Meet our Team: Mohammed Al Qaraghuli
In the July edition of CMAC’s 'Meet Our Team' series, we are delighted to celebrate Mohammed Al Qaraghuli, Project and Industrial Translation Manager for CMAC’s DM² programme.
Mohammed is a pharmacist, having completed both M.Sc. degree in Drug Development with Bio-Business (with distinction) and a Doctoral degree in Antibody Engineering, both at the University of Aberdeen.
He attended Baghdad College for his secondary education, where his favourite subject was biology due to his fascination with how the human body functions. This interest led him to pursue a degree in pharmacy, as it offered a multidisciplinary education by focusing on how chemistry and biology come together to develop life-saving medicines.
After three years of working at the National Pharmaceutical Industries in Oman, where he was responsible for marketing pharmaceutical products, he decided to further his education. He chose the University of Aberdeen for his postgraduate studies because of its prestigious reputation and the unique master's program that expanded my knowledge in drug development while incorporating a business perspective.
Mohammed and Catriona at the Smart Factory Expo
Once he completed his master's degree, he worked at a biotech company called Scotia Biologics in Aberdeen. Later, he was awarded the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA) scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in antibody engineering at the University of Aberdeen.
After working for a couple of years at the University of Aberdeen as a research fellow developing biotherapeutics derived from sharks, he started at the University of Strathclyde in 2016. There, he engaged in various academic-commercial collaborations focusing on the structural analysis of antibodies and their conjugations to nanoparticles. He is also the founder of SiMologics, a start-up biotech company based at the University of Strathclyde.
Mohammed started working for CMAC’s Digital Medicines Manufacturing research centre (DM²) programme in 2021, which aims to improve digital maturity in medicines manufacturing and develop a workforce capable of flourishing in these digitalised lab environments. He said:
“My role focuses on managing the delivery of the project objectives on time and within budget. This includes defining and monitoring the project tasks, setting up the project governance structure and reporting system, and ensuring that all required resources are available for the team to perform at their highest efficiency.”
Mohammed’s role also involves administrative tasks such as updating the finances, tracking partners' contributions and KPIs, and compiling the required reports for EPSRC. Through his research translation role, he works with the project academics and researchers to identify unique opportunities for translation. He also supports CMAC’s Industry Director and the Translation and Commercialisation team in developing relationships with external partners to deliver those opportunities.
At CMAC, a dynamic workplace that demands a fast-paced attitude to achieve high productivity and continuous growth, Mohammed's average day includes various activities such as preparing reports, plans, attending board meetings, and workshops. Additionally, he participates in several networking events to promote the DM².
When asked about his proudest personal and professional achievements, Mohammed said:
“Moving abroad to Oman and then to the UK is a great overarching achievement. Seeing my sons grow, enjoy their lives, study, and play football provides me with great satisfaction. Professionally, winning awards from the Scottish EDGE and the BioCity Develop programme best customer discovery prize are my biggest achievements.”
Mohammed supports Manchester United and also plays 5-a-side football on Friday evenings. He enjoys watching his sons play football for Lenzie YFC, and also likes motorcycles and reading historical books.
Mohammed and Catriona at the Enginuity Skills Awards 2024
Mohammed with colleagues at Explorathon
Alastair, Shannan and Mohammed at the People-Led Digitisation Centre (P-LD) Innovation Forum