2014 - Prof. Gerd Faltings-

Professor Gerd Faltings

 

Gerd Faltings studied mathematics and physics from 1972 to 1978 at the Westphalian Wilhelm University of Muenster. He received his diploma and Ph.D. in 1978, then was appointed as a visiting scientist at Harvard University from 1978 – 1979. Between 1979 and 1982 he worked as a Scientific Assistant at the University of Muenster where he received his habilitation in 1981. Between 1982 and 1984, he held a professorship in Pure Mathematics at the University of Wuppertal and was the youngest professor of mathematics in Germany. Between 1985 and 1994, he was appointed as a professor of Mathematics at Princeton University. He then came back to Germany in 1994 as a Scientific Member of the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn and became its Director in 1995.

Professor Faltings has made seminal contributions to mathematics, particularly to algebraic geometry, number theory and arithmetic. At the age of 27, he made a breakthrough which revolutionized the Arakelov theory by proving his index theorem and the Faltings-Riemann-Roch theorem. During the following two years, he proved three major arithmetic finiteness theorems: the Mordell Conjecture, the Tate Conjecture and the Shafarevich Conjecture, all of which have become attached to his name. He gained fame through his proof of the Mordell conjecture, a problem about Diophantine equations that date back to the Greek era. He introduced new geometric ideas and techniques to the theory of Diophantine approximation, which have led to his proof of Lang’s conjecture on rational points of abelian varieties and to a far-reaching generalization of the subspace theorem. He has also made important contributions to the theory of vector bundles on algebraic curves with his proof of the Verlinde formula.

Professor Faltings has authored numerous publications in leading mathematical journals and is Associate Editor of Compositio Mathematica and Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Algebraic Geometry. His accomplishments in mathematics have been recognized by numerous awards and honors, including the Dannie Heineman Prize of the Goettingen Academy of Sciences (1983); Fields Medal of the International Mathematical Union, which he received the medal for proving the Mordell conjecture (1986), a proof that led him to interesting research on the toroidal compactification of the moduli space of Abelian varieties and on the relationship between p-adic estate and crystalline cohomology. Professor Faltings is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and the North Rhine Westphalian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

2014 -Prof. Yuk Ming Dennis Lo-

Professor Yuk Ming Dennis Lo

 

Yuk Ming Dennis Lo received his B.A. honors and preclinical medical training at the University of Cambridge in 1986, and his M.B.B.S. at the University of Oxford in 1989. Following that, he obtained a Master of Arts from Cambridge 1990, and a Doctorate of Philosophy 1994 and a Doctorate of Medicine 2001 from Oxford University. He started his academic career at Oxford as a Medical Graduate Fellow in 1990-1993, then as a Clinician Scientist Fellow in 1993-1994, followed by appointments as a University Lecturer in Clinical Biochemistry and a Fellow at Green College in 1994-1997. In 1997, he returned to Hong Kong and joined the Faculty of Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong CUHK and progressed to full professorship in 2003. He is currently the Director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, a Li Ka Shing Professor of Medicine, a Professor of Chemical Pathology, the Chairman and Chief-of-Service of the Department of Chemical Pathology at CUHK and Prince of Wales Hospital, and an Associate Dean for Research of the CUHK Faculty of Medicine.

He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh 2004, the Royal College of Pathologists, UK 2005 and the Royal College of Physicians of London 2006, an Honorary Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Pathologists 2011, and an Honorary Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2013. He is also an Honorary Professor at Nanjing Medical University, an Honorary Professor at Sun Yat-sen University in China, a Trustee of the Croucher Foundation, Hong Kong, and a former President of the Hong Kong Society of Clinical Chemistry. He also serves in a number of academic and medical committees and councils.

Professor Dennis Lo has authored and co-authored more than 290 publications in international journals, and holds numerous patents in molecular diagnostics. His outstanding achievements have earned him numerous prestigious prizes and research awards. His prizes and honors including: State Natural Science Award from the State Council of China in 2005, the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine IFCC – Abbott Award for Outstanding Contribution to Molecular Diagnostics in 2006, the US National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry Distinguished Scientist Award in 2006, Croucher Senior Medical Research in 2006.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

2014 -عبدالله ابراهيم-

Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim

 

Abdullah Ibrahim obtained his Bachelor of Arts’ degree in Arabic Language and Literature from the College of Education, Baghdad University, in 1981, followed by a Masters’ degree in Arabic Literature (Novel) in 1987, and a Ph.D. in Arabic Literature (Discourse) from the College of Arts, Baghdad University, in 1991. Between 1991-2003, he lectured in a number of Arab Universities, teaching Arabic Literature and Literary Criticism in Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad from 1992-1993, the 7th of April University in Libya from 1993-1999 and Qatar University from 1999-2003. He also taught courses on research methodology in literary studies and discourse theory and its applications to postgraduate students in Iraq and Libya. In 2003, he was appointed by the Ministry of Culture in Qatar as coordinator for Qatar’s International Prize. As of 2010, he became Cultural Advisor in the Emir’s Court in Qatar.

Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim’s erudition and deep knowledge of the Arabic narrative and world literary arts have earned him recognition as a leading scholar of Arabic Literary criticism and a pioneer of modern Arabic novel discourse. He has authored more than 20 books and co-authored 10 others, as well as numerous scholarly and general articles, dealing with different aspects of the Arabic novel exposition. In his studies, he was able to refine and deeply analyze the modern Arabic discourse entry and to elucidate the relationship between Arabic narrative and mainstream narrative in world literature. He combined research on Arabic narrative with different cultural trends, and established a solid and broad base for his studies on Arabic literary criticism. Dr. Ibrahim participated in numerous national and international conferences and seminars in his field of specialization. In 1997, he was awarded Shoman’s Prize for Young Arab Researchers, and in 2013, he was awarded Shaikh Zayed’s Book Prize for Literary Studies. He is also a contributing researcher for Cambridge Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Literature.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

2014 -عبدالوهاب أبوسليمان-

H.E. Professor Abdulwahab Abou Sulaiman

Abdulwahab Abou Sulaiman received his basic education in Makkah, where he completed primary school education in an Orphan’s home in 1949, then joined the Saudi Religious Institute graduating in 1952. He continued his studies at the College of Sharia, from which he graduated in 1957, then pursued further learning at the hands of prominent religious scholars in the Holy Mosque in Makkah. He studied for seven years under the tutelage of the revered Shaikh Hassan Mohammed Al-Mashshat, who taught him the fundamentals of Maliki jurisprudence, Hadith (Prophet Mohammed’s sayings and deeds), and Arabic language rhetoric, logic, and grammar. In 1962, he obtained the Teachers’ Diploma of Education from the American University in Beirut. Thereafter, he went on a scholarship to the United Kingdom to study at London University, from which he obtained his Ph.D. in 1970. Meanwhile, he also obtained a Diploma in British Law and Legal Studies from London City College.

Professor Abou Sulaiman’s career in education spans several decades. In 1958, he taught Islamic jurisprudence and interpretation in Zahir intermediate school in Makkah, then moved, in 1969, to teach religious studies and Islamic jurisprudence in Aziziya Secondary School. In 1964, he was appointed as an instructor of fundamentals of Islamic jurisprudence and comparative jurisprudence at the Sharia College in King Abdulaziz University (Makkah Branch). After obtaining his Ph.D. from London University, he was appointed an Assistant Professor at the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies in 1970, and was promoted to the rank of an Associate Professor in the Department of the Department of Post-graduate Sharia Studies in 1978. He was appointed a Dean of the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies between 1971-1972 and was awarded the University’s Medal of Appreciation (First Class) in recognition of his services during his deanship. In 1983, he became a full professor of Islamic Jurisprudence and Fundamentals of Religion at the College of Sharia, Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, where he served until his retirement in 1993. The following year, he was appointed a Member of the Saudi Commission of Senior Religious Scholars.

Professor Abou Sulaiman is a prolific writer and researcher. He authored and edited dozens of books, research papers, and general articles dealing with diverse issues in his field of specialization, such as Islamic fundamental studies, jurisprudence, research methodologies, modern religious sects, and history of Makkah Al-Mukarramah.

In addition to his copious academic publications, Professor Abou Sulaiman has also contributed significantly to the advancement of educational curricula of Islamic Sharia in Saudi Universities. He has also presided over, and or participated in several scholastic and advisory committees at both the academic and national levels. He was invited as a visiting professor and a lecturer at a number of international universities, including Harvard and Dukes universities in the United States of America, the International Islamic University in Malaysia, Shaikh Zayed University, Al-Ain University in the United Arab Emirates, Mofid University in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Al-fatwa Home (Islamic legal opinion) in the Sultanate of Oman. He has also participated in many national, regional and international conferences, symposia, and seminars.

 

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

2014 -أحمد ليمو-

Shaikh Dr. Ahmed Lemu

Ahmed Lemu received his early education at the Quranic School in 1932, followed by the elementary school in 1939, then the intermediate school (currently the Government College) in Lemu, from which he obtained his intermediate school certificate in 1948. Thereafter, he joined the School of Sharia Law (currently the School of Arabic Studies) in Lemu from which he obtained Middle in 1950 and High in 1952 Teachers’ Certificates (Level Two) in Arabic Language, Islamic Studies, Shari’a Jurisdiction, and General Education. In 1954, he went to the United Kingdom to study  at London University’s School of African and Oriental Studies. He obtained the certificate of General Education (Advanced Level) in History, Arabic, Hausa, and Persian Languages in 1961, and a Bachelor’s Degree (Honors) in African and Oriental Studies in 1964.

Dr. Shaikh Ahmed Lemu served in the field of education for more than half a century, during which he undertook various teaching and educational responsibilities. He started as a teacher of Arabic language, English language and Islamic studies at the Government Secondary School in Bida between 1953 and 1960. In 1960, he became a senior teacher of Arabic Language, Islamic Studies, and Education, and a supervisor at the School of Arabic Studies in Kano, then a Director of the school and a Deputy Director of Government Secondary Education in 1965. He became a Dean of the Arabic Teachers’ College in 1966, a Senior Inspector of Education in 1970, and a Chief Inspector of Education for Sokoto State in North West Nigeria between 1971 and 1973. He also served as a Technical Director in 1974-1975 and a Director of Educational Planning in 1975-1976 in the State. In 2009, he was appointed as a Consultant at Fountain University in Osogbo, Nigeria.

In addition to his major role in teaching and education, Dr. Shaikh Ahmed Lemu has also served in the Judiciary, first as a Sharia judge at the Court of Appeals in the States of Sokoto and Niger in 1976–1977, then as a Chief Sharia Judge at the Court of Appeals in Niger State in 1976–1991. Dr. Shaikh Ahmed Lemu has also made significant contributions towards official efforts pertaining to security, reconciliation, and dialogue during security challenges in Northern Nigeria. He was a member of the Nigerian Council of Religions, a Presidential Council for Youth Development, a Presidential Experts Committee for National Security, and various other national committees and councils.

His Eminence Dr. Shaikh Ahmed Lemu was a renowned Islamic scholar, known and respected by West African Muslims and throughout the Islamic world. He was a composed intellectual, a devout Muslim and an advocate of moderation, justice, and open-mindedness. He was also a strong supporter of women’s rights. His relentless efforts to advance Islamic education, development and Dawah (call to Islam) are evident from his publications, countless lectures, seminars, and classes, and active participation in national, regional, and international Islamic conferences and events. He was a member of several international Islamic organizations worldwide, and an author and editor of many books and school references which aim, along with his lecturers and classes, to promote and re-enforce the proper understanding of Islam and expand knowledge of the Islamic creed. He was also known for his deep involvement in Islamic humanitarian activities. He was the Founder and President of the Islamic Education Trust in Nigeria, and a member of several other humanitarian societies and endowments that serve Muslims in his country.

Dr. Shaikh Ahmed Lemu’s immense contributions have earned him several prizes and accolades, including, among others, the Prize of Merit from the Government of Niger State in 1991; the Nigerian National Order by former Nigerian President Abdulsalami AbuBakrr in 1999 and former Nigerian President Obasanjo in 2001; an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Uthman Danfodiyo University in 1996; an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Osogbo University in 2011, and an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Al-Hilal University in 2013.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.