Dr. Alaa Mhawish is a research scientist at the Sand and Dust Storm Regional Center (SDSRC), part of the National Center for Meteorology (NCM) in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The SDSRC hosts the World Meteorological Organization's Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System (WMO SDS-WAS) for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Node. After obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science from Hashemite University/Jordan (2004 – 2008), he completed an MSc (2014-2016) and a PhD (2016-2021) in Environmental Science from Banaras Hindu University. Dr. Mhawish brings experience from previous roles at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and USRA NASA  intern. He specializes in aerosol remote sensing, focusing more on utilizing multi-satellite data products to estimate ground-level concentration of particulate matter through advanced machine learning models. His current research includes developing methodologies that combine remote sensing data with machine learning algorithms to accurately identify, track, and characterize desert dust within the atmospheric column. An active contributor to his field, Dr. Mhawish has published extensively in high-impact journals and serves as a reviewer in high-impact journals. He is also a member of several leading scientific societies.