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Alumni Focus: Kareem Khalil

Sep 06, 2018 Alumni

Alumnus Kareem Khalil graduated from KAUST in 2012 with a master's degree in mechanical engineering and now works a senior engineer in static equipment at the Yanbu National Petrochemical Company (Yansab). File photo.

Kareem Khalil graduated from KAUST in 2012 with a master's degree in mechanical engineering. Before coming to KAUST, he studied at the American University in Cairo (AUC), where he received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering with a specialization in industrial engineering and engineering design. While completing his undergraduate degree, he made the Dean's List of Honors in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and received an Academic Honor from AUC in 2009.

Khalil now works as a senior engineer in static equipment at the Yanbu National Petrochemical Company (Yansab), an affiliate of the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC). In his role, he performs engineering studies on stationary equipment like piping, pressure vessels, heat exchangers and tanks and heaters.

Alumnus Kareem Khalil uses his knowledge and experience gained from his KAUST degree daily in his job at the Yanbu National Petrochemical Company (Yansab), working on equipment like that pictured above. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

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"I work on failure investigations in addition to reviewing engineering packages for projects and modifications in the plant," he explained. "For example, I designed a clamp to arrest hydrocarbon leakage from 36-inch piping and saved the plant from a real disaster back in 2014."

Landing a job at SABIC is something many KAUST alumni dream of, and the competition is tough. Khalil was offered a position as a fresh master's degree graduate, and noted KAUST was instrumental in finding his current job.

"A lot of Saudi Arabia's remarkable companies opt to employ KAUST graduates," he said. "KAUST has a very strong reputation in Saudi Arabian companies, and it has given me a real edge over a lot of my colleagues at work."

After graduating from KAUST with his master's degree in 2012, alumnus Kareem Khalil began working for the Yanbu National Petrochemical Company (Yansab), an affiliate of well-known company SABIC. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

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That edge culminated in the publication of two books since graduation: "New Approaches in Maritime Transportation Safety" in 2016 and "Liquid Marbles" in 2014. Khalil is proud of his two publications, one of which was a result of his thesis work done at KAUST.

To students considering attending KAUST, Kareem noted, "Enjoy KAUST to its fullest. It's a heaven on earth with a wide range of activities. You can also achieve the best research with all those high-tech laboratories and knowledgeable professors."

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