Distinguished young scientist Dr. Faleh Al Tamimi earned his Bachelor degree in Dental Surgery (BDS) from the University of Jordan (UJ) in 2001, Master degree in Dental Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain, in 2003, and a European PhD degree in Biomaterials “Cum Laudem” also from UCM in 2006. In 2007, Faleh’s PhD thesis received the Outstanding PhD Award of the Faculty of Dentistry of UCM.
Al Tamimi also received a Clinical Master degree in Geriatric Dentistry from UCM in 2003, and another Clinical Master degree in Implant-Prosthodontics also from UCM in 2007.
Dr. Faleh started his academic career as a teaching assistant at the Department of Health Sciences III, King Juan Carlos University, Madrid Spain, 2005-2007, and worked as a Research Fellow at the Faculty of Pharmacy / Faculty of Dentistry at UCM, 2004-2007. After he earned his PhD, Al Tamimi was appointed a postdoctoral research fellow at the Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, 2007-2009, and continued as Assistant Professor (Clinical-track) at McGill’s Faculty of Dentistry, 2010-2011.
Currently, and since 2011, Al Tamimi works as Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track) at the Faculty of Dentistry, Division of Restorative Dentistry, at McGill University.
Dr. Faleh made many valuable contributions to his field of science. His translational research program on bone research focuses on understanding fundamental principles involved in the health and disease of mineralized tissues with the goal of developing new therapies for pathologies of these tissue.
His work has attracted a great deal of interest from the scientific community and the media. His recent publications have been highlighted in Nature Reviews Endocrinology, as well as in the public media (i.e. print, radio and television interviews in media such as Newsweek magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CBC, CTV, Global News). Moreover, his discoveries on the cholinergic regulation of bone have been highlighted by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) as one of the most relevant and important research programs on bone in Canada. In addition, one of his most recent papers has been ranked as the most read paper in the highest impact and most prestigious international dental journal, the Journal of Dental Research.
Throughout his academic path, Al Tamimi went on many research visits at reputed universities, including the University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain (2006), and the University of Parma, Parma, Italy (2005) .
Dr. Faleh’s extensive work was honored with many awards and prizes, including the W.W. Wood Award for “Excellence in Dental Education” established by The Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry (ACFD), in 2014, the “Best Blitz PI Presentation” award for best presentation by a PI in the annual meeting of the “Le Réseau de Recherche en Santé Buccodentaire et Osseuse” in Montreal, in 2012, the “Harry Rosen” salary award for young academics in dentistry, Montreal, Canada, in 2010, the IV Vital Dent Foundation Award for the best basic dental research study in Spain, in 2006, as well as the Outstanding PhD award, for the best PhD in dentistry defended in the year 2006 at the University Complutense of Madrid, Spain. Al Tamimi also won the Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in: “Translational Craniofacial Research”, a chair for exceptional emerging researchers in Canada.
As principal and co-principal investigator, Al Tamimi has won numerous research grants from academic and research organizations in Canada and Spain. He was awarded 16 operating grants as PI, and 4 grants as Co-PI. His operating grants obtained as PI total over $1,000,000 (and $111,000 as Co-PI).
Dr. Faleh’s research contributions include 74 publications in peer reviewed ISI journals, 10 patents (3 of them have been licensed and are under development by two biotech companies), in addition to 2 published book chapters, 56 oral presentations and 86 poster presentations in conferences.
Al Tamimi has delivered invited talks, keynote speeches and tutorials at dozens of Dental Meetings and conferences all over the world, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Germany, USA, Canada, and Spain.