Meet Mohammed Elawami: A Trailblazer in Innovation and Global Impact
Introduction:
Mohammed Alawami is a visionary leader whose remarkable achievements have recently been celebrated with the Rawabi Holding Award and the Special Contribution Award. Renowned for founding Cambridge Nucleomics and developing the world's fastest sepsis test, Dr. Mohammed Alawami exemplifies a commitment to addressing global health challenges through cutting-edge research.
The driving force behind the ReachSci Society, Mohammed Alawami recognized the need for accessible education in research and innovation. His leadership has not only garnered prestigious awards, including the EPSRC Sensor CDT Special Contribution Award but has also fostered global collaborations and connections through this groundbreaking initiative.
Juggling diverse roles, from steering a startup to leading international initiatives, Mohammed thrives on principles of impactful collaboration and effective time management. Looking ahead, his vision for Cambridge Nucleonics is to revolutionize sensing applications, while ReachSci Society aims to make research and innovation accessible on a global scale with a focus on diversity and inclusion.
For aspiring individuals seeking to make a significant impact, Mohammed Alawami offers valuable insights, emphasizing the importance of diligence in teams, patience, and finding joy in the pursuit of ambitious goals. As a token of appreciation to the volunteers of ReachSci Society, he acknowledges their instrumental role in turning challenges into collective achievements, defining ReachSci as a global family of shared success.
As we embark on this exploration of Mohammed's extraordinary journey, join us in uncovering the profound impact of his innovations, global initiatives, and the principles that fuel his commitment to shaping a brighter future:
Latifa Darraz
“ You've recently been honored with the Rawabi Holding Award and the Special Contribution Award a recognition for your outstanding achievements.
To begin, can you share what receiving this award means to you personally and professionally? ”
Dr. Mohammed Elawami
“ Getting this recognition means a lot personally as such awards gives a great push to keep going even in very difficult times as it came to one of my busiest times and receiving it gave me a push to give more during this busy time rather than slowing down. Professionally, I felt more responsibility to give back, many people have helped to make those achievements, and I would love to help them also make great achievements.”
Latifa Darraz
“ The creation of Cambridge Nucleomics and the development of the fastest sepsis test in the world is a significant accomplishment.
Can you provide more details about the research work that led to the startup, and how has this success impacted your journey? ”
Dr. Mohammed Elawami
“ Working on Cambridge Nucleomics has opened my eyes to many global health challenges, a year ago I didn’t know what sepsis is, and this worked not only opened my to the global challenge of sepsis diagnostics but also gave me a great courage and opportunity to develop novel biosensors that can provide a big impact. The test is still in its early stage, but the results are so far very promising and we hope to see its full validation finishing in a couple of years.”
Latifa Darraz
“ Your initiative, ReachSci Society, has had a profound impact on research and innovation globally. What motivated you to establish ReachSci Society, and how has the organization achieved its mission in promoting global collaborations and connections? ”
Dr. Mohammed Elawami
“ ReachSci idea started as soon as I got accepted to Cambridge University in 2019. I used to be active on social media back then, and after helping thousands of people form many countries in how they qualify for top universities I realized a big gap in research and innovation knowledge. I also noticed that advice is not enough to help people progress and develop, what people really need is a practical training that is accessible where-ever they are. After about a year of testing different ideas, ReachSci was launched with a few Cambridge PhD students and 10s of volunteers. I also still see ReachSci in its early stage and programmes finalization. We are working to finalize ReachSci most important programme by the end of next year, and after that we will focus on making a much bigger global impact in research and innovation.”
Latifa Darraz
“ Receiving the Rawabi Holding Award is undoubtedly a momentous achievement.
How do you personally interpret this recognition, and in what ways do you believe it will influence your future endeavors and commitment to making a lasting impact? ”
Dr. Mohammed Elawami
“ I always try to do what I love and what I feel like a hobby without expecting rewards, but receiving recognition is always nice and gives you warm feeling of support and encouragement as even doing hobbies comes with many difficulties especially if you want to be the best at what you do, think about an Olympic athlete, and a human being needs regular rewards whether it’s personally self-rewarding or by others to maintain well-being and happiness. I personally reward myself on a regular basis to maintain a good work-life-family balance. I’m also very honored and humbled that also I have been rewarded by others for some of my achievements which give a good personal/professional reward balance.”
Latifa Darraz
“ Your contributions, including organizing a global conference, have earned you the EPSRC Sensor CDT Special Contribution Award.
Can you elaborate on the specific contributions that led to this recognition and share insights from organizing the international conference? ”
Dr. Mohammed Elawami
“ This conference was organized with many ReachSci volunteers and also co-organized with the Sensor CDT management team. I have made other contributions to the Sensor CDT like participating and co-organizing webinars, among other things. The main insight here is small contributions by many people can make great impact, so no matter what your role is, don’t feel your contribution is small, collective contributions make great impact.”
Latifa Darraz
“ Your journey has undoubtedly been supported by key individuals and organizations. Who were the instrumental figures or entities in your success, and how have their contributions shaped your path to achieving these remarkable accomplishments? ”
Dr. Mohammed Elawami
“ There are so many, That includes obviously parents, family, colleagues, friends, my department, my faculty, my supervisor, my scholarship, 100s of volunteers and many co-founders. Some of those supportive people I know, yet others are also completely unknown, to this day I still do not know who nominated me for some awards I received before. To all of those who have been part, I can’t thank you enough for all the support and your contributions to my success.”
Latifa Darraz
“ Balancing responsibilities from managing a startup to leading global initiatives and finishing your PhD thesis is no small feat.
How do you navigate these diverse challenges, and can you share a specific challenge you encountered during this journey and how you overcame it? ”
Dr. Mohammed Elawami
“ The key three things to such achievements are:
- Surround yourself with amazing people who like to make an impact, you will always influence each other to make a great impact over time.
- Time management is very important, I always focus on doing what is an urgent priority, and the rest is just removed from my to-do list.
- Try to do things that build on each other with goals intersecting, so anything achievement in one would also directly or indirectly contribute to the overall mission.”
Latifa Darraz
“ Looking ahead, what are your future goals for Cambridge Nucleomics and ReachSci Society?
How do you envision continuing to make a lasting impact in healthcare and capacity building in research and innovation on a global scale? ”
Dr. Mohammed Elawami
“ Future goal for Cambridge Nucleomics is to enable sensing applications that are not possible with any other technology to open the door for new insights and applications to address global challenges. For ReachSci we are working very hard to achieve our biggest goal which is to make research and innovation accessible to anyone around the globe, with a focus on accessible and increasing representation of underrepresented backgrounds, especially people with disabilities, and we are working so hard to make that happen as soon we can.”
Latifa Darraz
“ Given your wealth of experiences, what advice would you offer to young individuals aspiring to make a significant impact in their respective fields?
How crucial do you believe perseverance and dedication are in achieving long-term goals, and what lessons have you learned from your own journey? ”
Dr. Mohammed Elawami
“ My biggest advice is to work hard in teams but wisely with patience and persistence to achieve the biggest goals you set for yourself, it might take 10s of years but you will get close and close and make sure you choose a path and a journey that brings you joy and happiness so you don’t get burnt.”
Latifa Darraz
“ Before we conclude, is there anything specific you would like to say to the volunteers of ReachSci Society who have contributed to the success of your global initiatives? ”
Dr. Mohammed Elawami
“ ReachSci volunteers are the key contributors to ReachSci success, ReachSci was going to fail in the early stage as most of the people in the early team withdrew as they were busy, but the volunteers helped rescue ReachSci during that difficult time and volunteers have continued to make some of the biggest ReachSci achievements with their passion and dedication. To all the volunteers who have been part of this family, we appreciate all your efforts and hard work so so much!”