Education:
Dr. AL-Zahrani holds a Ph.D. in Optical Communication and Networking from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA (2001-2005). He earned his Master of Science in Engineering Management (2000-2001) and Computer Engineering (1998-2000) from Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, USA. He completed his B.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia (1991-1995).
Professional Experience:
Dr. Fahad A. AL-Zahrani has extensive experience in academia and consultancy. Since 2011, he has served as an Associate Professor at Umm Al-Qura University. Additionally, he has been an IT Consultant for the Kafalah Program and the e-Government Program (Yesser) since 2019. Dr. AL-Zahrani also served as the Rector's consultant at Princess Norah bint Abdulrahman University from 2015 to 2017. His previous roles include Dean of Information Technology at Umm Al-Qura University (2010-2015), Director of Projects and Maintenance at Al-Baha University (2007-2009), and General Director of the Information Technology Center (2007-2010) at Al-Baha University. He has also been a member of the Financial and Housing Committees and held the position of Dean and Vice Dean of the College of Engineering at Al-Baha University. Earlier in his career, he worked as an Assistant Professor at Umm Al-Qura University (2005-2011), Teaching Assistant at the same university (1997-1998), Programmer at Taif Municipality (1995-1997), and Computer Engineer at Saudi Power Company in Makkah (1995-1996).
Awards and Recognition:
Dr. AL-Zahrani was recognized as the Outstanding Graduate Student for the year 1999-2000 at Florida Institute of Technology.
Management Skills:
Dr. AL-Zahrani is proficient in leadership, people management, motivating employees, accuracy and attention to detail, teamwork, communication, coordination, and analysis. He is also adept at working under stress.
Technical Skills:
Dr. AL-Zahrani has mastered various computer languages, including Visual Basic, Pascal, Fortran, C++, TCL, and Java. He is skilled in applications such as Microsoft Office, Microsoft Front Page, Circuit Maker, Electronic Workbench, Matlab, and Maple. He is experienced with operating systems like Windows, Unix, and Linux. Additionally, he has expertise in designing computer interfaces and computer hardware.