Riyad Hassan El-Khoudary


Riyad Hassan El Khoudary,, is a Palestinian academic. He heads the Education and Higher Education Department of PLO, being a member of its executive committee and a member of the Palestinian National Council and the Palestinian Central Council. He is also the vice chairman of the board of trustees of Al-Quds Open University; and the chairman of the board of trustees of the Al Azhariya Institutes in Palestine.
He is the founder of Al-Azhar University - Gaza and was its president during the period from 1991–2005. He was also the leader of the founding team of the Gaza University and was its president from 2007 to 2010 and again from 2013 to 2016. He was assigned as a member of the Palestinian Higher Council for Innovation and Excellence at the beginning of March 2018.
El Khoudary shared strongly on the Middle East multilateral peace talks and headed the Palestinian delegation in the working group on water resources since 1992.

Childhood and education

Riyad Hassan El Khoudary was born in 1943 in Gaza City – then in the British mandate of Palestine, where he attended primary, preparatory, and secondary schools, and completed his secondary school education in June 1960. In September 1960, he moved to Egypt and studied Geology at the Faculty of Science of the University of Cairo and got his B.Sc., special degree in geology in June 1964.
In 1965 he was awarded a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service for postgraduate studies in geology. Subsequently, he left to Germany in the summer of 1965, studied German language for 6 months and then started his postgraduate studies. In December 1968 he got his M.Sc. in Geology and in August 1972 he earned his PhD in the same field from the University of Stuttgart. The title of his published doctoral dissertation was "Investigations in the Upper Jurassic of the Iberian Cordillera with special regard to the Micro fauna ".

Academic and professional career

Al Fateh University – Tripoli

After earning his PhD in Geology from the University of Stuttgart in August 1972; El Khoudary moved subsequently to Libya to work as a lecturer at the Faculty of Petroleum & Mining Engg. Of Al Fateh University in Tripoli and stayed at that university until the Summer of 1983.
During the mentioned period he shared strongly on the establishment and development of The Geological & Geophysical Engg. Dept. of the mentioned faculty and was named as the Head of the Dept. from 1979 to 1983. In addition, and beside his teaching activities he was able to devote some of his time to research and to publish papers and write books in his field of specialization.
During his stay in Tripoli and depending on his Academic, research and establishing services he was promoted to assistant professor in April 1976, and to associate professor in August 1979.

Islamic University – Gaza

In 1983 El Khoudary returned to Gaza to work at the faculty of Science of the Islamic University of Gaza.
During the period of his work at the mentioned university he was very active in fulfilling his duties.
Beside his teaching activities he was charged with the following administrative positions:
He also published some papers and he was promoted to full professor in 1986.

Al-Azhar University – Gaza

In 1991 the Palestine Liberation Organization leadership in Tunisia decided to establish a national university in the Gaza Strip and El Khoudary was heading the team of preparation and establishment of the new University in Gaza, he was its first president from 1991 to 2005.
During the mentioned period it was possible for El Khoudary and his colleagues to establish a modern university with about 14000 students studying in 9 faculties in addition to other facilities and centers.
In 1995 El Khoudary established and headed the Water Research Center at the same university until 2005.

Al-Quds Open University

1992 witnessed the establishment of Al-Quds Open University in the West bank and Gaza and El Khoudary was charged with the establishment of the branch of Gaza and was named as its vice president for Gaza Strip affairs Until December 1999, In March 2006 Prof. El Khoudary was assigned as the Vice Chairman of the board of trustees of Al-Quds Open University of Palestine.

Gaza University – Gaza

In 2006 a group of active Palestinians led by El Khoudary decided to establish a private University in Gaza under the name of Gaza Women University. The university started its academic activities in September – 2009 and its name was changed in 2010 to Gaza University to enable both genders to join it. El Khoudary was its president from 2007 – 2010 and again from 2013 – 2016.

Al Azhariya Institutes in Palestine

In 2014 El Khoudary was assigned as the chairman of the board of trustees of Al Azhariya Institutes in Palestine and he resigned from the position in the end of 2016.

The Palestinian Higher Council for Innovation and Excellence

At the beginning of March 2017 El Khoudary was assigned as a member of the Palestinian Higher Council for Innovation and Excellence.

Involvement with P.L.O. activities

El Khoudary was nominated by P.L.O. in 1992 to be a member of the Palestinian team of the Middle East Peace talks and headed the Palestinian delegation in the multilateral working group on water resources.
Through this activity he was able to share the Palestinian delegation on studies on water.
During the meeting of the PNC in Gaza in 1996, El Khoudary was elected as a member of the P.L.O. executive committee headed by the president Yasser Arafat.
In February 2005 El Khoudary was assigned by president Mahmood Abbas to be the head of the department of education and higher education of the P.L.O., taking the responsibility of the Palestinians in the diaspora.

Achievements