2023 KGSP Rhodes Scholar Mohammed Alwelyee

11/28/2023

Image 1: Mohammed Alwelyee, 2023 KGSP Rhodes Scholar

Mohammed Alwelyee, a senior at Boston University (BU) majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in nanotechnology, has been awarded the Rhodes Scholarship, the highly competitive and oldest postgraduate fellowship in the world. After successfully navigating a highly competitive and rigorous application process, Mohammed was selected to join the 2024 Rhodes Scholars cohort with more than a hundred others who will pursue postgraduate education at the University of Oxford. Mohammed is one of five students affiliated with one or more of KAUST’s Young Talent Development programs to have received this prestigious scholarship since 2019, during which time 10 total Saudi students have been named Rhodes Scholars.

A tenacious and talented student, Mohammed joined the KGSP in the fall of 2020 as a freshman at Boston University. This past summer, Mohammed worked as a consulting intern at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a global professional services firm, where he connected with professional experts from various backgrounds, and learned the tools to become a successful consultant. During previous summers, Mohammed completed a KGSP customized introduction to research program at the University of Texas at Austin and subsequently a chemistry research experience at Northeastern University. In addition to serving as president of the Boston University Saudi Cultural Club, he is currently conducting research at the Glia Engineering lab on novel strategies to promote neural tissue regeneration following traumatic central nervous system injury. Mohammed is expected to graduate from the KGSP in spring 2024, and he plans to pursue a master’s degree in engineering science at Oxford.

“Mohammed is an exceptionally dedicated, hardworking student,” said Monica Matais, Mohammed’s KGSP advisor. “He is a role model for his peers not only through his academic performance but through his down to earth relatable personality. As Mohammed’s advisor I have not only had the pleasure to witness his transformation into the self-assured individual he is today firsthand but to also hear it recounted by his fellow KGSP peers at BU who continually share examples of how he has guided and inspired them.”

Along with Mohammed, the KGSP would like to recognize Aljoharh Alshwaish (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Computer Engineering) and Shahd Linjawi (University of Washington, Biology), who were also Rhodes finalists this year. All three students were invited to Riyadh to interview with the Rhodes Scholarship selection committee as the top Rhodes candidates in Saudi Arabia this year. These students represent the pool of talent that the KGSP supports at undergraduate institutions across the United States. The Program looks forward to continuing to support its students as they wrap up their undergraduate careers and dive into their postgraduate and professional journeys, working towards the advancement of Saudi Arabia and the world. 

                                                      

Image 2: Aljoharh Alshwaish, 2023 Rhodes finalist.                                                     Image 3: Shahd Linjawi, 2023 Rhodes finalist.