Riyad Hassan El-Khoudary

الأستاذ الدكتور رياض حسن الخضري Prof. Dr. Riyad Hassan El Khoudary
Photograph of Prof. Dr. Riyad Hassan El-Khoudary (Winter – 2005)
Born	July 27, 1943 Gaza – British mandate of Palestine

Riyad Hassan El Khoudary (Arabic: رياض حسن الخضري‎‎), (born July 27, 1943), is a well known Palestinian academic. He heads the Education and Higher Education Department of PLO, being a member of its executive committee and a member of the Palestinian National Council (PNC) and the Palestinian Central Council (PCC). He is also the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Al-Quds Open University; and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Al Azhariya Institutes in Palestine.

He is the founder of Al-Azhar University - Gaza and was its president during the period from 1991–2005.

He was also the leader of the founding team of the Gaza University (Formerly known as Gaza Women University) and was its president From 2007–2010 and again from 2013 - 2016.

Being Specialized in Geology; Prof. Dr. Riyad El Khoudary shared strongly on the Middle East multilateral peace talks and headed the Palestinian delegation in the working group on water resources since 1992.

Childhood and education

Riyad Hassan El Khoudary was born in 1943 in Gaza City – then in the British mandate of Palestine, where he attended primary, preparatory, and secondary schools, and completed his secondary school education in June 1960. In September 1960, he moved to Egypt and studied Geology at the Faculty of Science of the University of Cairo and got his B.Sc., special degree in Geology in June 1964.

In the Spring of 1965 he was awarded a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for post graduate studies in Geology. Subsequently he left to Germany in the summer of 1965, studied German language for 6 months and then started his postgraduate studies. In December 1968 he got his M.Sc. in Geology and in August 1972 he earned his PhD in the same field from the University of Stuttgart. The title of his published doctoral dissertation was "Investigations in the Upper Jurassic of the Iberian Cordillera with special regard to the Micro fauna (Province of Teruel and Rincon de Ademuz)".

Academic and professional career

Al Fateh University – Tripoli

After earning his PhD in Geology from the University of Stuttgart in August 1972; El Khoudary moved subsequently to Libya to work as a lecturer at the Faculty of Petroleum & Mining Engg. Of Al Fateh University in Tripoli and stayed at that university until the Summer of 1983.

During the mentioned period he shared strongly on the establishment and development of The Geological & Geophysical Engg. Dept. of the mentioned faculty and was named as the Head of the Dept. from 1979 to 1983. In addition, and beside his teaching activities he was able to devote some of his time to research and to publish papers and write books in his field of specialization (See list of publications).

During his stay in Tripoli and depending on his Academic, research and establishing services he was promoted to assistant professor in April 1976, and to associate professor in August 1979.

Islamic University – Gaza

In 1983 El Khoudary returned to Gaza to work at the faculty of Science of the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG).

During the period of his work at the mentioned university (1983–1991) he was very active in fulfilling his duties.

Beside his teaching activities he was charged with the following administrative positions:

Vice president for administrative affairs from Jan 1984 to Dec 1985 and from Oct 1987 to Oct 1989.
Vice president of scientific research from Dec 1989 to Nov 1990.
Dean of the faculty of Science from Dec 1985 to Oct 1987.

He also published some papers (See list of publications) and he was promoted to full professor in 1986.

Al-Azhar University – Gaza

In 1991 the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leadership in Tunisia decided to establish a national university in the Gaza Strip (Al-Azhar University - Gaza) and Prof. El Khoudary was heading the team of preparation and establishment of the new University in Gaza, he was its first president from 1991 to 2005.

During the mentioned period it was possible for Prof. El Khoudary and his colleagues to establish a modern university with about 14000 students studying in 9 faculties in addition to other facilities and centers.

In 1995 Prof. El Khoudary established and headed the Water Research Center at the same university until 2005.

Al-Quds Open University

The year of 1992 witnessed the establishment of Al-Quds Open University in the West bank and Gaza and Prof. El Khoudary was charged with the establishment of the branch of Gaza and was named as its vice president for Gaza Strip affairs Until December 1999, In March 2006 Prof. El Khoudary was assigned as the Vice Chairman of the board of trustees of Al-Quds Open University of Palestine.

Gaza University – Gaza

In the year of 2006 a group of active Palestinians led by Prof. El Khoudary decided to establish a private University in Gaza under the name of Gaza Women University. The university started its academic activities in September – 2009 and its name was changed in 2010 to Gaza University to enable both genders to join it. Prof. El Khoudary was its president from 2007 – 2010 and again from 2013 – 2016.

Al Azhariya Institutes in Palestine

In the year of 2014 Prof. El Khoudary was assigned as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Al Azhariya Institutes in Palestine.

Involvement with P.L.O. activities

Being Geologist Prof. El Khoudary was nominated by P.L.O. in 1992 to be a member of the Palestinian team of the Middle East Peace talks and headed the Palestinian delegation in the multilateral working group on water resources.

Through this activity he was able to share the Palestinian delegation on studies on water (See publication list).

During the meeting of the PNC in Gaza in 1996, El Khoudary was elected as a member of the P.L.O. executive committee headed by the president Yasser Arafat.

In February 2005 Prof El Khoudary was assigned by president Mahmood Abbas to be the head of the department of education and higher education of the P.L.O., taking the responsibility of the Palestinians in the diaspora.

Achievements

Founder of The Geological Engg. Dept. at Al Fateh University (Tripoli) – Libya (1979).
Founder of Al-Azhar University - Gaza (1991).^[1]
Founder of Al-Quds Open University Branch in Gaza (1992).^[2]
Founder of The Water Research Center at Al-Azhar University - Gaza (1995).
Head of the founding team of Gaza University (2006) (Formerly known as Gaza Women University).

Membership of associations and committees

Head of the Palestinian Delegation in the Middle East Multilateral Working Group on Water Resources since 1992.
Head of the Water Research Center of Al-Azhar University - Gaza (1995–2005).
Member of the Arab Association of Geologists.
Member of the Committee of Higher Education Council for Higher Education in Jerusalem.^[3]
Member of PNC and PCC since 1996.
Member of the P.L.O. – Executive Committee since April 1996.
Member of the Water Academy, chair no. 43, Oslo – Norway.

Publications

17 published papers in International Journals and (3) books written in Arabic language for students of Geology.

List of Publications

1.	EL KHOUDARY, R.H.: Investigations in the Upper Jurassic of the Iberian Cordillera with special regards to the microfauna (Province Teruel and Rincon de Ademuz). N. Jb. Geol. Palaeontol. Abh, 144, no. 3, p. 296–341, Stuttgart – 1974.
2.	EL KHOUDARY, R.H.: Upper Eocene Planktonic Foraminifera from Wadi Bakur, S. E. Tukrah, NE-Libya. Lib. J. Sci. vol. 6B, P.55-78, 9 pls., Tripoli – 1976.
3.	EL KHOUDARY, R. H.: Truncorotaloides libyaensis, a new planktonic Foraminifer from Jabal Al Akhdar, NE-Libya. Rev. Esp. Micropal,. vol.9, no.3, p. 327–336, 2 plc., Madrid – 1977.
4.	EL KHOUDARY, R. H.: Studies on the genus Truncorotaloides (Foram.) from the North Eastern Libyan Jamahiriya. Lib. J. Sci., vol. 8A, P.55-67, 3 pls. Tripoli – 1978.
5.	EL KHOUDARY, R. H.: Agglutinated foraminifera from the Cenomanian Sidi as' Sid formation of NW-Libya. FPME Journal, vol. 1, p. 59–64, 2 pls., Tripoli – 1978.
6.	HELMDACH, F. F. & EL KHOUDARY, R. H.: Ostacoda and Planktonic Foraminifera from the Late Eocene of Al Jabal Al Akhdar, NE-Libya. In the Geology of Libya, vol. 1, p. 255–270, 2 pls. Academic Press, London – 1980.
7.	EL KHOUDARY, R.H.: Planktonic Foraminifera from the Middle Eocene of the northern escarpment of Al Jabal Al Akhdar, NE-Libya In the Geology of Libya, vol. 1, p. 193–204, 2 pls. Academic Press, London – 1980.
8.	EL KHOUDARY, R. H. & HELMDACH, F. F.: Biostratigraphic studies on the Middle Eocene of the northern escarpment of Al Jabal Al Akhdar, NE-Libya. FPME Journal, vol. 2, no. 1, p. 35–46, 3 pls., Tripoli – 1980.
9.	EL KHOUDARY, R. H. & HELMDACH, F. F.: Biostratigraphic studies on the Upper Eocene Apollonia Formation of N. W. Jabal Al Akhdar, NE-Libya Rev. Esp. Micropal., vol 13, no. 1, p. 5–23, 8 pls. Madrid – 1981.
10.	HELMDACH, F. F. & EL KHOUDARY, R. H.: Three new Ostracod species from the Middle Eocene of the northern escarpment of Al Jabal Al Akhdar, NE-Libya FPME Journal, vol. 3, p. 23–28, 1pl., Tripoli – 1982.
11.	EL KHOUDARY, R. H.: Micropaleontology of the Eocene Apollonia Formation of Al Jabal Al Akhdar, NE-Libya. In proceedings of the Second Jordanian Geological Conference, 22–24. April 1985, p. 290–305, Amman – 1985.
12.	EL KHOUDARY, R.H. & ANAN H. S.: Preliminary study on the Geology and Geomorphology of Wadi Ghazzah, Gaza Strip. Ibid, p. 531–539, Amman – 1985.
13.	EL KHOUDARY, R. H.: Rocks and Soil in Palestine (in Arabic), in Proceedings of the First Palestinian Ecology Conference, p. 29–34, Bethlehem – 1987.
14.	EL KHOUDARY, R.H. & ZAROUR, H.: Water in Palestine (in Arabic), In proceeding of the fifth meeting of the Arabic committee for The Hydrologic programme. 6 pages, Cairo – 1992.
15.	EL KHOUDARY, R. H.: Water Crisis in the Gaza Strip and proposed solutions, in Water as an Element of cooperation and Development in the Middle East, p. 363–370, Ankara – 1994.
16.	EL KHOUDARY, R. H. et al. "Water laws, Water Institutions, and Water Supply Economics, vol. 1, Palestinian part". Report edited by J.M. Trolldalen for the Center of Environmental Studies and Research Management, Oslo – 1997.
17.	Middle East Regional Study on Water Supply and Demand Development, a study prepared by the Multilateral working group on water resources, GTZ – Palestinian Team Germany 1996, 1997, 1998

References

↑ Check Prof.Dr. El-Khoudary profile at Al-Azhar University website http://www.alazhar-gaza.edu/staff/default.asp?auther=66
↑ http://www.qou.edu/homePage/arabic/index.jsp?pageId=322
↑ http://www.oppc.pna.net/mag/mag17/p9-17.htm

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