Dr Walid Qoronfleh, Director of Research and Policy Development at the World Innovation Summit for Health, has mentored Qatari students taking part in the Qatar Research Leadership Program (QRLP) during the program’s annual gathering at Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha.
QRLP, a program supported by the Qatar National Research Fund, is an initiative that operates in collaboration with prestigious universities and renowned research institutions, in Qatar and around the world. It supports eligible candidates as they undertake scientific research-based studies at graduate level, at postdoctoral level, and through to their early careers. By providing the participants with high-quality training and hands-on research experience, QRLP enables them to become highly-skilled independent scientists who can take leading roles in the development of Qatar’s economic and scientific footprint.
Speaking on December 19th, the first day of the 2017 gathering, Dr Qoronfleh delivered a speech titled “Graduating? So, Careers: the Why, the What and the How”. During the speech he focused on the importance of setting career goals and developing the necessary soft skills, as well as how to tackle setbacks and failures.
While addressing the students, Dr Qoronfleh said: “It’s imperative to understand your career goals and how they will contribute towards the development of research infrastructure in Qatar. Mentored career planning is the first step towards achieving your goal of becoming life-long learners.
“We are confident that each one of you is capable of steering continuous development and sustainability of Qatar’s research agenda and become successful future leaders.”
In addition to Dr Qoronfleh, speakers came from a number of Qatar Foundation entities including Qatar Environment and Education Research Institute, Qatar Computing Research Institute, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Qatar University, Sidra Medical and Research Center, as well as several universities from Qatar Foundation Education City including Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa University and Carnegie Mellon University, Qatar.