Abdullatif Abuhijleh, is the fourth president of Birzeit University. He assumed his office on August 1, 2015 and was formally inaugurated on September 16, 2015.
Synopsis
Abdullatif Abuhijleh obtained his PhD in inorganic chemistry in 1981 from the University of Mississippi, in Oxford, USA. He has assumed leadership positions at Birzeit University, such as being the chair of the Chemistry Department (1984-1986), the dean of the Faculty of Science (1995-1998), and as the Vice President for Academic affairs (1998-2009).
Climbing the Ranks
President Abuhijleh began his career at Birzeit University as a faculty member at Department of Chemistry after obtaining his PhD in 1981, where he earned a number of awards and fellowships for research and teaching.
During the course of his career at Birzeit, Abu hijleh has been appointed to various leadership positions, including:
- The Chair of the Chemistry Department (1984-1986)
- The dean of the Faculty of Science (1995-1998)
- The Vice President for Academic affairs (1998-2009).
During his eleven-year term as vice-president, he oversaw the university’s expansion into new academic disciplines especially law, public administration, IT, and health, and the development of postgraduate programs.
He also maintained an active teaching and research career, contributing to the development of academic courses and programs in the Department of Chemistry.
Other Achievements and Activities
Abuhijleh was an active researcher and innovator in chemistry. He has contributions in excess of 40 articles and presentations published in scientific journals and international fora.
His researches focuses on the synthesis and characterization of copper and other transition metals complexes in biologically active drugs, such as anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, and other biologically important ligands. He also studied their physiological role and pharmacological effects and the correlation between their structural properties and their biological activities.
Abuhijleh was also a visiting scholar at a number of academic institutions, including:
- DAAD fellow, Tubingen University, Germany (Summer 2002)
- Visiting research professor, University of Bergen, Norway (summers 1997 and 1998)
- Fulbright fellow and visiting research professor, University of Tennessee, USA (1990-1992)
