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Alumni Focus: Hassan Al-Ismail

Mar 11, 2019 Alumni

KAUST alumnus Hassan Al-Ismail (M.S. '14) was the student speaker at the University's Commencement ceremony in 2013, during which he told graduates, 'We all came here because we dared to accept this challenge: the challenge of transformation, the challenge of realizing a dream.' File photo.

​-By Abdullah Alhamdan, KAUST News

KAUST alumnus Hassan Al-Ismail graduated from the University in 2014 with a master's degree in Earth science and engineering and now leads a team at Saudi Aramco that is implementing vibrational wave modeling of 2D data of the Earth's crust and upper mantle.

After receiving his bachelor's degree in geology and geophysics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Al-Ismail returned to Saudi Arabia to work for Saudi Aramco for two years and was then sponsored by the company to continue his graduate education at KAUST. Al-Ismail is currently studying part-time towards his MBA at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Alumnus Hassan Al-Ismail (left) (M.S. '14) was recently on campus as part of the University's 2019 Winter Enrichment Program (WEP) Alumni Lecture Series. Al-Ismail is shown here with KAUST Professor Valerio Orlando (center) and Brian Moran, dean of the University's Graduate Affairs, after his WEP presentation. Photo by Sarah Munshi.

"The time I spent at KAUST was the best in my academic life," he said. "On an academic level, I was able to study the latest developments in geophysics with an elite group of professors and researchers in the field. I also had the opportunity to participate in new research work in the field of seismic photography. On the personal level, I made friends with people from all over the world. Mixing with so many different cultures enriched my experience and made it exceptional. KAUST also offered me valuable opportunities to learn about so much more than my own area of specialization and to participate in different extracurricular activities."

"At KAUST, I also developed a more profound vision and a broader awareness of the techniques used in geophysical data processing," Al-Ismail continued. "I became very familiar with the latest developments in the field, and I can now propose bolder and more innovative ideas to further develop currently used technologies."

KAUST alumnus Hassan Al-Ismail (M.S. '14) currently works at Saudi Aramco, and in 2015, he was selected as part of the company's Young Leaders Advisory Board. Here he receives acknowledgement for his selection to serve on the board. Image courtesy of Hassan Al-Ismail.

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As a result of his hard work, in 2015, Al-Ismail "was selected as a member of Aramco's Young Leaders Advisory Board in its fourth session," he explained. "We were a team of 16 employees from different departments working together to submit proposals related to strategic aspects of the company."

Al-Ismail advised KAUST's new and current students to make the most of every minute of their time as students at the University—both academically and personally.

"Your time at KAUST is a unique experience that will not be repeated," he said.

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