Prof. Achraf Al Faraj

Prof. Achraf Al Faraj joined the American University of Iraq – Baghdad (AUIB) in September 2021 as the founding dean and full professor at the College of Pharmacy. He previously held several leadership academic positions at the universities of Lyon and Paris in France, King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, and the American University of Science and Technology in Beirut, Lebanon.

Prof. Achraf Al Faraj received two M.S. degrees and a PhD in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Lyon 1, France. He then performed his Post-Doctorate Research Fellowship at the University of Paris 7 and served as Consultant at the European Hospital Georges Pompidou.

His vision for the College of Pharmacy is to be recognized as a regional leader for outstanding pharmacy education and innovative practice and research, with the objectives of delivering outstanding patient care, improving public health, and advancing scientific knowledge.

Prof. Al Faraj’s groundbreaking work has earned him a world-renowned reputation, reflected by his impressive h-index of 22 and i10-index of 32, which highlight the impact and significance of his research contributions. He has received more than 2.2 million USD in research grants, demonstrating his success in securing funding for his research endeavors.

Having a great passion for multidisciplinary biomedical research, Prof. Al Faraj’s research interests in the fields of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacology, and Medical Imaging mainly focus on developing innovative drug delivery systems or nanocarriers coupled with noninvasive imaging modalities for early and improved diagnosis and therapy of various cancerous (i.e., breast, lung, etc.) and chronic pulmonary diseases (i.e., Asthma and COPD).

In collaboration with pioneer researchers from several international institutes, Prof. Al Faraj has also led several multidisciplinary biomedical research projects tackling various public health questions such as pharmacy and healthcare practice and teaching methodologies, the use of artificial intelligence in clinical pharmacy management, Medication Therapy Management for patients with ADHD, treatment of ASD using nanoparticles, in addition to several projects related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prof. Al Faraj has made significant contributions to his field, with over 50 peer-reviewed articles published in top international ISI-indexed journals and presentations of 50 conference proceedings at international events. Furthermore, he has authored a book and holds one patent registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office, showcasing his innovative approach to research and its practical applications. His expertise is highly sought after, and he serves as an invited reviewer for more than 10 top international journals, contributing to the rigorous evaluation of scientific research in his field.