“From Nuclear Physics to Medical Impact: My Journey in Science" by Prof. Rajaâ Cherkaoui El Moursli
When : Thursday, June 26, 2025
At 16:00 CEST (10:00 EDT)
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Professor Rajaâ Cherkaoui El Moursli, Mohammed V University in Rabat
Hassan II Academy of sciences and Technology
Biography:
Prof. Rajaâ Cherkaoui El Moursli
Professor of Nuclear Physics, Mohammed V University – Rabat, Morocco
Resident Member of the Hassan II Academy of Sciences and Technology
Fellow of TWAS, AAS, OWSD, and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
Laureate of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award (2015)
Prof. Rajaâ Cherkaoui El Moursli is a pioneering Moroccan physicist whose work has profoundly influenced nuclear physics, medical physics, and high-energy physics across Africa and beyond. She earned her PhD in Nuclear Physics from Université Joseph Fourier in Grenoble, France, and has been a faculty member at Mohammed V University in Rabat since 1982. In 1996, she became head of the Nuclear Physics Laboratory, where she has led numerous national and international research initiatives.
She played a pivotal role in integrating Morocco into the ATLAS experiment at CERN—the European Organization for Nuclear Research—one of the largest and most prestigious scientific collaborations in the world. ATLAS contributed to the groundbreaking 2012 discovery of the Higgs boson, confirming the mechanism that gives mass to elementary particles and leading to the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Prof. Cherkaoui is currently a member of three major international collaborations: ATLAS at CERN, KM3NeT (a next-generation neutrino telescope), and ANTARES (an underwater neutrino detector). Her dedication to fundamental science is matched by her commitment to its societal applications. She established and implemented Morocco’s first Master’s Program in Medical Physics, enabling the training of radiophysicists who now serve in hospitals across the country.
Throughout her career, she has supervised 20 PhD and 27 Master’s students, nurturing a new generation of Moroccan scientists. She is among the most cited researchers in the region, with an H-index of 120 (Scopus), and was ranked first in Morocco, Africa, and the Arab League—and among the Top 50 globally—by the 2021 Alper-Doger Scientific Index.
In 2019, she was elected Vice President for Policy Review and Administration on the Board of the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC).
Her influence extends well beyond academia. From 2013 to 2017, she served as Vice-President for Research, Innovation, Cooperation, and Partnership at Mohammed V University. She has held numerous advisory and leadership positions nationally and internationally, including on the boards of CNESTEN (National Centre for Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology), AMSSNuR (Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security), and the Moroccan CNRST (National Center for Scientific and Technical Research). Since 2004, she has been a lead trainer in regional radiation safety programs supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In 2015, Prof. Cherkaoui became the first Moroccan woman to receive the prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award, representing Africa and the Arab States. That same year, she was named Woman of the Year in Morocco by Illi Des Libertés and joined the jury for the L'Oréal-UNESCO Maghreb program. She is a Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
She continues to serve on several high-level international panels and scientific juries, including the L’Oréal-UNESCO International Awards Jury for Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Computer Science, and the Schmidt Science Fellows Selection Committee. In 2024, she was appointed to the Strategic Advisory Council of Université Paris Cité, elected to the Governing Council of the African Academy of Sciences, and named to Forbes' “50 Over 50” list, honoring women making outstanding contributions across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Prof. Rajaâ Cherkaoui El Moursli is not only a globally recognized scientist but also a tireless advocate for education, international scientific collaboration, and the empowerment of women in science. Through her leadership, mentorship, and scientific excellence, she continues to inspire new generations of researchers across Africa and the Arab world.
Abstract:
This presentation follows the extraordinary scientific career of Prof. Rajaâ Cherkaoui El Moursli, Moroccan nuclear physicist and L’Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science recipient. It highlights her pioneer international high-energy physics research through Morocco’s participation in the ATLAS experiment at CERN. The presentation places strong emphasis on her efforts to bring scientific excellence to the region through responding to pressing national needs—most importantly in the field of medical physics. Prof. Cherkaoui outlines how she initiated the development of Morocco’s very first Master’s in Medical Physics program to train students to work as radiophysicists in hospitals in Morocco. Her research illustrates the capacity of research at the international cutting edge to have significant social impact if rooted in local capacity building, education, research and policy change. The presentation also reflects on learnings from her science career as a woman and gives insights into remaining strong, leadership skills, and the necessity to provide opportunities to the next generation—most notably young women in science in Africa and the region of the Arabs.
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