UK Alumni Awards Finalists 2025

Dr. Abed Kasaji is a distinguished academic and professional with an exceptional educational background, holding four Master's degrees and a Doctorate from prestigious UK institutions. A seasoned business leader, researcher, advisor, and consultant with over 20 years of experience in business and technology consulting, transformation programs, experience redesign, and strategic planning. He currently serves as a Business Design, Transformation, and Consulting Senior Manager at Ernst & Young.

With over a decade of multidisciplinary experience spanning industry and academia, Dr. Amer Hijazi is a trailblazer in digital engineering, sustainability, and infrastructure development. His expertise bridges these domains, driving advancements in global standards for smart city initiatives and sustainable development across Australia, the UK, and the MENA region. Dr. Amer Hijazi’s work exemplifies a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and education.

Dr. Faten S. Obeidat is an accomplished audiologist and researcher specializing in audiology and balance disorders. She earned her PhD in Audiology, with a focus on balance disorders, from the University of Southampton, UK, in 2019. 

Currently, Dr. Obeidat serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at the School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Jordan, where she has been an active academic since 2019. 

Laith is a water and environmental expert specializing in water and environmental economics, innovation, and policy. He has held diverse roles in engineering, business, social development, volunteering, and government across Europe, the Middle East, the Philippines, and Kenya. Laith is focused on enhancing his managerial skills and entrepreneurial practices to drive impactful change in the field

Layla is a senior journalist at BBC Arabic with over 7 years of experience in TV, radio, and online production and reporting. She was also part of the senior team who led the coverage of the Gaza and Lebanon wars in the past year for the BBC Arabic online website. She earned an MSc in Middle Eastern Politics from SOAS University of London as a Chevening scholar in 2022 and holds an MA in Journalism and New Media from the Jordan Media Institute.

Mustafa Hashem is a Sustainability Expert and finalist for the 2025 UK Alumni Awards in the Science and Sustainability category, with over 7 years of experience in sustainability, clean energy, climate change, digital and good governance. Currently serving as a Technical Advisor for the Good Governance and Communities Portfolio at GIZ Jordan, Mustafa combines his expertise in policy advising, program management, and cross-cultural communication to advance sustainability initiatives.

Nermin Al Sharman is a Jordanian assistant professor of Translation and Interpreting Studies affiliated with Middle East University. She has a PhD in Interpreting Studies from Queen's University Belfast in the UK. Her research focuses on interpretation and translation programs and training, accessibility and audiovisual translation, interpreting pedagogies, artificial intelligence technologies, psychological and mental considerations in interpreting, and language support and crisis management.

Dr. Sara Nasreddin is an assistant professor of Pharmaceutical Technology and the assistant dean of the College of Pharmacy at Amman Arab University. She is recognized as a researcher in translatable drug delivery systems, with a specialization in developing antimicrobial products for topical drug delivery.