GETTING TO KNOW THE MIDDLE EAST CHAPTER
The Middle East Chapter of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (ME-MCAA) is a network hub to focus members’ activities in the Middle Eastern countries – all countries without an autonomous chapter. The chapter aims to introduce MSCA opportunities to start and develop productive collaborations between academia and industrial bodies in the Member States and EU institutions. The chapter encourages local networking, initiatives and recruitments between Middle Eastern fellows and the MCAA / MSCA.
Mohammed Wesam Amer, PhD, chair of ME Chapter
Mohammed Wesam Amer has been affiliated with MCAA since his doctoral studies jointly held in European and British institutions. He currently serves as dean of the Faculty of Communication and Languages at Gaza University in Palestine. He is also a guest researcher in social media communication and violence issues at Newcastle University, UK. His principal professional teaching interests and academic research lies in the field of mainstream and social media, mass communication and linguistics.
Amani Alawamleh, vice-chair of ME Chapter
Coming from Jordan, Amani is a doctoral candidate and an Early Stage Researcher in the Marie Curie–ITN EID project called Interfuture, hosted by the University of Molise in Italy and Biobest in Belgium. She has a background in agricultural sciences (entomology and plant protection). Amani has served in the Ministry of Agriculture in Jordan as agricultural engineer and is currently working on developing a new trapping system for pest management in soft fruit orchards. Apart from academia, Amani is a member of several international scientific societies.
OBJECTIVES
The operational objectives of the chapter include organising activities and events to:
- Encourage local networking and establish a mutually beneficial relationship between MCAA and its alumni within the Middle East area;
- Initiate activities and events with added value to the alumni network;
- Increase, attract, support, and facilitate connections between MSCA fellows and alumni;
- Sponsor and support activities that will add value to MCAA, considering the geographical scope of the chapter; and
- Interact and partner with external stakeholders within the Middle East area.
The activities and events can be both physical and online, and include workshops, meetings, seminars, webinars and mini conferences.
COLLABORATIONS
Since the chapter does not belong to a particular country, the members actively participate in their respective local European MCAA chapters (e.g. United Kingdom Chapter, BeNeLux Chapter, Spain-Portugal Chapter, German Chapter, etc.). Online capacity-building sessions will be organised in collaboration with local chapters, enabling MSCA fellows to implement their research projects.
JOINING THE CHAPTER
MCAA fellows from Member States are welcome to join the chapter. Membership is free and open to all MCAA members who have a connection to the Middle East region. Membership provides access to all the activities, information, and the right to participate in the election for the Chapter chair. For the membership, just log onto the MCAA portal (https://www.mariecuriealumni.eu/groups/middle-east-chapter), and click on ’join group.’
WHAT’S NEXT?
The ME Chapter is planning to expand its collaborative circle through talks with different bodies such as MCAA working groups and MCSA national contact points (NCP). Moreover, the chapter will work to reach out to higher education organisation bodies, such as universities and research centres, as a source of support and expertise for MCAA actions that can contribute towards the establishment of an interdisciplinary scientific forum in the Middle East. Subsequently, the chapter will organise several events on capacity building, career development, and raising funds for joint research projects and exchange programmes.
For more information about the chapter, contact
middle.east.chapter@mariecuriealumni.eu
AMAN I ALAWAMLEH