Professor Mahmoud Soliman New Dean and Head of School

Professor Mahmoud Soliman.

UKZN’s College of Health Sciences has appointed Professor Mahmoud Soliman as the new Dean and Head of the School of Health Sciences. He assumed Deanship on Monday 19 January 2015.

Soliman is the leader and principle investigator of the Molecular Modeling and Drug Design Lab which is located in the School.

The lab focuses on the study of biological systems, drug-receptor interactions and the design of novel drug candidates and their mechanism of action.

Soliman’s research interest is related to the design and study of biologically and therapeutically oriented targets by employing the applications of computational methods to the study of problems of chemical and biochemical reactivity.

Soliman expressed his pleasure to be the new Dean and Head of the School, saying: ‘The School of Health Sciences is one of the most innovative health education programmes in the country. It has educational facilities outfitted with state-of-the-art technology and our curriculum promotes learning through utilization of the best educational approaches and sound teaching principles. Our classes are taught by highly qualified staff who bring academic and clinical expertise to the classroom.’

Soliman said with its engagement with community partners across the country, the School provides innovative, academic and clinical experiences so that its graduates are well-equipped to meet the demands of the competitive healthcare marketplace.

‘It is my commitment to continue to shape the School with a vision and mission embraced by our exceptional staff members, our students and our community,’ said Soliman. 

Soliman’s Molecular Modelling and Drug Design Lab was awarded various grants and supports from National Research Foundation, the School of Health Sciences and the Centre for High Performance Computing in Cape Town (CHPC) to enhance research at UKZN in drug design and modelling areas.

Soliman graduated from a pharmacy school in Egypt, and then completed his postgraduates studies (Mphil, PhD) at the University of Bath, United Kingdom. He joined the School of Health Sciences in 2011 as a senior lecturer of Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

Soliman has two children aged seven and ten. ‘My little family, wife and two kids always support me and share my success.’