Saudi Ghada Almutairi … one of Forbes top ten influential female Engineers

Name: Ghada Al-Mutairi

Nationality : Saudi

Birthdate: November 1, 1976

Company: ELux

Regularly, success is her goal despite the incredible obstacles; she shows great interest in science, especially in chemistry and physics. Until she became “Ghada Al-Mutairi”; The Saudi inventor and researcher, one of the most inspiring women in the world.

Here, we will show you how was her success story.

Ghada Mutlaq Al-Mutairi was born on November 1, 1976, in Portland, Oregon, USA, to parents of Saudi descent and 4 siblings; she belongs to the Mutair tribe.

Ghada Al-Mutairi grew up in a family that valued science, which urged her to persevere and achieve success, believing in her intelligence.

About her parents, she says: “My father was diligent in learning and when he grew up he got a scholarship to the US; there he learned the arts of criminal investigation,”

She adds “My mother is the first teacher and the maker of the magic mixture for the superiority of all of the family members as she has grown in us the principle of responsibility since childhood.”

Her family returned to Saudi Arabia after the expiry of her father’s scholarship, at that time, Ghada was in the primary stage, and then she received her preparatory and secondary education in Jeddah, while she showed a great interest in chemistry and physics from a young age.

Back to the US

After obtaining her high school diploma, Ghada aspired to join the Faculty of Medicine at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, but was refused; She did not despair, but stuck to her great dream of studying, and was keen to work for a year in the field of teaching in a private school in Riyadh, before deciding to travel to the United States of America; to resume her university education.

In 1997, Ghada Al-Mutairi joined the College of Science at Occidental University in Los Angeles, California; where she managed to get a degree in Chemistry in 2000.

Al-Mutairi was very industrious while studying; which prompted a Japanese scientist to adopt it; He taught her the concept of research and gave her the chance to work in his lab.

Primary Innovations

From 2000 to 2005, she began creating a flexible plastic material that is used in robotics, medicine, animation, space travel, and more.

Al-Mutairi received her MA from the University of Berkeley. In 2005, she received her Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry, with a focus on electron decalcification and molecular structure, from the University of California Riverside.

Al-Mutairi’s ambition did not stop there, but she sought to complete a postdoc in chemistry and chemical engineering between 2005 and 2008 at the University of Berkeley; during this time, she worked with John Frischette, then joined the University of California to teach in 2008.

Ghada Al-Mutairi has been appointed Head of the Center for Research and Excellence in Nanomedicine and Engineering at the University of California since 2011; She worked 16 hours straight a day; Where she presented more than 10 research papers and produced a scientific book entitled “Micro Technology”, which witnessed great success and was translated into many different languages.

Earthquake Resistance

Ghada Al-Mutairi worked with her team at the University Of California Research Center to produce a material for use in buildings that helps withstand horizontal forces resulting from natural disasters such as earthquakes. This was her first project, although it was far from her original field of specialization.

Medical Projects

Ghada Al-Mutairi turned her attention to medicine through the research center she heads; where she expressed her interest in the subject of vaccination given the existence of diseases in which the traditional vaccination mechanism is not used, and then she put forward a project that revolves around the early detection of the disease by monitoring its signs and symptoms.

Her fourth project revolved around the production of new nanomaterials with unique properties for their application in the medical field such as remote control of the release of vital substances inside the body.

Scientific Creativity Award

Ghada Al-Mutairi invented a new technology by which medical operations can be performed using light without the need for surgeries through chips called “photons”. What qualified her to win the NIH Scientific Creativity Award in the United States of America in 2009?

The NIH Scientific Innovation Award is awarded for the best scientific research project, the award is being granted beside a $3 million grant for future research, as presented by the President of the US Health Authority in the House of Congress.

With this award, Ghada was considered the owner of the most important invention of the year.

Ghada Al-Mutairi’s third medical project aroused great international interest; being dependent on stem cells; In the sense of taking these cells and adding materials to them at a specific time and in a specific quantity according to what the world wants; Which helps in the process of organ transplantation; such as liver cells, heart muscle cells, or immune cells.

She came up with the idea of ​​a new research study and follow-up of the conditions of those suffering from clogged arteries; as a result of the accumulation of grease; A group of specialized doctors assured her that it was a big problem, and she had already put forward her research after she collaborated with her brother, Khaled Al-Mutairi; Plastic surgery doctor.

Al-Mutairi titled the research “The Art of Falling apart”; in conjunction with her gaining extra weight after giving birth to her baby, she also collaborated with her brother to create a new laser device that converts fat into heat very quickly without surgery.

This new invention was her gateway to the world of entrepreneurship, based on which she set out to establish her medical company, eLux, for $40 million.

Ghada Al-Mutairi at her medical firm believes that there is a strong underlying demand for improved outcomes for both surgical liposuction patients and minimally invasive liposuction patients; she knows its superior technology will improve results and drive demand for both.

Multiple Prizes

Ghada Al-Mutairi has won many awards and honors:

In 2009, she received the NIH Director’s New Innovation Award, the Pharma Foundation Award, and the Chemistry Journal Award (THEMA).

In 2012, she was awarded the Young Investigator Award at the World Biomaterials Congress held in Chengdu, China.

In 2014 the Chemical Societies Award for Active Researcher was awarded by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

In 2016, she was awarded the Kavli Fellowship of the US National Academy of Sciences.