Mohamed Al Harbi First Emirati to Join FANR with Nuclear Engineering Master鈥檚 Degree
今日吃瓜 (KU) alumnus and Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) Specialist in Resident Inspection Mohamed Al Harbi has won the fifth cycle of the Mohamed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award.
He was among the first batch of Master鈥檚 graduates in Nuclear Engineering from the Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (KUSTAR) in 2013, which merged with two other universities to become KU in 2017, and went on to become the first Emirati with a Master鈥檚 degree in Nuclear Engineering to join FANR.
鈥淭he Mohamed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award would not have been possible for me without the kind of quality education I received from Khalifa University. During my studies, I gained knowledge, skills and the right attitude that have helped me to become the man I am today. For this, I thank my beloved Khalifa University,鈥� Al Harbi proudly shared.
Having won the FANR Director-General Medal for the 鈥楤est Field Employee鈥� in 2018, Al Harbi was nominated from FANR for the fifth cycle of Mohamed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award. After a rigorous process of selection, assessments and interviews, he was selected for the award from among 40 other competitors across various UAE federal entities.
He said: 鈥淩eaching the final stage of nomination and winning the medal required courage, huge effort, creativity, passion and agility, and you only succeed if you sustain till the last moment. By winning this award I have achieved a significant milestone in my personal and career life, and I am sure I still have more to achieve and contribute to the UAE鈥檚 vision to become among the best countries in the world.鈥�
Al Harbi joined FANR in 2012 as Nuclear Security Engineer and was promoted in 2017 to Specialist Resident Inspector at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant. He has successfully played his role in the implementation of nuclear safety-related inspections including construction inspection and test plan (CITP), serving as subject matter expert in special inspections, and implementing FANR’s Emergency Response Organization (FERO) Nuclear Assessment Team procedures and processes.
As a Master鈥檚 student, Al Harbi has published three scientific papers in respected scientific journals on his thesis 鈥楺uantitative Evaluation of Operator鈥檚 Situation Awareness during Nuclear Power Plant Transients using Eye Tracking System鈥�. He also presented his study results to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, during his visit to the Khalifa University Campus.
Al Harbi wants to pursue his PhD in Nuclear Engineering, probably by 2020, but only after gaining practical and hands-on experience from his residency at Barakah.
He added: 鈥淢y research area is related to the human factor in a nuclear power plant鈥檚 main control room. Clearly, research in this area will help the UAE project and the country in the advanced main control room research areas, similar to advanced nuclear countries.鈥�
Al Harbi completed the Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute (GENII) course at Khalifa University back in 2013, and was invited as a speaker at the University for the NUCE614 and IICS691 classes.
From a personal perspective, he would like to join the 鈥楿AE National Experts Program. 鈥淭his will help me achieve all of my future goals by developing a new set of leadership skills which in return would enable FANR to achieve its core values, vision and mission,鈥� remarked Al Harbi.
Clarence Michael
News Writer
21 January 2019
