Dr Shrooq Elsenan receiving
Supplied

Dr Shrooq Alsenan announced as first Saudi fellow at Jameel Clinic at MIT

Cambridge, MA, USA
|
2
September
2022

The Jameel Clinic at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced today that it has awarded a fellowship to Dr Shrooq Alsenan. Alsenan, a Saudi national, is the first to receive a fellowship from the Jameel Clinic. The fellowship will last for one year, and will see Alsenan contribute to a variety of research streams at the Jameel Clinic, the epicentre of artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare at MIT. The Jameel Clinic was co-founded in 2018 by MIT and Community Jameel, the independent, global organisation advancing science to help communities thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Alsenan will commence post-doctoral studies at MIT this month, focusing on computer science and AI as applied to medicine and healthcare. She previously completed her PhD and Master’s degrees in information systems sciences at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and her Bachelor’s degree in information technology and computing at the Arab Open University in Riyadh.

Alsenan’s recent research focuses on how AI can transform the traditional drug discovery pipeline, including for early diagnostics and healthcare personalisation. She has published research papers in highly-ranked journals in the area of chemo-informatics and healthcare.

Alsenan is currently working on multiple research projects with the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia to address multidisciplinary research topics using AI technologies in her capacity as a senior member of a number of research labs in Saudi Arabia, including the Automated Systems and Soft Computing Lab and Advanced Operations Research Group at Prince Sultan University and the AI Centre of Excellence at Alfaisal University.

Ignacio Fuentes Ribas, executive director at the MIT Jameel Clinic, said: “We are thrilled to have Dr. Alsenan at Jameel Clinic this year; it’s a great opportunity for us to get to know firsthand some of the healthcare challenges and opportunities for AI technologies in Saudi Arabia and support her research efforts to have a long lasting impact on the region. Shrooq brings an interesting experience that can build on previous Jameel Clinic Clinical AI foundational work as well as drug discovery. We believe her contributions can make a significant difference not just during her scholar year but beyond.”

Dr Shrooq Alsenan said: “As a computer scientist, I find myself continuously challenged and inspired by the rapid development and endless capabilities of artificial intelligence technology. My research studies contribute to the areas of healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and medicine, which have benefited extensively from this technology. I aspire to continuously work towards steady transformation of the traditional drug discovery pipeline with effective in-silico modelling through research and development projects. Joining MIT as a postdoctoral fellow at the Jameel Clinic, working hand-in-hand with lead scientists in the field, is an absolute privilege and remarkable opportunity to explore new research intricacies, hone my skills and gain new experiences.”

The Jameel Clinic seeks to change the landscape of healthcare by developing AI technologies for early diagnostics, drug discovery, care personalisation and management. Building on MIT’s pioneering history in artificial intelligence and life sciences, the Jameel Clinic develops novel algorithms suitable for modeling biological and clinical data across a range of modalities including imaging, text and genomics. The Jameel Clinic emphasises translating discoveries into technologies that can improve people’s lives by supporting research and educational activities in the AI / healthcare space and collaborating with hospitals, industry partners, and foundations. The Jameel Clinic’s work has resulted in breakthrough discoveries including the new antibiotic Halicin and the breast cancer early detection tool Mirai.

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