Professor Dr. Nasser bin Mohammed Al-Aqili
Secretary
Secretary General of the Council of Universities Affairs
Education:
He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering with First Class Honors from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.
He received his PhD from McGill University in Canada.
He worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
He worked as a research associate at Harvard University.
He holds an advanced certificate in Leadership and Management from the University of Oxford.
Positions:
Secretary General of the Council of University Affairs, from September 2025 to the present.
Undersecretary 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 Undersecretary for University 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, 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 Studies and Research, October 2017 to June 2019
CEO of Dhahran Valley Knowledge Company, a subsidiary of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, July 2017 to June 2019
Chairman of the Board of Directors of King Fahd University Private Schools, February 2016 to August 2019
Contributions and Participation
Member of the Boards of Directors and National Committees of several entities, 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 Development in the Kingdom
King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) Board of Trustees of the Arabian Gulf University in the Kingdom of Bahrain
Saudi Food and Drug Authority
National Tobacco Control Committee
National Bioethics Committee
Board of Directors of the National Center for Youth Research
Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property
Board of Directors of the Research Products Development Company (RPDC)
National Biodiversity Committee
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
Research Cooperation Council 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 more than 120 research papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals with a high impact factor in 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 and boasting a high impact factor.
He published a reference book, which was printed by Springer in 2015.
Awards:
The Arab Creativity Award – awarded by the Arab Thought Foundation to the most innovative Arab scientists in December 2015. The award was presented by His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal in the presence of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt.
The Almarai Award for Creative Work – awarded in March 2015 by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).
The Medal of Honor – awarded by King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals with a Bachelor’s degree in 2000 and a Master’s degree in 2002.
Among the outstanding students on the Dean’s List of Engineering at McGill University, Canada, in 2005 and 2006.
Languages:
English and French.