Hosam Zowawi

Dr. Hosam Zowawi is an assistant professor of clinical microbiology at King Saud bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences, where he has chaired the Faculty of Medicine Research Board since Oct. 2016. He has also been associated with the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, since February 2011, where held various teaching and research positions.

Zowawi obtained a bachelor’s degree in applied microbiology from Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah in 2005. He traveled to Australia to pursue higher education and earned a master’s degree in clinical sciences at Griffith University in 2010. He completed his doctorate in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases at the University of Queensland in Brisbane in 2016. At KSAUHS, Zowawi teaches medical students how to control infectious diseases, and continues his vital research into antimicrobial resistance to contribute to the global battle against superbugs.

The significance of his research is widely recognized. He has received several national and international awards and honors, including the Rolex Award for Enterprise, Time Magazine’s Next Generation Leader, Queensland Science and Innovation Champion, Change Creator from The University of Queensland, and the Junior Researcher Award from King Abdullah International Medical Research Center. His papers have been published in research journals around the world.

In a recent interview with

Arab News, Zowawi discussed coronavirus research in the Kingdom. He said the importance of mapping the genetic sequencing of the virus lies in understanding how it infects the Saudi population, and its relationship to other strains of the virus circulating worldwide.