PERSONAL DATA

Date of Birth  : November 5, 1947
Place of Birth : Ajloun, Jordan
Nationality    : Jordanian
Marital Status : Married, 3 boys.

Address       : President
Jordan University of Science and Technology
P.O. Box 3030, Irbid – Jordan

Tel : (962)-2-7201000, Ext. 22720
Fax : (962)-2-7095148

EDUCATION

Institution                      Degree                         Year

American University of Beirut.   B.Sc. Biology                  1972
University of Jordan             M.Sc. Biology (Biochemistry)   1975
Washington State University      Ph.D. Molecular Genetics       1979

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

• 8/1998 to date: Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology.

• 1993-1998: Professor, Department of Biological Sciences,
Yarmouk University

• 1985-1986: Visiting Scientist, Program in Genetics and Cell Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, U.S.A.

• 1984-1993: Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences,
Yarmouk University.

ADMINISTRATION

• 9/2003 to date: President, Jordan University of Science and Technology.

• 5/2005 to date: Member, Administrative Council of Abdil Hamid Shoman

Foundation for Scientific Research.

• 2/2005 to date: Member, Administrative Council, National Biotechnology Center, Higher Council of Science and Technology.

• 2001 to 9/2003: Member, Board of Trustees, Applied Science University (Private) A.S.U., Amman, Jordan.

• 8/1998 to 9/2003: Vice President, Jordan University of Science and Technology.

• 1994-8/1998: Dean of the Faculty of Science, Yarmouk University.

• 1993-1994: Acting Dean of the Faculty of Science, Yarmouk University.

• 1991-1993: Vice Dean, Faculty of Science, Yarmouk University.

• May’19-Sept.’91: Assistant Dean, Faculty of Science, Yarmouk University.

• 1987-1989: Chairman of the Department of Biological Science.
             Yarmouk University.

COMMITTEES

I have served on a number of committees at the international, regional, national, and university levels. The more prominent ones include:

INTERNATIONAL:

• Arab Regional Secretary - Committee on Science and Technology in Developing Countries (COSTED) branch of ICSU, UNESCO. (May 1995 to 2003). The role of the Arab Regional Secretariat is one arm of a worldwide network aimed at linking science and technology with development. This involves the coordination and implementation of COSTED Central and Regional policies in the Arab Region, through networking and the provision of administrative and financial support of regional workshops and conferences pertinent to the Arab region.

• Member of the Scientific Committee of the Institute of Tropical & Subtropical Agriculture, Czech University of Agriculture Prague, Prague, Czech.

• Member of the International Council of the College of Science at the University of Qatar, Qatar.

NATIONAL:

• Member in the Advisory Committee for Evaluating Biology Teaching in Jordanian Universities (1988).

• Member of the Advisory Committee on High School Books in biology, Jordanian Ministry of Education, (1993-to date).

• Member of the Advisory Committee on the Development of the Jordanian Badia (Desert) (1993 – 1999).

• Member of the Education Council (2005 to date).

• Member of the Advisory Committee for Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research in Jordan. (2005 to Date).

UNIVERSITY:
I have served on numerous committees relating to the nature of my job.

TEACHING

B.SC. COURSES:

Introductory Biology
Molecular Biology
Biotechnology
Genetics (General)
Genetics (Human)
Carcinogenesis (as special topics-with emphasis on carcinogens and mutagens in the environment)

M.SC. COURSES:

Advanced Molecular Biology
Advanced Genetics
Research Methods
Advanced Biochemistry

SUPERVISION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS (M.SC.)

18 students have been under my direct supervision, all of whom have so far graduated. I have also been on the examining committees of fifty other students.

OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

EXPERIENCE IN ADMINISTRATION
Having been involved in the upper levels of administration in higher education since 1987 at the departmental, faculty and vice presidential levels, I have gained deep insight into the challenges and problems in the administration of the higher educational establishment.

EXPERIENCE IN THE FORMULATION OF CURRICULAE
As a professor at Yarmouk University, I have made a major contribution in the formulation and continuous updating of undergraduate and graduate courses in the Departments of Biology and Education. I have also been involved in the formulation of the curriculae and text book editing for undergraduate courses in genetics and molecular biology courses at Al-Quds University, an institution which specializes in distance education.
By appointment of the Jordanian Ministry of Higher Education, I contributed to the formulation of national curriculae and the compilation of supporting text books for Biology for 16-18 year old school children in Jordan.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS

• Awarded the “Commemorative Medal” by Czech University Agriculture Prague.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

1) Testing the biochemical conversion of environmental chemicals to mutagens and carcinogens. This is stressed both in my research and teaching.

2) Testing the azide chemical model as a herbicide that I have developed in the past thirteen years in plant and bacterial systems.

3) I am also interested in designing, executing and carrying out research plans in modern biotechnological research that covers the areas of crop improvement, gene transfer, tissue culture and any expertise related to these areas.

SCIENTIFIC MEMBERSHIPS

• Member of the Environmental Mutagen Society, U.S.A.
• Member of the Jordanian Biological Society.

MEMBERSHIP OF EDITORIAL BOARDS

• Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal “Archives of Biotechnology”.

• Member of the Editorial Board of “Abhath Al-Yarmouk Journal”.

TITLES OF THESES

M.Sc.: “Studies on Some Quinoxaline-Dioxides, Quinoxalines and Phenylhydrazones Derived from N-Acetyl Amines”, 1975.

Ph.D.: “In Vivo Conversion of Sodium Azide to a Mutagenic Metabolite”, 1979.

BOOKS

Manual of Experimental Genetics and Molecular Biology, 1986. Yarmouk University Press.

RESEARCH PAPERS

1) El Abadelah, M. M., S. S. Sabri, W. M. Owais and H. Tabba’, 1977. Phenylhydrazone derivative of N-acetoacetylamino compounds: A new antitachycardiac agent. Chemistry and Industry, 5:200-201.

2) Kleinhofs, A., Owais W. M., and Nilan, R.A. 1978. Azide. Mutation Res. 55: 165-195.

3) Owais, W. M., M. A. Zarowitz, R. A. Gunovich, A. L. Hodgdon, A. Kleinhofs and R. A. Nilan 1978. A mutagenic in vivo metabolite of sodium azide. Mutation Res. 53: 355-358.

4) Nilan, R. A., W. M. Owais, J. L. Rosichan and A. Kleinhofs, 1979. Advances in knowledge of mutagenesis at the molecular level in plants. In S. Okada, M. Imamura, T. Terashima and H. Yamaguchi, eds., Proc. Sixth Intl. Radiate. Res. (Tokyo, 1979). Toppan Printing Co. Ltd., Tokyo, pp. 568-574.

5) Owais, W. M., A. Kleinhofs and R. A. Nilan, 1979. In vivo conversion of sodium azide to a stable mutagenic metabolite in Salmonella typhimurium. Mutation Res. 68: 15-22.

6) Owais, W. M., Kleinhofs and R. A. Nilan, 1981. Effects of L-cysteine and O-acetyl-L-serine in the synthesis and mutagenicity of azide metabolite. Mutation Res. 80: 99-104.

7) Owais, W. M., A. Kleinhofs, R. C. Ronald and R. A. Nilan, 1981. Isolation of an azide, mutagenic metabolite in Salmonella typhimurium. Mutation Res: 91: 155-161.

8) Owais, W. M., A. Kleinhofs and R. A. Nilan, 1981. In vitro synthesis of a mutagenic azide metabolite by cell-free extracts. Mutation Res. 84: 239-246.

9) Rosichan J. L., W. M. Owais, A. Kleinhofs and R. A. Nilan, 1983. In vitro production of azide mutagenic metabolite in Arabidopsis, Drosophila and Neurospora. Mutation Res. 118: 229-239.

10) Owais, W. M., J. L. Rosichan, R. C. Ronald, A. Kleinhofs and R. A. Nilan, 1983. A mutagenic metabolite synthesized by Salmonella typhimurium grown in the presence of azide is azidoalanine. Mutation Res. 119: 281-285.

11) Rosichan, J. L., Blake, R. Stallard, W. M. Owais, A. Kleinhofs and R. A. Nilan, 1983. O-acetylserine (thiol-lyase) from barley converts sodium azide to a mutagenic metabolite. Biochem. Biophys. Acta. 748: 367-373.

12) Kleinhofs, A., A. L. Hodgkon, W. M. Owais and R. A. Nilan, 1984. Effectiveness and safety of sodium azide mutagenesis in: Induced Mutations for Crop improvement in Latin America. (Proc. Regional Seminar on the Utilization of induced Mutations for Crop Improvement for countries in Latin America. Lima, Peru, (1982). International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna. pp. 53-58.

13) Sabri, S. S., M. M. El-Abadalah and W. M. Owais, 1984. Synthesis and antibacterial activity of some new N-(methyl-2-quinoxyloy) amino alcohols and Amine, 1,4-dioxides, J. of Chem. and Eng. Data. 29: 229-231.

14) Hunaiti, A. A. and W. M. Owais, 1985. Partial purification and comparison of glutathione S-transferases from camel liver and brain. Comparative Biochem. Physiol. 81: 251-254.

15) Owais, W. M., S. Janakat and A. Hunaiti, 1985. Activation of sodium cyanide to a toxic but non-mutagenic metabolite in Salmonella typhimurium. Mutation Res. 144: 119-125.

16) Owais, W. M. and A. Kleinhofs and R. A. Nilan, 1986. Synthesis and mutagenicity of the two stereoisomers of azide metabolite (azidoalanine). Mutation Res. 175: 121-126.

17) Owais, W. M. and A. Kleinhofs, 1988. Metabolic activation of the mutagen azide in biological systems. Mutation Res. 197: 313-323.

18) Hunaiti, A., S. T. Abu-Orabi, M. A. Sarhan and W. M. Owais, 1988. Interaction of organic azides with purified camel glutothione S-transferase. Biochem. Medicine and Metabolic Biology. 39: 140-147.

19) Owais, W. M. and R. Gharaibeh, 1990. Cloning of the E.coli O-acetylserine sulfhydralase gene: Ability of the clone to produce a mutagenic product from azide and O-acetylserine. Mutation Res. 245: 151-155.

20) Owais, W. M. and K. I. Ereifej and A. A. Mahasneh, 1993. Purification and characterisation of a lysozyme from cabbage. Abhath Al-Yarmouk. 2: No.2 75-87.

21) Owais, W. M., 1993. The lack of L-azoalanine interaction with DNA. In vitro studies. Mutation Res: 302: 147-151.

22) Owais, W. M. and F. K. Nayfeh 1993. Purification of O-acetyl L-serine sulfhydralase from Lens culinaris by affinity chromatography. Mu’tah Journal for Research. 8: No.5: 167-185.

23) Owais, W. M. and M. F. Sadiq, 1993. O-acetyl-serine sulfhydrylases from different organisms converts azide to a mutagenic metabolite: Ability of the metabolite to inhibit the enzyme in vitro. Abhath Al-Yarmouk. 2: No.2: 43-55.

24) Hunaiti, A. A., Elbetieha, A. M., Obeidat, M. A. and Owais, W. M. 1995. Developmental Studies on Drosophila melanogaster Glutothione S-transferase and its Induction by Oxadiazolone. Insect Biochem, Molec.25: 1115-1119.

25) Ahmad Al Kofahi, Raymond Batshoun, Wajih Owais, and Naji Najib. 1996. Biological activity of some Jordanian medicinal plant extracts. Fitoterapia. 67. No.3: 236-241.

26) Ahmad Al Kofahi, Raymond Batshoun, Wajih Owais, and Naji Najib. 1997. Biological activity of some Jordanian medicinal plant extracts. Part II. Fitoterapia. 68 No.2: 163-168.

27) Elbetieha, A.,Owais, W.M Saadoun, I., and Hussein, E. 1999. Effect of Glutathione L-Cystein and L-Djenkolic acid in the synthesis and mutagenicity of azide metabolite in Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 strain. Microbiologica. 22: 1-8.

28) Nabila Karam, Ahmad Al Kofahi, Wajih Owais, Asfar Al Shabib, and Ahmad Al Oqlah, 1999. Biological activity of some indoor plants. Alex J Pharm Sci. 13 No.2: 163-166.

29) May F. Sadiq, Wajih M. Owais, 2000. Mutagenicity of sodium azide and its metabolite azidolalanine in Drosophila melanogaster. Mutation Res. 469:253-257.

30) Ismail Saadoun, Ahmed Elbetieha, Wajih M. Owais, 2000. Ability of Insecticides to Support Growth of Hydrocarbonclastic Bacteria and the Absence of their Mutagenic Activity in the Ames Salmonella Test. Submitted for publication in the Journal of Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry.

31) H. I. Malkawi, N. A. Alquraan and W. M. Owais, 2003. Acetolactate synthase activity and chlorsulfuron senstitivity of gamma-irradiated Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) cultivars. Journal of Agricultural Science: 140, 83-91, Part 1, 1-9.

32) Fayig El-Migdadi, Ali Shotar, Zeyad El-Akawi, Ibrahim Banihani, Rola Abudheese & Wajih Oweis, 2004. Effect of fasting during the month of Ramadan on serum levels of luteinizing hormone and testosterone in people living in the below sea level environment in the Jordan Valley. Neuroendocrinology Letters Nos. 1/2, Feb-Apr Vol. 25, 2004.

Abstracts:

1) Owais, W. M., R. A Nilan and A. Kleinhofs, 1978. A mutagenic in vivo metabolite of sodium azide. Genetics 88 (Suppl. No. 4/Part 2): s 74-75.

2) Owais, W. M., R. A. Nilan and A. Kleinhofs, 1978. A mutagenic in vivo metabolite of sodium azide. In: rogram and Abstracts, 9th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society, (San Francisco, California, March 1978). Pp. 35-36.

3) Nilan, R. A., W. M. Owais, J. L. Rosichan and A. Kleinhofs, 1979. Advances in the knowledge of mutagenisis at the molecular level in plants. In: Abstracts of the 6th International Congress of Radiation Research. (Tokyo, May 1979).

4) Owais, W. M., R. A. Nilan and A. Kleinhofs, 1979. In vivo conversion of sodium azide to a mutagenic metabolite. Genetics 91: (Suppl. No. 4/Part 2) s: 92-93.

5) Owais, W. M., A. Kleinhofs and R. A. Nilan, 1981. Effects of L-cysteine and O-acetyl-Lserine in the synthesis and mutagenicity of azide metabolite. In: Program and Abstracts, 12th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society, San Diego, California, March 1981). p.154. Also published in Environmental Mutagenisis 3(3): 388, 1981.

6) Stallard, R., W.M. Owais, A. Kleinhofs and R. A. Nilan, 1981. In vitro synthesis of a sodium azide mutagenic metabolite. In: Program and Absracts, 12th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society, (San Diego, California, March 1981). p.92. Also published in Environmental Mutagenesis. 3 (3), 335, 1981.

7) Kleinhofs, A. and W. M. Owais, 1982. Aliphatic azides, Biosynthesis and Mutagenicity. In: I.B. Mishra, ed, Azides: Chemistry and Safety, (Proc. Symposium held at American Chemical Society Annual Meeting, Kansas City, 1982). American Chemical Society.

8) Owais, W. M., A. Kleinhofs, R. C. Ronald and R. A. Nilan, 1983. The mutagenic azide metabolite is azidoalanine, In: Program and Abstracts 14th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society, (San Antonio. Texas, March, 1983). p.137. Also published in Envionmental Mutageniesis. 5(3): 448-1983.

9) Owais, W. M., S. Janakat and A. Hunaiti, 1986. Conversion of cyanide to a toxic and non-mutagenic metabolite in Salmonella typhimurium. Abstracts, 16th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society, (Las Vagus, Nevada, February, 1985). Also published in Environmental Mutagenesis, 7(3), 16, 1985.

10) Owais, W. M., S. R. Hazza and A. Hunaiti, 1986. Conversion of azide to a mutagenic metabolite by O-acetylserine sulfhydralase isolated from Cicer arietenum. Abstract, 17th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society, Baltimore, Maryland, April 1986). Also published in Environmental Mutagenesis. 8(6), 63, 1986.

11) Hunaiti, A. A., S. T. Abu-Orabi, M. A. Sarhan and W. M. Owais, 1986. Interaction of organic azides with purified camel glutothione S-transferases. Abstracts, 3rd Biennial Meeting of the Society for Free Radical Research, Dusseldorf, West Germany, July 1986. p. 62.

12) Owais, W. M., R. C. Ronald, A. Keinhofs, R. A. Nilan, 1987. Mutagenicity of D- and L-isomers of azidoalanine (azide metabolite). 18th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society, San Francisco, California, April 1987.

13) Owais, W. M., 1988 Reduction of Azidoalanine Mutagenicity by Glutothione S-tranferase. Abstracts, 19th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society, Charleston, South Carolina, March 1988. Also published in Environmental and Molecualr Mutagenesis 11(11), 80, 1988.

14) Owais, W. M., 1989. Cloning of E. coli O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase gene by screening with bismuth citrate. Abstract. Proceedings of the First Arab Conference on Perspectives of Modern Biotechnology in the Arab Countries, United Nations, Joint ESCWA/UNIDO Amman, Jordan, March 1989.

15) Owais, W. M., 1992. Interaction of azidoalanine with DNA. In vitro studies. Abstracts, 23rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society, Reno/Sparka, Nevada, March, 1992. Also published in Molecular Mutagenesis, 19(20).p. 48, 1992.

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