Saudi Gazette report

Riyadh — The 40th award function of the prestigious King Faisal Prize (KFP) for the year 2018 will take place on Monday, according to an announcement of the King Faisal Foundation (KFF).

Five researchers and scientists from Indonesia, Jordan, Tunisia, the US and the UK will receive the prize in five major categories: Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Literature, Medicine, and Science.

Indonesian Prof. Irwandi Jaswir, who is working as deputy dean of the International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART) and Secretary of Council of Professors at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), will receive the King Faisal Prize for The Service to Islam.

Jaswir collaborated with other scientists to develop new methods for quick detection of non-Halal substances in food, cosmetics and other consumer goods used by Muslims. An instance of such methods is the ‘Portable Electronic Nose’ which detects within seconds the presence of alcohol and lard (porcine-derived fat) in food and beverages.

Jordan’s Prof. Bashar Awad, professor of Hadith at the International Islamic University, will receive the prize for Islamic Studies for the topic “Critical Editions of Islamic Historical and Biographical Texts.”

Tunisian national Prof. Chokri Mabkhout, Professor at Manoubah University, will be honored for his contribution to Arabic language and literature for the topic “Studies Dealing with Autobiography in Arabic Literature.”

The Medicine prize will be received by Prof. James P. Allison (US), Vivian L. Smith Distinguished Chair of the Department of Immunology, & Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.

The topic for the Medicine prize for 2018 was “Immunotherapy for Cancer”

Prof. Sir John M. Ball (UK), Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Oxford

Director of the Oxford Centre for Nonlinear PDE, will receive the King Faisal Prize for Science for his fundamental and groundbreaking contributions to nonlinear partial differential equations, the calculus of variations, and dynamical systems.

Nominations for the King Faisal Prize 2019 have started and will continue until April 1.