Mohamad Khodr Al-Dah

Mohamad Khodr Al-Dah (1998, Engineering) has enjoyed a global career spanning Cairo, Cardiff, Seoul and, most recently, Dubai. He is currently Director at the Jointly Owned Properties Department, Real Estate Regulatory Agency, DLD, Government of Dubai. This year, he has been appointed President of the Institution of Structural Engineers.

Why did you choose to study Engineering at Univ?
I applied from Dubai, and without much knowledge about Oxford in general I made an open application. As thus, I was assigned to Univ and after visiting the College for my interview. I was very happy and proud of my choice and it was an absolute honour and pleasure to spend my university years at Univ.

As for Engineering, I came from an engineering family. My father is a civil engineer and I love to learn how things work and how to fix problems. There was absolutely no doubt that I was going to study Engineering and Oxford felt like the natural choice for me. Also, there was the added advantage that Oxford offered me a general engineering degree which suited me because I was not ready to commit to a specialisation at such a young age.

What did you enjoy most about the College and the community at Univ?
Univ was and continues to be very inclusive. Also, its size and history make it an amazing place. There is history in every crevice of the College and, given its location and heritage, I felt I was also creating history as we studied. I really enjoyed the fact that we enjoyed the first two years living on the High Street site and that there was some sort of ballot at the end of the first year to allow you to choose a second year room in a location of preference and with your friends.

How did your time at Univ influence your career?
The single most important thing I learned at Univ was to be an independent learner. This has so many dimensions and I never really picked up on it until a few years post graduating. It allows you to approach life with confidence and to attempt any problem or challenge with strength and conviction.

How did your interest in Engineering develop?
The course was really lovely and very varied. I enjoyed the lab and projects the most, especially when we worked in pairs. It was a chance to do something empirical and practical. I did not enjoy the lectures, they were really fast and difficult to follow. Roughly speaking, a standard set of four lectures would contain enough to be taught in two months in school or at other universities.

What have been the most memorable milestones in your career thus far?
I would say there were two key milestones. The first was getting chartered with the Institution of Structural Engineers in 2008  -I was one of the youngest to get it in my company at the time. The second was moving to Dubai in 2009 and being tasked to set up the Valuation Regulator at the Dubai Land Department. It was very challenging to move from a junior role in a private company in the UK and transform into a public official at the Government of Dubai in a senior and very public position.

What are your priorities in your role as President of the Institution of Structural Engineers?
I have developed three themes which govern my Presidency: building on carbon, mentorship and partnership. The first theme is more technical and builds on the amazing work done by the Institution to help contain and mitigate the climate emergency that we are currently in. It involves calculating the carbon in existing buildings and aiming to build less and retrofit as much as possible compared to new builds which are very carbon heavy. Mentorship is about supporting members at all levels to excel in their lives and profession. Partnership is seeking strength through building links with the profession and academia as well as government to promote structural engineering and help safeguard society.

What’s your advice for students at Univ?
Be ambitious and bold – make new friends, get out of your comfort zone. For me, the best thing I did was avoid having any friends from countries that spoke Arabic. This allowed me to immerse myself in English culture and quickly learn so much about student life and about the English psyche in general. This is mirrored in excellent books I read during my time at Univ and beyond such as Jeremy Paxman’s The English. Reading and learning a language is one thing, but understanding a people and a culture is much deeper and takes more time and effort.

The best thing at Univ are the people. So my advice to all students is to meet as many of those as possible. Also, a pro tip would be to take an interest in your lecturers’ research interests. You will then be more likely to be noticed by your lecturers and it will help you understand more.

Describe Univ in three words.
Historic. Excellent. Futuristic.