Articles
Essays and commentary by the network's chairman, Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai — on universities, research and reform in Iraq.
2025 · Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai
The Ministry of Great Contradictions: on the 2025 Academic Promotion Regulations
A scathing reading of the Ministry of Higher Education's Promotion Regulations No. 10 of 2025 — a system that worships the 'idol of publication' while disdaining the spirit of research.
2025 · Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai
Iraq's Lost Treasure
In the laboratories of the world's finest universities stand great Iraqi minds behind some of the greatest scientific achievements of our age — yet behind these successes lies a tragedy of neglect from home.
2024 · Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai
Biopharmaceuticals: the Miracle of the Modern Age
Four decades of passion for biopharmaceutical research distilled into an accessible introduction: what biological medicines are, how they are produced from living cells, and why they matter.
2024 · Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai
Learning from Other Nations' Education Systems: the Chinese Experience
The second in a series on national education systems: China's academic excellence and discipline weighed against exam pressure and rote learning — and what Iraq can take from its ongoing reforms.
2024 · Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai
Higher Education in Iraq: Government Ambitions and the Challenge of Reality
A point-by-point response to the Prime Minister's Johns Hopkins speech: government plans for higher education remain well-intentioned promises until translated into concrete programmes.
2024 · Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai
Are Our Universities Workshops for the Future, or Arenas of Problems?
A frank inventory of Iraqi higher education's problems — politicisation, quota-based appointments, weak funding, outdated curricula — and the national responsibility to fix them.
2023 · Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai
What Makes a University Professor
Asked by a friend teaching in Iraq what makes a university professor, the chairman answers in six criteria — with integrity as the keystone.
2023 · Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai
Teaching Advice for University Lecturers
Ten minutes of practical counsel for the dedicated university lecturer: preparation, delivery, assessment, engaging students, and avoiding burnout.
2023 · Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai
Advice for Research Students Who Aspire to Become Scientists
Fifteen pieces of hard-won advice for postgraduate students who aspire to genuine scientific careers — from forty years of research and supervision.