Manal Alqahtani, Ph.D.

Alumni

Now at Aramco (Field Compliance Coordinator)

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Biography

Dr. Manal Al-Qahtani holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from KAUST, where she conducted her doctoral research under the supervision of Professor Pascal Saikaly. She obtained her Master's degree in Bioscience from KAUST and her Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from King Abdulaziz University. Her research has focused on carbon dioxide conversion into value-added products using a bio-electrochemical system known as microbial electrosynthesis cells. After completing her Ph.D., she continued working with Professor Pascal Saikaly as a postdoctoral fellow at the Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC) at KAUST.  Currently, she is working at Aramco as a Field Compliance Coordinator.

Selected Publications

  • Alqahtani, M. F., Bajracharya, S., Katuri, K. P., Ali, M., Xu, J., Alarawi, M. S., & Saikaly, P. E. (2021). Enrichment of salt-tolerant CO₂–fixing communities in microbial electrosynthesis systems using porous ceramic hollow tube wrapped with carbon cloth as cathode and for CO₂ supply. Science of the Total Environment, 766, 142668. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142668
  • Alqahtani, M. F., Bajracharya, S., Katuri, K. P., Ali, M., Ragab, A., Michoud, G., & Saikaly, P. E. (2019). Enrichment of Marinobacter sp. and Halophilic Homoacetogens at the Biocathode of Microbial Electrosynthesis System Inoculated With Red Sea Brine Pool. Frontiers in Microbiology, 10, 2563. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02563
  • Alqahtani, M. F., Katuri, K. P., Bajracharya, S., Yu, Y., Lai, Z., & Saikaly, P. E. (2018). Porous hollow fiber nickel electrodes for effective supply and reduction of carbon dioxide to methane through microbial electrosynthesis. Advanced Functional Materials, 28(43), 1804860. DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201804860
  • Katuri, K. P., Kalathil, S., Ragab, A., Bian, B., Alqahtani, M. F., Pant, D., & Saikaly, P. E. (2018). Dual‐function electrocatalytic and macroporous hollow‐fiber cathode for converting waste streams to valuable resources using microbial electrochemical systems. Advanced Materials, 30(26), 1707072. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201707072
  • Katuri, K. P., Kalathil, S., Ragab, A., Bian, B., Alqahtani, M. F., Pant, D., & Saikaly, P. E. (2018). Macroporous Hollow-Fiber Cathode for Converting Waste Streams to Valuable Resources Using Microbial Electrochemical Systems. Advanced Materials, 30, e1707072. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201707072

Education

  • Ph.D., Environmental Science and Biological Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, 2018
  • M.S., Bioscience, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, 2014
  • B.S., Biochemistry, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia, 2012

Awards

  • Best Poster Award for the presentation "A Hybrid Bio-inorganic System for Reduction of CO₂ to CH₄ in Microbial Electrosynthesis (MES) Cell", awarded at the Nano-Enabled Water Technologies: Opportunities and Challenges Conference, January 2019
  • Best Presentation Award for the presentation "A Novel Electrically Conductive and Porous Hollow Fiber Cathode Design for Recycling CO₂ to CH₄ through Electromethanogenesis", awarded at the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology (ISMET) Conference (AP-ISMET), Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO), South Korea, September 2016