On International Women in Science Day: Science under Scholasticide

To mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Education, Occupation & Liberation (EOL) Programme is hosting a webinar titled Science under Scholasticide featuring three distinguished Palestinian women scientists.

Date: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Time: 17:00-18:00
📍The Zoom link is accessible via Eventbrite

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Over the past 16 months, Israel’s military campaign has devastated Gaza’s scientific and academic infrastructure through its systematic assault on higher education institutions including research laboratories, libraries and archives. In the West Bank, the escalation of violence by Israeli military forces has led to campus closures, heightened restrictions at checkpoints, and the detention of students and staff.

Despite the ongoing scholasticide, Palestinian women continue to lead in science, research, and education. Their contributions are a testament to the resilience and determination of Palestine’s faculty and the universities they belong to. In this webinar, three leading Palestinian scientists will share their experiences of conducting research and teaching under occupation, and how women in Palestine are advancing scientific knowledge despite these barriers.

Speakers:

Professor Hala El-Khozondar is a visiting professor at the Department of Materials at Imperial College professor of electrical engineering and smart systems at the Islamic University of Gaza since 2000. She joined the physics faculty at Birzeit University in 1987 and earned her PhD in physics from New Mexico State University (NMSU), USA in 1999. Professor El-Khozandar has played a pivotal role in the development of the quality assurance unit and external relations department at the Islamic University of Gaza. Her research interests include working on innovative solar energy systems, developing optical fibers for faster data transmission and on optical sensors for medical purposes.

Professor Rifa Al-Khozondar is a senior visiting research fellow at the Durham University Superconductivity Group and an associate professor at the Physics Department, Al-Aqsa University. She earned her BSc in Physics at Birzeit University in 1986. She received her MSc in physics in 1996 and her PhD in Computational Methods for Materials Science in 2002 from New Mexico State University. The focus of her research is on developing the Monte Carlo Potts model to investigate microstructural evolution of polycrystalline materials.  Professor Al-Khozandar has been awarded several scholarships including the regular associate award of ICTP, the DAAD short study visit, and the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung scholarship. She serves as one of the editorial boards of  several international journals.

Professor Wafaa Khater is the Dean of the Faculty of Science at Birzeit University, and a faculty member at the Department of Physics. In 2014, she was awarded a five-year associateship at the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Italy and continues to collaborate with ICTP’s Physics Without Frontiers program. Professor Khater  earned her master’s and PhD from Bergen University, Norway. Her research focuses on High-Energy Particle Physics, CP violation, and Higgs Physics. She actively supports women in science through organizations like the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD). Professor Khater has facilitated Palestinian student participation in CERN’s Summer Student Program and ICTP’s Physics Without Frontiers, and is a founding organiser of the Palestinian Advanced Physics School, connecting students with global experts.

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