Dr. Amal al-Wahish

Dr. Amal al-Wahish

Lecturer, Teaching Faculty 

Chair of the Workshop Subcommittee of the Physics Department Climate and Diversity committee

Dr. Amal al-Wahish serves as a lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of Washington Seattle (UW) and actively participates in the physics Climate and Diversity committee.

Recognized as a progressive female physicist and a mother, Dr al-Wahish advocates for education, women's rights, underrepresented and first-generation students. She passionately encourages and empowers young women and underrepresented students to pursue careers in STEM fields.

Born in Jordan to Palestinian parents, Dr. al-Wahish's family relocated to Kuwait following the 1967 Israeli-Palestinian-Arab wars. She received her early education at public schools in Kuwait City until the eighth grade. Amid the first Gulf War of 1990-1991; Amal’s family was forced to flee from Kuwait along with thousands of other Palestinian families. They resettled in Amman, Jordan, where she finished her high school, bachelor’s degree, and master’s degree in theoretical Physics from The Hashemite University.

Dr. al-Wahish made significant strides as the first female in her extended family to attain both a PhD and complete high school. Her achievements shattered barriers, inspiring numerous females in her family and community to pursue higher education. Following her bachelor's degree, over 20 females in her family completed their college degrees. She obtained her PhD in condensed matter physics from the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) in December 2014, conducting much of her research at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Her research focuses on studying new materials, energy-related materials, and energy applications using techniques such as quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and neutron powder diffraction (NPD). Currently, her research explores social barriers and obstacles hindering climate change adaptation planning and implementation.

Outside of her research endeavors, Dr. al-Wahish actively engages in community and volunteer work and enjoys cooking. Recognizing the importance of early childhood science education, she volunteers and organizes science fairs and projects for students ranging from elementary to high school, spanning various states including Tennessee, Georgia, Missouri, and locally in Seattle.