After notable efforts, an academic staff member at the College of Engineering’s Architectural Engineering Department at the University of Duhok was able to complete his PhD research in the University of Kent in the United Kingdom successfully.
Haval Abdullah Abdulkareem, a teacher at the UOD, has previously obtained an international scholarship from the School of Architecture, the University of Kent, after submitting a PhD research proposal to the aforementioned university. His PhD research named: “Exploring Challenges and Opportunities of Fabric First Principles as an Alternative of Active Climate Control Technologies within the Developing World Context, a Case Study Based in the Kurdistan Region” was conducted at the University of Kent, starting in the end of July, 2017 and completed in July, 2023. Hence, he got PhD Degree in this field.
The research focused on making homes in Iraq more energy-efficient and comfortable by upgrading building materials. Instead of relying on advanced technology, the researcher Dr. Haval followed the principles of the Passivhaus/Fabric First approach. By using locally available materials, the aim was to reduce energy consumption, lower CO2 emissions, and improve thermal comfort in residential buildings.
Revealing the process of submitting the research proposal and obtaining the funded scholarship abroad for PhD study, Dr. Haval explained the steps of this process; mentioning that everyone can get the opportunity to study abroad through exploring the websites of international universities and keeping an eye on the opportunities they announce to the public.
First, he describes that it is necessary that one must have Master's Degree, on the one hand, and English language proficiency, on the other, to submit for PhD scholarships. Second, as he suggests, one should look for the opportunities published online and see if there is a study area fits with the one’s specialization. After finding an offer that is relevant, one needs to write a research proposal that discusses the aims of the study and the questions that would be addressed by the study. Then, it would be better to have feedback from experts and specialists on the proposal form and topic that it might reinforce the proposal. After finalizing the proposal, one needs to communicate with the universities, especially the researchers that their fields of study are relevant to the proposal idea, and they might supervise the research. And this process could be repeated many times and may take time. At this point, one should have patience until receiving a response from a university or researcher one communicated.
One important point is that after receiving a positive response, you can ask for a funded scholarship that the researcher to supervise your work may encourage their university to present it. There are two types of funded scholarships, as shown by Dr. Haval, a fully funded scholarship, and a partially funded scholarship. Both include research funding and allotments for living. Yet the second type requires you to pay an amount of money to be added to the sum of money delivered by the university so as that covers the total required amount of funds needed for the research. But still the two types are good enough to accomplish your study with and are great opportunities.
Further, Dr. Haval advises all students that have the will to obtain scholarships not to underestimate themselves or their potentials and that everyone can get their chance and win scholarships, no matter where they are from. The only thing that matters is that to know the mechanism and tips for applying for international grants and scholarships.
Hence, we reassure the academic staff members of the UOD that there are thousands of online published opportunities worldwide and the UOD always back up its staff for achieving further advancements in science, research and study.
UOD Media, November 15, 2023
Fatima Mahmood
Click on the following link to watch the video of Haval Abdullah Abdulkareem receiving the PhD Degree: