Professor Dr. Nasser bin Mohammed Al-Aqili
Secretary
Secretary General of the Council of Universities Affairs
Education:
He received his Bachelor’s degree (2000) and Master’s degree (2002) in Mechanical Engineering with First Class Honors from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.
He received his PhD from McGill University in Canada in 2007.
He worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2007.
He worked as a research associate at Harvard University in 2008.
He received an Advanced Certificate in Leadership and Management from the University of Oxford in March 2013.
Positions:
Secretary General of the Council of University Affairs, from October 2025 to the present.
Deputy Minister for International Cooperation, Ministry of Education, from April 2024 to September 2025
Supervisor of the Scholarship Agency and the Secretariat of Cultural Attachés, Ministry of Education
Acting Deputy Minister for Higher Education, Ministry of Education, for two terms: from May 2022 to October 2022 and from November 2020 to May 2021
General Supervisor of the Saudi Digital Library, Ministry of Education, from June 2020 to November 2020
Deputy Minister for Research and Innovation, Ministry of Education, June 2019
Vice President of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals for Graduate Studies and Research, from October 2017 to June 2019
CEO of Dhahran Valley Knowledge Company, a subsidiary of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, from July 2017 to June 2019
Chairman of the Board of Directors of King Fahd University Private Schools, from February 2016 to August 2019 Contributions and Participation
Member of the Boards of Directors and National Committees of numerous organizations, most notably:
King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy
Education and Training Evaluation Commission
Saudi Health Research Institute
General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Monsha’at)
General Authority for Military Industries
Saudi Health Council
National Committee for Industrial Sector Development in the Kingdom
King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba)
Board of Trustees of Arabian Gulf University in the Kingdom of Bahrain
Saudi Food and Drug Authority
National Committee for Tobacco Control
National Committee for Bioethics
Board of Directors of the National Center for Youth Research
Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property
Board of Directors of Research Products Development Company (RPDC)
National Committee for Biodiversity
Supervisory Committee for International Research Chairs at the Ministry of Education
Council for Enhancing Cooperation between King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and Saudi Aramco
Council for Research Cooperation between King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and SABIC and Ma’aden Board of Trustees of the Madinah Educational Academy (MADAC), affiliated with the Madinah Endowment.
Scientific Contributions:
He has published over 120 research papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals with high impact factors (Web of Science).
He holds 20 patents registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and two patents with the Gulf Cooperation Council Patent Office. He also has several patents pending.
He has served as a visiting professor at several prestigious universities, including Harvard University, the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Concordia University in Canada.
He is a senior reviewer for more than 15 international scientific journals indexed in Web of Science with high impact factors.
He published a reference book, which was printed by Springer in 2015.
Awards:
Arab Creativity Award – Awarded by the Arab Thought Foundation to the most innovative Arab scientists in December 2015. Presented by His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal in the presence of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt.
Almarai Award for Creative Work – Awarded in March 2015 by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).
Honorary Medal – Graduated from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals with a Bachelor’s degree in 2000 and a Master’s degree in 2002.
Included among the distinguished students on the Dean’s List of Engineering at McGill University, Canada, in 2005 and 2006.
Languages:
English and French.