Ammar is currently the CEO of Dhahran Techno Valley Company, driving a transformation to evolve Dhahran Techno Valley from a classical Science Park to a larger, more connected, more vibrant, and more impactful innovation ecosystem, recognized globally as a destination for “tough tech” innovations, especially in energy and sustainability.

Previously, Ammar led Saudi Aramco’s Research & Development Center (R&DC), including a team of nearly 600 scientists and staff focused on R&D challenges in midstream, downstream and sustainability.

Ammar started his career with Saudi Aramco as a Mechanical Engineer in Abqaiq Plants. He then progressed through several technical and leadership roles, including a 5-year secondment as a member of the King Abdullah University for Science & Technology founding team, where he eventually served as KAUST’s Vice President for R&D Management.

Ammar holds a Master’s and a Ph.D. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, and a B.Sc. from King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, all in Mechanical Engineering. He is the 2002 recipient of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Gas Turbine Award for his published research in aerodynamic-structural interactions in axial turbomachines.