Prof. Rachel Matar

Prof. Rachel Matar brings over 15 years of academic leadership, research excellence, and strategic program development to her current role as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at AURAK. Under her leadership, the School encompasses a broad spectrum of disciplines, housing undergraduate programs in Biotechnology, Psychology, and Mass Communication, as well as the graduate Master of Education in Educational Leadership. She is responsible for advancing the School’s academic vision, faculty development, accreditation strategy, and industry engagement initiatives.

Prof. Matar holds a Ph.D. in Structural and Functional Biochemistry with a specialization in Drug Design and Delivery from Claude Bernard University Lyon I, and an MSc in Bioinformatics, Structural Biochemistry, and Genomics from the Mediterranean University in Marseille, France. Her early career included impactful research on membrane proteins and chemoresistance at the Institute of Biology and Chemistry of Proteins in Lyon, leading to patented technologies and the founding of the biotech startup CALIXAR.

Since joining AURAK, Prof. Matar has held several key academic and administrative positions, including Professor of Drug Design and Genetic Engineering, Chair of the Biotechnology Department, and Associate Dean. She has spearheaded the design and accreditation of several innovative programs, including Psychology, Medical Biotechnology, Cell and Molecular Biotechnology, and the UAE’s first CAA accredited Forensic Biology. She has also played a pivotal role in institutional and program accreditations with CAA, SACSCOC, and ABET, ensuring global competitiveness and high academic standards.

Her vision for the School of Arts and Sciences is to foster a dynamic, student centered environment where academic excellence is paired with practical preparation for the future. She is strongly committed to embedding research involvement at the undergraduate and graduate levels, ensuring that students are actively engaged in discovery, innovation, and scholarly output under the mentorship of faculty. Equally, she emphasizes career readiness and employability, striving to equip students with the skills, experiences, and confidence needed to thrive in an increasingly competitive job market.

This vision is reinforced by a strategic focus on expanding and deepening industry partnerships, not only to provide training and internships but also to integrate industry leaders directly into the curriculum and teaching process. By aligning academic programs with evolving market needs, Prof. Matar ensures that graduates of the School of Arts and Sciences are well prepared, industry relevant, and positioned as future leaders across diverse fields.

Her research portfolio includes multiple competitive grants addressing biofuels, antibiotic resistance, and cancer therapeutics, developed in collaboration with regional and international partners. Her work in protein crystallization and drug design continues to be widely cited.

As a CAA Certified Reviewer and contributor to several External Review Teams, Prof. Matar continues to influence higher education benchmarks nationally and internationally. Her leadership combines academic rigor with strategic foresight, positioning the School of Arts and Sciences as a hub of interdisciplinary learning, research innovation, and market driven education.

Dr. Matar’s research is primarily focused on how to reveal the 3D structure of membrane transporters type ABC, involved in the efflux (out of the tumor cells) of anticancer drugs as well as antibiotics in case of bacterial infection. Once these structures are revealed, our collaborators; specialists in drug design, can create molecules blocking the membrane transporters and so the anti-cancer drug is much more effective as it stays in the tumor cell. Dr. Matar worked in that field at the Unit of Drug Resistance Modulation and Mechanism, Institute of Biology and Chemistry of Proteins, CNRS, Lyon, France. In a complementary project, she worked on the characterization of a new generation of detergents, based on Calyxarene ring, stabilizing these ABC transporters in solution. Thus, these detergents make the structural and functional studies of these proteins easier.

Dr. Rachel Matar’s Patents:

• International Patent: n° 0802894 (28th of May 2008)/ PCT/FR2009/000626/ WO 2009144419 A1 2009120 (3rd of December 2009). Method for selectively extracting membrane proteins using calixarenes for solubilization. Coleman A., Falson P., Mbemba C., Matar R. and Huché F.
• International Patent: n° 09/01678 (6th of April 2009)/ PCT/FR2010/000285 (8th of October 2010). Protein crystallization additives, use and process. Matar, R., Leydier, A., Huché, F., Coleman, A., Falson, P.

These two patents led to the creation of a company called CALIXAR.
CALIXAR provides a range of services based on innovative technologies in protein engineering.

LIST OF SELECTED RESEARCH GRANTS AND PUBLICATIONS

Research Grants

Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research: AgriMycBio: Advancing Sustainable Agriculture through Mycological Biotechnology, Co-Principal Investigator, September 2024- August 2026.

Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research: Resisting Antibiotic Resistance in Ras Al Khaimah. Co-Principal Investigator, June 2019. Status: Ongoing (Oct 2019 to March 2021).

AURAK Research Seed Grant 2018-2019: “Handling of supraphysiological levels of calcium in a cell culture model of human kidney cells” Role: Co- Principal Investigator, December 2019.

AURAK Research Seed Grant 2018-2019: The role of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters in the treatment of MCF7 with Cisplatin. Principal Investigator, from September 2018 to December 2019.

AURAK Research Seed Grant 2017-2018: Role of store-operated calcium entry in cyclin-dependent kinase 2 mediated cytotoxicity in kidney cells, Co-Principal Investigator, from September 2017 to December 2018.

AURAK Research Seed Grant 2015: Molecular identification of high lipid fungi producers for biodiesel production from RAK soils. Co-Principal Investigator, from September 2015 to December 2016.

Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research: Biofuel Exploration from Soil Microorganisms in Ras Al Khaimah Mangroves, Co-Principal Investigator, from April 2015 to December 2016.

AURAK Research Seed Grant 2014: Lipid Content Assessment for Biodiesel Production from Mangroves’ Fungi, Co-Principal Investigator, from September 2014 to December 2015.

ARC Foundation for Cancer Research: Crystallization of ABC transporters resistant to chemotherapy, Principal Investigator, France, September 2011 to December 2012.

The League Against Cancer, Co-Principal Investigator, France, March 2009 to December 2010.

White ANR grant from Agence Nationale de Recherche (National Agency of Research), STABICALIX, Co-Principal Investigator, ANR, France December 2007 to December 2010.

List of Publications

1. Khafajah Y, Shaheen M, Natour D, Merheb, M, Matar R, Borjac J. Neuroprotective Effects of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in a Rotenone-Induced Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease. Nanotheranostics (2024)

2. Borjac J, Zeino W, Matar A, Khawaja S, Merheb, M, Matar R. Prevalence of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Domestic Water Storage Tanks in Sidon, Lebanon. Water (2023)

3. Borjac J, Matar A, Merheb M, Matar M. Non-HLA GENES and Multiple Sclerosis. The Open Biotechnology Journal (2023)

4. Siddiqui S, Hodeify R, Mathew S, Alsawaf S, Alghfeli A, Matar R, Merheb M, Marton J, Al Zouabi H, Sethuvel D, Ragupathi N, Vazhappilly C. Differential dose–response effect of cyclosporine A in regulating apoptosis and autophagy markers in MCF-7 cells. Inflammopharmacology (2023)

5. Merheb M, Matar R, Soleimani M, Marton J, Al Zouabi H, Abou Youssef K, Hodeify R, Vazhappilly C. Evaluation of Oil Quantities in Oleaginous Filamentous Fungi in UAE Wetlands: Potential Precursors of Next-Generation Biofuel. The Open Biotechnology Journal (2022)

6. Hodeify R, Ghani A, Matar R, Vazhappilly CV, Merheb M, Al Zouabi H, and Marton J. Adenosine Triphosphate Protects Against Cytotoxicity Induced by Elevated Extracellular Calcium in Human Proximal Kidney Cells: Using Deep Learning to Predict Cytotoxicity. Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry Journal (2022)

7. Merheb M, Matar R, Marton J, Hodeify R, Vazhappilly CG, Al Zouabi H. Assessment of Simple Preservation Methods in Pure Culture of Aspergillus Versicolor and Aspergillus Niger. Biotechnology Research Journal (2022)

8. Alsawaf S, Alnuaimi F, Afzal S, Thomas R, Chelakkot A, Ramadan W, Hodeify R, Matar R, Merheb M, Siddiqui S, Vazhappilly CG. Plant flavonoids on oxidative stress-mediated kidney inflammation. Biology Journal, (2022)

9. Bazbouz L, Ibrahim F, Chelakkot A, Matar R, Merheb M, Hodeify R, Vazhappilly CG.Plant phytochemicals as potential candidates for treating post-COVID-19 lung infections. Phytotherapy Research (2022)

10. Fernandes W, Merheb M, Matar R, Hodeify R, Radhakrishnan R, Al Zaabi F, Marton J, Al Zouabi H AK, Hossain A and Vazhappilly CG. A Study on Antibiotic Usage and Resistance in Ras Al Khaimah. Policy Papers, Al Qassimi Foundation (2022)

11. Vazhappilly C.G, Hodeify R, Siddiqui S.S, Laham A, Menon V, El-Awady R, Matar R, Merheb M, Marton J, Al Zouabi H, Radhakrishnan R. Natural compound catechol induces DNA damage, apoptosis and G1 cell cycle arrest in breast cancer cells. Phytotherapy Research, 2021, 35, 2185-2199 (2020)

12. Vazhappilly C.G, Amararathna M, Cyril A.C, Linger R, Matar R, Merheb M, Ramadan W.S, Radhakrishnan R and RupasingheV. Current methodologies to refine bioavailability, delivery, and therapeutic efficacy of plant flavonoids in cancer treatment. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry (2021)

13. Hodeify R, Siddiqui S, Matar R, Vazhappilly C.G, Merheb M, AL Zouabi H and Marton J. Modulation of calcium- binding proteins expression and cisplatin chemosensitivity by calcium chelation in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Heliyon (cell press) 2021,7, e06041 (2021)

14. Läubli H, Kawanishi K, Vazhappilly C, Matar R, Merheb M, Siddiqui S. Tools to study and target the Siglec–sialic acid axis in cancer. FEBS J. (2020)

15. Merheb M, Matar R, Hodeify R, Siddiqui S.S, Vazhappilly C.G, Marton J, Azharuddin S, AL Zouabi H. Mitochondrial DNA, a Powerful Tool to Decipher Ancient Human Civilization from Domestication to Music, and to Uncover Historical Murder Cases. Cells 2019, 8, 433 (2019)

16. Vazhappilly C.G, Ansari S.A, Al-Jaleeli R, Al-Azawi A.M, Ramadan W.S, Menon V, Hodeify R, Siddiqui S.S, Merheb M, Matar R. (2019). Role of flavonoids in thrombotic, cardiovascular, and inflammatory diseases. Inflammopharmacology 2019, 1-7. (2019)

17. Siddiqui S.S, Matar R, Merheb M, Hodeify R, Vazhappilly C.G, Marton J, Shamsuddin S.A, Al Zouabi H. Siglecs in Brain Function and Neurological Disorders. Cells 2019, 8, 1125. (2019)

18. Merheb M, Matar R, Soleimani M, Marton J, Abou Youssef K, Rawad Hodeify, Shafiq N. Biodiesel feedstock exploration: Ras AL Khaimah mangroves. Policy Papers, Al Qassimi Foundation (2018)

19. Matar R, Merheb M. Paleogeneticist view of leather: The role of mitochondrial DNA to uncover the mysteries of fake leather and its products. Biosci. Biotech. Res. Comm. 9(1): 6-14 (2016)

20. Matar R, Merheb M. Cytosine deamination rates analysis to determine species origin in ancient mixed and processed Animal tissues. Research Journal of BioTechnology, 11 (4), 75-79 (2016)

21. Soleimani M, Al Zaabi A, Merheb M, Matar M. Nanoparticle in gene therapy. International Journal of Integrative Biology 17 (1), 7-16 (2016)

22. Soleimani M, Merheb M, Matar M. Human Gene Therapy: The future healthcare. Hamdan Medical Journal, 8 (1) (2015)

23. Merheb M, Soleimani M, Matar M. Raman Spectroscopy: a promising technique for analyzing nucleic acid refractory to PCR amplification. The Open Spectroscopy Journal, 8, 9-16 (2014)

24. Matar R, Rhimi M, Leydier A, Huché F, Galián C, Desuzinges-Mandon E., Ficheux D., Flot D., Aghajari N., Kahn R., Di Pietro A, Jault J-M, Coleman AW. and Falson P. Structuring Detergents for Extracting and Stabilizing Functional Membrane Proteins. 2011 PLoS ONE 6(3): e18036. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0018036 (2011)

25. Suwinska K., Shkurenko O., Leydier A., Mbemba C., Jebors S., Coleman AW., Matar R, Falson P. Tri-Anionic Calix[4]arene Monoalkyl Deriavtives: Synthesis, Solid-State Structures and Self-Assembly Properties. New J. Chem., 2008, 32, 1988–1998 (2008)

• Biochemistry I
• University Biology II Lab
• Biochemistry I Lab
• General Genetics Lab
• Techniques in Applied and Industrial Microbiology Lab
• Molecular Biology & Recombinant DNA Lab
• Medical Microbiology Lab
• Molecular Diagnostics Lab
• Drug Discovery, Design and Development
• Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Cell Culture Theory & Technology
• Research Methodology in a Biological World
• Cell Structure and Function
• Biomolecules Analysis
• Bioethics
• Senior Project
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