sis and dengue fever vector control, for parasites such as schistosomiasis and agricultural pests using environmentally friendly (natural extract) photosensitizers and
 * Application of nanoparticles in photodynamic diagnosis and therapy of cancer.

Projects, Mentorship, Published Work & Communications
Mahmoud Abdel-Kader is a pioneer and an expert in the field of modern photodynamic therapy (PDT) and has supervised approximately 90 master’s theses and doctoral dissertations. He has published over 100 scientific communications in peer reviewed journals and in conference proceedings. Also, he is an inventor of 8 patents and has given more than 80 invited talks and plenary lectures at both national and international meetings.

The 2014-volume “Photodynamic Therapy: from Theory to Application”, which he edited and to which he contributed as author, represents a state-of-the-art summary in the various fields of PDT.

Honors and awards
Internationally, Mahmoud Abdel-Kader is mainly known in the photochemistry-related research field. Within the European Society for Photobiology he was elected as Officer in 1997, then served as 'Chair outside Europe' (ESP) until 2001.

In Egypt, Mahmoud Abdel-Kader received various honors and awards:
 * (1995) the National Incentive Award in Chemical Science
 * (1996) "The Distinguished State Prize" in Chemistry
 * (1998) the Egyptian State Medal in Chemistry
 * (2012) the "Excellence Award of Science" from Cairo University
 * (2014) "The State Award Discretion in Advanced Technological Sciences"
 * (2015) Member of the Egyptian Scientific Institute (which is the most prestigious scientific institute in the region, established in 1798)
 * (2017) "First-Class Medal of the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Science and Arts"