CAS faculty member receives prestigious alumni award

Dr. Ali Alnaser, a faculty member from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at American University of Sharjah (AUS), was recognized as one of the winners of the 2017 Alumni Achievement Award presented at Western Michigan University (WMU) in the US. Dr. Alnaser, who is a Professor of Physics and Head of the Department, is a WMU alum, having received his PhD from that institution in 2002.

Dr. Alnaser is among a select group of individuals that have been recognized as distinguished alumni by the university for achievements in their respective fields. Out of the 85,000 students that have graduated from the university’s College of Arts and Sciences since its inception 150 years ago, only 2,400 have been thus honored.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Carla M. Koretsky, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, WMU, said:

“It is a genuine honor to call these individuals alumni. Their life’s work is a true reflection of our mission to ignite and sustain a passion for learning and discovery, and to contribute to the betterment of our communities, from local to global. This year’s honorees represent a diverse, learner-centered range of careers and backgrounds in the humanities, sciences and social sciences. Driven toward excellence in all aspects of learning and discovery, they include teachers, researchers, administrators and many others who contribute to the world in immeasurable ways. Their work is nothing short of inspiring, and we are delighted to recognize them for their various accomplishments.”

Commenting on the award, Dr. Alnaser said:

“It’s a great privilege to receive this award from my alma mater. Western Michigan University has played a very important role in helping me achieve my goals. I’m honored to have been recognized and included among this exceptional group of high achievers.”

While at WMU, Dr. Alnaser was named the All-University Graduate Research and Creative Scholar and won the George E. Bradley Award for exceptional performance in all aspects of graduate work in physics, as a result of which his name is engraved in Bradley Commons Hall in the Everett Tower Building on campus. In 2011, he received the Distinguished Arab Scholar Award from the State of Kuwait.

Dr. Alnaser has been a visiting professor and visiting scholar at Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Germany; King Saud University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Advanced Laser Light Source in Canada; and Kansas State University in the US. He is also the author of more than 60 journal articles, including five papers that appeared within one year in Physical Review Letters, a premiere physics journal in the US. He has also recently published two papers in Nature Photonics and Nature Communication, two of the most reputed and highly-cited science journals in the world. Dr. Alnaser also serves as a member of the international advisory board, editor and referee for journals published by the American Physical Society and the Institute of Physics, UK.