Munir Eldesouki

Munir Mahmoud Eldesouki is a Saudi researcher and innovator, serving as the President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) with the rank of minister since 2022. Prior to this, he was the Acting President of KACST. He also served as the assistant minister at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and as the Deputy Minister for Planning and Development at MCIT. Additionally, he was an advisor to the Chairman of the Board of the Research, Development, and Innovation Authority (RDIA) and supervised the founding team. Dr. Eldesouki is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. Munir Mahmoud Eldesouki has contributed around twenty patents and published approximately eighty-five papers and articles in the scientific field.

Munir Eldesouki earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran in 2002. He obtained a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering in 2005 and another master’s degree in innovation and entrepreneurship in 2007. He then completed his PhD. in electrical and computer engineering in 2010, all from McMaster University in Canada

Munir Eldesouki has held several leadership positions, including serving as the Deputy Minister for Planning and Development at MCIT and later as the Assistant Minister. He also oversaw the innovation and manufacturing affairs and supervised the Institute of Materials Science. Additionally, he managed the National Nanotechnology Center at KACST.

Munir Eldesouki has been granted twenty patents and has published over eighty-five scientific papers and articles. He has led international collaborative projects in several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, China, Canada, and South Africa. He has also served as a visiting and adjunct professor at universities in the United States, such as the University of California, Santa Barbara, and at Canadian universities like the University of Toronto and McMaster University.

Munir Eldesouki has participated in several national committees. He chaired the Executive Committee of the Digital Cooperation Organization, co-chaired the Digital Economy Task Force under the G20, and served as a member and later the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Award to honor inventors and talented individuals. Additionally, he chaired the Board of Trustees for the Almarai Award for Scientific Innovation and held memberships in various boards, including the Governing Board of the Global Research Council (where he also serves as Vice-Chair), the Board of Directors of the Saudi Space Agency, the Board of Trustees of King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity "Mawhiba", the Board of Directors of King Salman Science Oasis, the Board of Trustees of Hevolution Foundation, the Vice-Chair of Ilmi Science Discovery and Innovation Center, the Board of Directors of the General Organization for Military Industries, the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information, the Board of Directors of the National Competitiveness Center, and the Board of Directors of the Saudi Business Center. He also served as an advisor on matters related to Saudi Vision 2030, particularly during the establishment phases of the military industries, entertainment, and quality of life sectors, among others. He was also the co-chair of the Markets of Tomorrow Accelerator in the Kingdom.

Throughout his scientific career, Munir Eldesouki received the King Abdulaziz Medal of the First Class and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Award for honoring inventors and talented individuals, in the gifted category in 2014, for his invention in the field of electrical engineering titled "Development Through Temporal Integration". Additionally, he received several grants and awards from global institutions and companies, including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Xerox Center for Engineering Entrepreneurship, the Canadian Microelectronics Corporation, among others. He was also elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in the United States.