Alumna wins Educational Excellency Award in Qatar

School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies alumna, Dr Mariam I Al-Mulla, has won the Education Excellency prize in Qatar for her PhD thesis which she completed at the University of Leeds.

Her research explored the massive expansion of museums and galleries in Qatar and their impact on the reputation of the country in a global context. Before coming to Leeds, Mariam was a curator at the National Museum of Qatar and, on graduating from Leeds, she secured an academic position at the University of Qatar.

This prize is the largest and most prestigious prize in Qatar and is given by the Emir with a national celebration under his patronage. Mariam was awarded her certificate by the Emir’s deputy at a national ceremony on 2 March 2015 that was attended by the prime minister and Qatari ministers.

Mariam’s PhD was undertaken under the supervision of Dr Abigail Harrison Moore and Dr Kerry Bristol from the Centre for Critical Studies in Museums Galleries and Heritage.

Mariam said of the award and her studies at Leeds:

‘I want to thank my supervisors, Dr Kerry Bristol and Dr Abigail Harrison Moore, for supporting me in my PhD to enable me to reach this level of quality. To win this prize, I needed a strong thesis that discussed a subject relating to Qatar which had never been approached before. Indeed, my thesis was the first in its field and discussed the recent boom in museums in Qatar and the Gulf. This uniqueness, along with the huge efforts of Dr Bristol and Dr Harrison Moore, kept me on the right track and encouraged me to dig deeper into issues that hadn't been researched before, making my thesis stand out to win the prize.

‘Studying in Leeds has had a huge impact on developing my critical thinking and ability, and has made me think out of the box. As a student in Leeds, I had the opportunity to participate in many post-graduate conferences which widened my network. This is the thing that I truly miss about Leeds and I would like to see in the future conferences for Leeds alumni to further our networks, especially with current post-graduate students.’

Dr Abigail Harrison Moore, Head of the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, said:

‘Before I met Mariam I knew very little about Qatar or its museum culture. I learnt so much through working with her, and was able to visit the country on a number of occasions in order to see the museums and their collections. Mariam is a wonderful ambassador for her country and I look forward to continuing to work with her as she develops a museum studies programme at the University of Qatar.’