Research Group Coordinator

Dr. Yaseen Al-Mulla

Email: yalmula@squ.edu.om

Overview:

Remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems plays an important role in gathering information about planet Earth. The development of satellites in the second half of the twentieth century allowed the field of remote sensing to advance on a global scale as well as the development of space programs. Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques have had significant recent successes in the fields of satellite remote sensing including signal and image processing, quality control mechanisms, pattern recognition, data fusion, forward and inverse problems, and prediction. Thus, modern AI in general and machine learning (ML) in particular can be positively disruptive and transformational change agents in the fields of satellite remote sensing by augmenting, and in some cases replacing, elements of the traditional remote sensing, assimilation, and modeling tools. The change is needed to meet the increasing challenges of Big Data, advanced models and applications, and user demands. Future developments, for example, Small Sats and the Internet of Things, will continue the explosion of new environmental data. ML can help to address the demands put on environmental products for higher accuracy, for higher resolution—spatial, temporal, and vertical, for enhanced conventional medium-range forecasts, for outlooks and predictions on sub seasonal to seasonal time scales, and for improvements in the process of issuing advisories and warnings. The members expertise and specializations in research, related to advancing the analysis of satellite images, aerial photography from drones, remote sensing, maps and geographic information systems integrated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution including Internet of Things, machine learning, clouds, artificial intelligence, and big data, have led to form this research group. Hence, in pursuit to keep up with the scientific requirements of the era; this research group is intended to cope with and add to the advancement technology of applying Artificial Intelligence in remote sensing via research breakthroughs to meet bespoke market research needs and result in leading this field on local and international levels.

Research Group Coordinator

Dr. Khamis Mohammed Al Hashmi

Email: kh@squ.edu.om

Overview:

The cardiometabolic disorders and atherosclerosis group investigates the clinical characteristics, biomedical markers, genetic ascertainment and physiological aspects of cardiovascular disorders and atherosclerosis with special emphasis on hypercholesterolemia, obesity, diabetes,hypertension , sleep disorders and other components of the metabolic syndrome. In Oman CVD is number one leading cause of mortality and accounts for 33% of all deaths in Oman. Ischemic heart disease is the chief cause of mortality in Oman (15.1% of deaths). The incidence of Acute Coronary Syndrome among Omanis among the highest in the world (crude incidence rate of 338.9 per 100,000 person years).The information relating to these disorders such as the prevalence, risk factors, clinical characteristics, genetic aspects and appropriate management is limited. Therefore, conducting research to explore theses area will help in identifying the risk factors, new tools for risk assessments and new therapeutic approaches for these disorders and planning the appropriate approach and management for prevention and to reduce mortality and morbidity from these disorders that could lead to reduction in health expenditure. The research of the group span both the clinical and translational sciences and could be summarized as: - Research on dyslipidemia like familial hypercholesterolemia, familial hypertriglyceridemia and familial hypoalphalipoproteiniemia. Research studies in this area can includes establishing national registry, estimating the prevalence, determining the clinical characteristic and appropriate criteria for diagnosis, establishing the genetic abnormalities, investigating the effectiveness of available mode of treatment and establishing new modalities of subclinical diagnostic markers and new therapeutic modalities. -Research on Hypertension. It includes estimating the prevalence of different types of hypertension such as white coat hypertension and masked hypertension, determining the clinical characteristics of hypertensive patients, investigating the vascular changes to understand the possible mechanism leading to development of high blood pressure and assessment of rate of adherence to medications. In addition to investigating the association of high blood pressure with sleep disorders - Another avenue explored by the group would be evaluation of cardiovascular risk in women. More women die from heart attacks than men, and heart disease is number one killer of women worldwide. 1 in 3 women die from heart disease; while 1 in 30 die of cancer. This is a result of modern life styles and sedentary behaviors adopted by women where Oman is no exception.

Research Group Coordinator

Omar Al Omari

Email: o.alomari@squ.edu.om

Overview:

Adolescence is defined as the age period between 10 to 19 years according to WHO’s classification. Youth is also defined as the age period between 15 to 24 years, and it includes the middle and late adolescence. Although most of the Omani population composed of people aged less than 24 years old, there is limited research that investigates the communicable and non-communicable diseases in this population. Neglecting the psychosocial and physical health issues for this group will cast a shadow on their future life and lead to more severe physical, social, psychological, and economic ramifications as well as the future of the coming generations and hence the society in large. Therefore, the research group will explore the health issues related to this age group using various scientific methods (quantitative and qualitative), approaches (surveys, interviews, point prevalence studies, prospective studies, case-control studies, and experimental studies) and instruments (validated and newly constructed instruments). Researchers will inform the decision about the results of their studies and will collaborate with various sectors to develop new educational packages and health policies to improve the quality of life of this vulnerable age group.

Research Group Coordinator

Dr. Yasser Hendawy

Email: yfathy@squ.edu.om

Overview:

The Educational Administration and Leadership Group represents the first group of its kind in the Sultanate of Oman, and the group aspires to achieve leadership in research and study in the fields of educational administration and leadership, making it an effective group in providing a beneficial contribution to the education sector in the Sultanate, and in a way that achieves excellence at the local and regional level in the specialization Educational Administration and Leadership. The group focuses on the various fields of educational administration and leadership, whether related to school education issues or higher education, as it includes, but is not limited to, topics related to educational administration, educational supervision, educational leadership, educational planning, management of special education institutions, inclusive leadership, accreditation and quality management inclusive education, human resource management in education, organizational behavior in educational institutions, educational policies, and educational economics management.

The group aims in detail to conduct studies and research in the fields of educational administration and leadership, participate in funded research projects within the group’s research areas, provide research consultations and proposals to address issues related to the group’s interests, prepare and implement scientific and cultural seminars and meetings, and training programs for community service, in addition to providing sponsorship. Students' research studies related to the group’s research fields, and the writing of books and references specialized in the areas of the group’s work. The group also supports the MA and PhD programs in Educational Administration at Sultan Qaboos University.

Research Group Coordinator

Dr. Victoria Tuzlukova

Email: victoria@squ.edu.om

Overview:

The research group English in Oman’s academia aims to explore the place and role of English in the linguistic and sociocultural context of Oman’s academia, broadly understood as an environment and community concerned with the pursuit of education, research and scholarship. It is broadly “the life, community and world of teachers, school and education” (Britannica dictionary, n.d., n.p.).

There is no doubt that English is the central language for academia, across disciplines. In spite of the rise of research in other international languages such as German, French, Cantonese and Arabic, English remains ubiquitous in terms of range and depth, particularly in the digital sphere. In scholarly publications, English is considered to be the language of science in academia (Crystal, 2003 cited in Ozdemir, 2014, p.74). Publishing in English ensures wider readership, facilitates international collaboration and offers opportunities for comparative research. This research group aims to explore the gaps, challenges and opportunities in the use of English for Academic Purposes in Oman.

Oman’s higher education setting recognizes this focus as English appears to have presence as a medium of instruction in most institutions, or is a mandatory subject in Arabic medium colleges. It is also the language of oral and written academic discourse, as well as formal and non-formal communication across the public and private sector. Yet, there is no sustained body of work available on the role and place of English in Oman’s academic community. The body of available work on English in Oman is relatively small, especially when compared to other Gulf countries where numerous issues related to the English language have received a great deal of investigative attention. Although, in recent years, there have been growing numbers of scholars writing about English in Oman, their work tends to be scattered in international journals, online publications, or included in edited volumes on MENA countries. Therefore, English in Oman is captivating for a socio-linguistic study. This research group will continue from its initial work which was a general overview of the linguistic and socio-cultural context of English in Oman, focusing on the further expansion of the English-mediated environments and types of discourse that the language embodies, in an article ‘English in Oman’ (Tuzlukova & Mehta, 2023) to be published in The Blackwell Encyclopedia of World Englishes. Future research activities will focus on several aspects of the English language presence in the academic context of the Sultanate of Oman. Special attention will be paid to English as a medium of instruction [EMI] in higher educational institutions and English as a language of academic and non-academic oral and written communication across a wide array of research cultures and subject areas. In addition, the visibility of English in the linguistic landscape of Oman’s academia, namely, the degree of its presence, practical value for students, academic and non-academic staff, students’ exposure to linguistic information, will be focused upon.

The research group will focus on documenting and facilitating better connections between English language instruction (teaching and learning) and Oman 2040 vision. As stated in a study by Ter-Minasova (2001), language, communication and culture represent an inseparable triad, and all these aspects should be targeted when attempts are sought to come up with meaningful perspectives of English in Oman’s academia through open discussions, interdisciplinary dialogue, and research. This will help to better understand the role of English as a tool that can enhance human resource performance and acquisition of knowledge, experiences and skills needed in the labor market.

Research Group Coordinator

Dr. Sebti Kerbal

Email: skerbal@squ.edu.om

Overview:

FracDiff group is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary oriented research group constituted of junior and senior researchers including local and international members with expertise in the theory and computation of fractional differential equations (FDEs) and their applications. Recent studies and experiments in various fields have shown the limitation of the classical theory of differential equations in describing phenomena that are non-local in time and/or space. This led to the birth of new field of studies, namely anomalous systems which are governed by FDE.

Fractional differential models have received considerable attention in recent years, from both practical and theoretical points of view, due to their great efficiency in capturing the dynamics of physical processes involving anomalous diffusion and transport phenomena. Among other problems arising in transport mechanisms, Diffusion represents interesting phenomena. The classical diffusion theory resides on the assumption that the underlying particle motion is Brownian, which predicts a linear growth with time for the mean squared deviation of the particle displacement. However, recent studies and experiments have shown that the corresponding mathematical model is governed by an integro-differential equation modeling anomalous diffusion, instead of the usual diffusion equation.

Recently, several numerical methods have been proposed with different types of spatial and temporal discretizations. The main challenges in designing robust numerical schemes and in carrying out a rigorous error analysis stems from the non-locality of the fractional-order derivatives, and the associated limited smoothing properties.

FracDiff research group will contribute to the field of fractional differential equations by studying the theory, modeling and computation of various problems.

Our research interest is to study questions related to existence, stability, convergence and efficient computational methods for various non-linear fractional differential models. Thereby, we explore and apply the obtained results to ground water modeling, viscoelastic, non-Newtonian fluids, direct and inverse problems.

Research Group Coordinator

Prof. Mohammed Al Suqri

Email: saqrim@squ.edu.om

Overview:

Information systems and Innovation Adoption (ISIA) is a team of expertise on Information Technology (IT) innovation and associated organizational and social changes specifically in Arab context and global context in general. It is a group of research in social, economic and educational dimensions of information technology and digital practices. The members are researchers from the area of information studies, innovation and management information systems. The research group mainly focuses on the adoption, development, changes, improvement and challenges of the innovation and information technology deployment in particular society. 

The focused research spans a wide range of empirical and theoretical perspectives that requires collaboration with people in-and outside academia for the mutual benefit of knowledge sharing and helping to solve real-world problem. The group covers several overlapping topics ranges from the practices of the innovation and information technologies to the uses, acceptance and adoption of their related digital practices.  

Our group is unique in combining questions on technological innovation and long-term societal transitions and aspires to be a leading group in this field in the university and country level. The group strength lies on members ‘relevant social sciences and humanities disciplines such as innovation studies , economics and managing of innovation, information studies and sustainable information technology practices.

The group members are able to complete each other both on the level of knowledge domain and on the level of the research methods making it possible to investigate complex contemporary technological practices and its related case studies. Also, the members are able to use both well-established and innovative research approaches in exploring these issues.

Research Group Coordinator

Prof. Muhammad Salahuddin Khan

Email: msk@squ.edu.om

Overview:

Oman has 0.3% of the world’s crude oil reserve, which has started to decline from 2015. This is a matter of serious concern because the energy demand for the rapidly developing Omani society is increasing exponentially. Hence an alternative and sustainable energy is of strategic importance to the Sultanate. Fortunately, Oman with its plentiful sunshine has an ideal environment for solar energy research. Solar energy has emerged as a potential non-contaminating energy source and is the first choice of every researcher in the energy sector. Researchers are working worldwide for the development of solar cell (SC), a smart device for the conversion of sunlight to electrical energy using new generation donor materials as the active component. An equally important strategy in sustainable energy research is to conserve the much-needed energy using organic light emitting diode (OLED), an electronic device to generate light upon the application of potential using organic as well as metal-organic hybrid materials. Energy researchers are working towards the development of high performance OLEDs with a view to replacing high-energy consuming devices. The major focus of the Materials Chemistry Research Group (MCRG) at SQU is the design and development of new generation functional materials for applications in opto-electronic devices such as SCs and OLEDs with a minor focus on the design and synthesis of organic and metal-organic framework (MOF) materials for biomedical applications such as tumor imaging, pharmacological studies, etc. Materials chemistry constitutes interdisciplinary research dealing with a variety of materials including, but not limited to metals, ceramics, semiconductors, composites and polymers. Among this gigantic family of materials, conjugated organic, organo-metallic, coordination compounds and polymers have attracted a huge community of researchers around the globe as they serve as active materials in various opto-electronic (O-E) devices such as SCs, OLEDs. Research in materials chemistry deals with the design and synthesis of new materials and investigates their structure-property relationships. Chemical characterization, physical measurements and computational studies are used to forge a link between the structures and properties of the new materials. The group leader of the MCRG has a long-standing interest in this area and discovered many fascinating functional materials and their opto-electronic and biomedical applications. These include, but are not limited to, poly-ynes and poly(metalla-ynes), heavy metal ion induced population of triplet excitons, photo-voltaic effect in poly-ynes and poly(metalla-ynes), long-range intermolecular communication in metal-organic systems, lanthanide coordination compounds as active layer in OLEDs, single-component white-OLEDs, etc.

The objectives of the MCRG include: (i) design and synthesis of novel conjugated organometallic and organic polymers and lanthanide coordination compounds for SCs and OLEDs; (ii) design and synthesis of organic and MOF materials for biomedical applications; (ii) development of novel synthetic protocols, superior characterization techniques and processing methods with a view to creating new materials and transforming existing materials to improve their performance for a particular application. This will not only allow the development of new functional materials with intriguing properties and applications for the energy and healthcare sectors, but also develop scientific, research skills and expertise in the Sultanate. This will be achieved by providing training to the graduate students, technical staffs, research assistants, young faculty and developing laboratory and pilot scale materials research facilities in the Department of Chemistry at SQU. The coordinated activities of the MCRG will be directed to establish SQU as a research hub in SC and OLED materials and the developed scientific knowledge will boost Oman’s energy and healthcare sectors as well as the national economy. The group will also endeavor to enhance SQU’s standing and ranking in new materials research internationally by disseminating its research findings in high impact international journals and in major international conferences.

Research Group Coordinator

Prof. Mohammad Mansur Rahman

Email: mansur@squ.edu.om

Overview:

In the past era, rapid advances in nanotechnology have created quite a lot of prospect for the scientists and engineers to going over. Nanofluid is one of the amazing significances of such advancement. Nanofluids are engineered by suspending nanoparticles in traditional heat transfer fluids. Nanofluids are considered to offer important advantages over conventional heat transfer fluids. Nanofluids have novel properties that make them potentially useful in many applications of heat transfer including microelectronics, automotive, fuel cells, and hybrid-power engines, advanced nuclear systems, and pharmaceutical processes, and nano-drug delivery. They exhibit enhanced thermal conductivity, minimal clogging in flow passage, long term stability and homogeneity compared to the base fluid. Nanoparticles are relatively close in size to the molecules of the base fluid, and thus can realize very stable suspensions with little gravitational settling over long periods of time. Over the years, many industries facing thermal challenges have a pressing need for ultrahigh-performance cooling. Therefore, manufacturers began to employed nanofluids for industrial cooling result in great energy savings and resulting emissions reductions. Because of the wide range of applications of nanofluids significant research interest has been carried out in recent years to the researchers to study heat transfer characteristics of these fluids.

The study of nanofluids provides one of the new challenges for thermo-science. Nanotechnology plays an imperative role in the development of the modern devices for practical use. One very important aspect of nanotechnology concerns the heating, cooling and cleanliness of nano-devices because it is crucial for proper functionality of these thermally sensitive devices. We plan to address this aspect by investigating the convective heat transfer mechanism in nanofluids along with deposition of nanoparticles due to various slip mechanisms with different flow and thermal conditions in numerous geometries. The natural convective flows in nanofluid saturated porous cavities taking into account the Darcy–Boussinesq approximation are also very good and interesting topics for practical applications. The mathematical model governing the nanofluid problem will be examined analytically and/ or simulated numerically. The results will be interpreted physically from engineering view point and their relevant implications need to be identified. 

The research group examines a number of relevant aspects of nanofluids, and this allows the training a number of personnel at different levels of education such as undergraduate, Master and Ph.D. This does not only allow the right number of personnel for executing the project but more importantly it contributes positively to capacity building in this important and topical area of research.

Research Group Coordinator

Prof. Said Al-Dhafri

Email: aldhafri@squ.edu.om

Overview:

Like other research groups’ ultimate goal is to enhance the research activities that promote their effective output within SQU and across Oman, this research group also aims to achieve this goal through conducting a number of studies and developing a significant insight into the growing body of research regarding two main issues: Motivation of both learners and teachers and the parenting styles. This group includes one coordinator and five members who are specialists in educational psychology. It is also done in cooperation with the Ministry of Education (MOE). Thus, two members of the group are from MOE while the rest are from SQU.

This group lasts for five years (the registration might be renewed for another 5 year-term). It is planned to conduct at least 25 research within the five years. Five research papers are going to be written during the first year as well as organizing a conference at SQU, while five studies will be conducted in each following year. The group is also planning to ask for a funded project from SQU. According to the proposed studies to conduct, different qualitative and quantitative data collection methods are going to be used. As for the qualitative reserach, observation, focus group and individual interviews might be used to obtain the needed data. Questionnaires and experiments are common methods that might be used in conducting quantitative research during the initial five years. 

It is expected that this research group will have practical benefits not only for the group members (as researchers) through developing their research skills, knowledge, and abilities, but also for the community as a whole. This group has the potential to raise students, teachers, and parents’ awareness of these proposed issues which eagerly hoping to play a key role in promoting the learning outcomes. Additionally, the research activities may help in reviewing and developing the important decisions made by the policy makers at SQU and MOE through taking into account the findings of the studies, conferences, and projects conducted by the research group.

Some future steps might be needed in both the short-term and long-term. For example, there might be a need for additional studies, resources, issues, members and funded projects during the initial period of the group research. Moreover, some guidelines and group plans might need to be changed. Some changes of how the findings will be communicated and transferred into actual practices may also occur by adding; for example, a number of workshops, trainings, programs, or competitions that foster the positive impacts of establishing this group research. 

Research Group Coordinator

Dr. Majid Al-Busafi

Email: majidb@squ.edu.om

Overview:

• Conduct research and studies in various aspects of humanities, social, educational, economic, and legal sciences. 

• Initiate research programs in humanities at the local and regional levels. 

• Provide consultancies for concerned parties from public and private sector institutions.

 • Support joint projects between the university and external institutions in humanities research. 

• Conduct interdisciplinary research projects with universities, colleges and centers inside and outside the Sultanate. 

• Publish research papers in refereed journals and issue books and publications about projects and studies carried out at the Center.

 • Organize specialized training courses in various fields of humanities. 

• Launches innovative initiatives in studying humanities’ phenomena.

 • Hold conferences and scientific symposia and seminars related to humanities sciences. • Contribute to the training of students from within and outside the university related to scientific research in humanities. 

• Provide general contributions to the local community in humanities. 

Research Group Coordinator

Dr. Fakhriya Al Yahyai

Email: fakhriya@squ.edu.om

Overview:

The Omani Visual Arts Research Group (OVARG) was established in January 2015, it is a group affiliated to the Art Education Department at the Sultan Qaboos University. Since its establishment, the OVARG has worked to introduce modern and contemporary visual arts in Omani society, and pay attention to Omani artistic experiences through theorizing, recording, and documenting artistic experiences and practices in the Sultanate of Oman. It is also investigating critical issues related to visual arts and working on studying them through holding artistic and scientific seminars, forums, and conferences, and publishing them in the form of books, articles and researches in high quality scientific. The OVARG is interested in creating community partnerships with institutions related to the arts sectors from inside and outside Oman. Its members also seek to build relationships with researchers, writers and artists from different countries to introduce Omani art regionally and globally.

Research Group Coordinator

Dr. Muhammad Farooq

Email: farooqcp@squ.edu.om

Overview:

Biotic and abiotic stresses negatively influence the crop growth, productivity, and the quality of produce. This research group is aimed to study the plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses and develop integrated strategies for improving the tolerance of crop plants to abiotic stresses. In addition to characterization of local landraces of food and forage crops, for tolerance against biotic (pathogens) and abiotic (salinity, drought, heat, and industrial effluents), the research group will collect the promising genotypes of cereals, food legumes, and forage crops from different parts of the world. The introduced genotypes will also be characterized for tolerance against biotic (pathogens) and abiotic stresses. This will help improve the crop production under less than optimum conditions and enhance the situation of food security in the Sultanate of Oman.

Research Group Coordinator

Prof. Abdullah Al-Sadi

Email: alsadi@squ.edu.om

Overview:

Oman is located in the South-Eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula.  It shows diversity in terms of climatic conditions and cultivated crops.  Several plant pathogenic fungi, prokaryotes and viruses are common in different parts of the country and cause serious diseases.  Witches’ broom disease of lime (WBDL), which is caused by Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia, is the most serious disease of acid lime in Oman.  The disease killed over a million lime trees in Oman and it is threatening lime production in other parts of the world.  Plant pathogenic fungi cause considerable losses in several vegetable and fruit crops.  Pythium spp. have been found to result in 75-100% mortality in some crops, while Ceratocystis species killed over 200,000 mango trees in Oman.  

Our group has been working over the past few years on characterizing major plant diseases, genetic analysis of the causal agents, characterizing mechanisms of diseases, studying pathogen-vector relationships, and investigating disease management using biological control, cultural practices and disease resistance.  We intend to continue addressing diseases affecting crops in Oman through collaborative and interdisciplinary research.

Research Group Coordinator

Prof. Arunodaya Ramarao Gujjar

Email: arunoday@squ.edu.om

Overview:

The Stroke Research Group is proposed to excel in research in the field of Stroke, to develop and encourage critical thinking, problem solving, integrative and adaptive approach to alleviate human suffering attributable to Stroke. A major component of the mission of Sultan Qaboos University to excel in ‘research and innovation and community service’ by promoting ‘scientific analysis’ and to ‘participate in development and dissemination of knowledge and interact with national and international communities’. The Stroke Research Group proposes to advance this mission statement in the field of Stroke. This group aims to conduct scientific research into issues of immediate and future importance for alleviating human suffering due to stroke, develop and advance methods of prevention of stroke and explore methods of engaging the community in achieving these aims. The group aims to engage the excellent human potential available in Oman for the above purpose, including departments, individuals and Research groups interested in Cerebrovascular diseases in SQU, other health institutions of Oman as well as students, junior doctors and trainees. The resources for conducting research for this group would be patients with stroke treated at SQU Hospital and other health institutions, Stroke Registries, as well as communities accessed through peripheral health institutions in the country. The resources would also include various investigative methods accessible for study of Stroke through the above mentioned institutions. The initial areas of focus for the group proposes are examining preventive and therapeutic interventions which may significantly enhance outcomes among patients; preventive measures for cerebrovascular disease; exploring disease patterns that are more prevalent in Omani community; and exploring methods of advancing modern, scientific and high-impact interventional methods for stroke deliverable to the community. Engagement of the student community and trainees with a purpose of quality manpower development will be of importance to the group. Also active engagement with the international scientific community in this field will be a focus; this would ensure adapting up-to-date and novel treatment strategies for the Omani community as well as to contribution back to the international community in enhancing knowledge base and experience in the field of stroke

Research Group Coordinator

Dr. Issa El-Hussain

Email: elhussain@squ.edu.om

Overview:

Earthquakes are one of the most disastrous natural phenomena resulting from the movement of the solid lithosphere at the outer part of the earth. Large earthquakes can cause a number of serial disasters like landslides, horizontal and vertical displacements of active faults, fires, liquefaction, tsunami generation, loss of billions of dollars, and many indirect losses from job losses, disruption of investments, temporary loss of tourism revenues, etc. These disasters can cause severe losses as that caused by the as earthquakes. Among all earthquake hazards, the earth's shaking is the most serious, causing the fall of objects and the collapse of installations partially or completely.

Although earthquakes cannot be stopped or predicted so far, their devastating effects can be mitigated by pre-emptive action involving the efforts of authorities, scientists and citizens. The majority of scientists agreed that the best way to reduce the effects of earthquakes is to properly assess seismic hazards and provide results to decision-makers, regulators, rescuers and  agencies so that seismic forces can be designed and built to withstand earthquake forces, and to facilitate the development of contingency and rescue plans. In this regard, the Earthquake Monitoring Center research group at Sultan Qaboos University will carry out an assessment of the seismic hazards at the bedrocks of all the Sultanate's cities and results of these studies to be disseminated to public. These studies will be the basis for the preparation of a preliminary building code for the resistance of seismic forces, which can be relied on and continuously developed for the study and design of buildings in the Sultanate.

It should be noted that, during the earthquake, soft soils can amplify the shakings of the structures and make them last longer, thereby increasing damage to the built-up installations. For example, the Mexico City earthquake in 1985, which occurred 400 km from the city center, where the soft soil under the city to enlarge the movement of the ground and make it shaking enough to cause the collapse of many buildings of medium height. This destruction indicates the possibility of having a significant damage to sites with weak soil even at long distances from the earthquake location. Therefore, proper seismic hazard evaluation requires not only a proper assessment of the seismic hazard at bedrocks, but also computation of the impact of the soil on the ground motion and add its effect to the ground-motion at the bedrocks. Because the nature of soils may vary from site to another within a short distance, it is necessary to evaluate its effects on ground motion in close distances so that we can draw maps for the geographical variation of the amplification values and the values of the ground-motion, and the location where it is expected to be most destructive. These studies have been carried out in the Governorate of Muscat and the Earthquake Monitoring Research Center hopes to complete these studies for all the governorates of the Sultanate, especially the North, as they are more vulnerable to earthquakes because they are closer to Makran and Zagros seismic zones.

It should be noted that these studies are an important part of the Sultanate's efforts to establish an integrated system for the management and control of seismic hazards to ensure the mitigation of its effects and ensure the safety of the Sultanate's infrastructure. Despite the limited seismic activity in the Sultanate, ambitious projects and rapid population growth require attention on seismic impacts, with the extreme risk of exposure to intense seismic activity from near or far seismic sources. Continuous monitoring will ensure the accurate mapping of all seismic sources and the continuous development of seismic hazard maps and provide an accurate map of seismic shaking in the event of an earthquake based on measurements, not only calculations and provide these measurements to the responsible authorities to support decision-makers in emergency situations. These instantaneous maps contribute to the identification of the most affected and the most vulnerable sites in a very short time. The construction of this integrated seismic monitoring system will assist decision-makers in the optimal use of land through the development of building codes and the development of necessary legislation and standards to avoid possible seismic risks in the development of areas and the issuance of building permits

Research Group Coordinator

Dr. Ali Al-Maktoumi

Email: ali4530@squ.edu.om

Overview:

Research on the topics related to water resources and management in Oman (and other arid areas) is of paramount importance for the national economy and strategic development in agriculture, urban farming and landscaping, industries, urban supply of potable water and sanitation, urban planning, tourism, and ecosystems, as outlined in Oman Strategy 2040, where virtually all goals and projections are connected to the availability of safe water. The currently available natural water resources in Oman are limiting many development projects, exerting severe stress on farmers, communities, the private sector, and potential international investors. Therefore innovative practically-scientifically-based solutions, technologies, and policies in water and associated sectors are needed for Oman to progress. Among numerous avenues in water sciences and engineering, we selected three focal themes, viz.

1. Managed aquifer recharge and recovery, i.e. a smart and safe storage of freshwater in the subsurface during periods of relative abundance of this water and abstraction of rock-banked water during periods of water deficit or during contingency situations.

2. Efficient irrigation in farms and urban gardening, and Aflaj systems. i.e. thrifty and smart watering of crops and ornamental plants with minimal losses of water by evaporation and/or deep percolation by storing soil water in the root zone and  “channeling” this water to the plants’ bodies and, eventually, to the  “fruits”. An important system to ensure a sustainable water conveyance at the level of rural communities and catchments is the protection and optimization of the national heritage: a unique Aflaj system of subsurface drainage of infiltrated rainfalls and collection of this water into intelligently designed tunnels and channels

3. Urban hydrology i.e. understanding and a conspicuous design of urban drainage (rainstorm and sewerage) and control of what is becoming a “ticking” bomb” under the feet of citizens of Muscat, Sohar, Salalah and other rapidly growing metropolitan areas in Oman, where waterlogging of urban subsurface infrastructure and wet soils due to rise of shallow water tables are already a daunting problem.

The following daunting hydrological problems of arid zone aquifers - vadose zone –soil systems will be studied: 

1. Replenishment of groundwater resources depleted/deteriorated due to over pumping and seawater intrusion in coastal zones of Oman.
2. Combatting/mitigation of water table and piezometric surface rise, waterlogging and secondary salinization of urban areas in Oman.
3. Engineering of soil composites as porous substrates on farms, in private home gardens, and landscapes of municipal parks towards increasing water-saving and improving higher water use efficiency.
4. Improvement of traditional Aflaj water collection-distribution systems by novel technologies of gauging, flow control, institutional upgrading, water metering and water trade with urban communities.

Smart technologies to optimize storage and recovery of subsurface water using engineering (e.g. injection wells, infiltration ponds, horizontal and vertical drains, and abstraction wells) and bioengineering (e.g. planting actively transpiring vegetation in waterlogged areas or – vice versa  - utilization of deficit irrigation techniques for crops) methods will be explored. Catchment scale management of water resources, viz. engagement into productive cycles of treated wastewater, irrigation water use efficiency at farm level, will be theoretically studied, tested in pilot projects at SQU labs and Agricultural Experiment Station (AES).