​​​Bedour Al-Sabban, a Saudi from Makkah, has many roles. She is a wife, a mother of three young children, and a PhD student in chemistry at KAUST. She is working with Named Professor of Chemical Science Jean-Marie Basset in the Catalysis Research Center to design a durable catalyst for the dry reforming of methane reaction in order to produce synthetic gases of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Bedour is experimenting with different materials to find a stable catalyst that suppresses carbon formation and metal sintering during the reaction.

Bedour, a graduate of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, was with her husband in Washington when she learned about KAUST. Her husband was finishing his MA degree in Architecture at Washington State University in Spokane, sponsored by the Kingdom. She applied online and later was called for an English test. She was accepted a short time later.

Bedour says that “KAUST is the best university in the Kingdom.” She is impressed with the professors and with the facilities and is especially happy with the community. “It is safe for my family, and my children are receiving a good education at the schools while I receive a first-rate education at mine.”