Department of Marine Chemistry, Faculty of Marine sciences, King Abdulaziz University | Saudi Arabia
Prof. Walied Mohamed Alarif is a distinguished Egyptian scholar and leading expert in Marine Organic Chemistry and Natural Products, with a career spanning more than two decades across research, academia, analytical chemistry, and marine bioactive substance discovery. Born on July 1, 1973, Prof. Alarif earned his B.Sc. in Chemistry (1995), M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry (1999), and Ph.D. in Organic Natural Products Chemistry (2005) from Mansoura University, Egypt. His scientific specialization centers on marine natural products, environmental chemistry, spectroscopy, and bioactive metabolites from marine organisms, particularly those inhabiting the Red Sea ecosystem. His early career began at Mansoura University as an instructor and research assistant (1996–2000), followed by significant research roles in forensic chemistry at the Egyptian Ministry of Justice from 2000 to 2007. He later joined King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Saudi Arabia, where he advanced from Assistant Professor in 2007 to Associate Professor in 2013, and ultimately to Professor of Marine Organic Natural Products in May 2018 in the Marine Chemistry Department, Faculty of Marine Sciences. Prof. Alarif has demonstrated strong leadership through numerous administrative roles at KAU, including Chairman of the Academic Accreditation Committee for the Ph.D. program, Self-Study Coordinator for the B.Sc. program, Academic Advisor for postgraduate studies, and long-term member of key committees such as Academic Affairs and Quality Committees (2014–2024). His research from 2020–2024 focuses on bioactive metabolites from Red Sea soft corals, discovery of novel biologically active compounds from Saudi marine organisms, and nano-sized antifouling preparations from marine environments. He has led major funded research projects including G:173-150-1441, G:450-150-1442, and IFPRC-134-150-2020. Prof. Alarif has also contributed to scientific training globally, including specialized training on Thermo Finnigan LTQ MS/MS mass spectrometry systems in New York, USA. His international impact is reflected in keynote speaking engagements, such as at the International Conference on Pharmaceutical Material, Engineering and Applied Science (ICOPMES 2020) in Indonesia. Prof. Alarif holds notable patents, including a pharmaceutical anticancer composition (US Patent 10,292,972B1) and marine natural product-based TiO₂ nanoparticles for eco-friendly antifouling (2022). His scholarly contributions include numerous publications in journals such as Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, Latinoamericana de Química, Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, CLEAN – Soil, Air, Water, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, and more. With a strong publication record, Scopus ID 36157750600, and Web of Science Researcher ID H-7549-2012, Prof. Alarif continues to advance the frontiers of marine natural product chemistry, contributing significantly to drug discovery, marine ecology, and environmental sustainability.
Featured Publications
Dawidar, A. M., Ayyad, S. N., Abdel-Mogib, M., & Alarif, W. M. (2005). Humulene sesquiterpene lactone from Asteriscus schimperi. Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, 9(1), 137–142.
Ayyad, S. N., Hoye, R. T., Dawidar, A. M., Abdel-Mogib, M., & Alarif, W. M. (2007). Constituents of Melia azedarach L. Revista Latinoamericana de Química, 36(1), 7–12.
Al-lihaibi, S. S., Ayyad, S. N., Al-wessaby, E., & Alarif, W. M. (2010). Dihydroxy-Δ-cholestan-11-one: A new oxidation pattern of cholestane skeleton from Laurencia papillosa. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 38, 861–863.
Alarif, W. M., Ayyad, S. N., & Al-lihaibi, S. S. (2010). Acyclic diterpenoid from the red alga Gracilaria foliifera. Revista Latinoamericana de Química, 38(3), 52–58.
Alarif, W. M., Abou-Elnaga, Z. S., Ayyad, S. N., & Al-lihaibi, S. S. (2010). Insecticidal metabolites from the green alga Caulerpa racemosa. CLEAN – Soil, Air, Water, 38, 548–557.
Al-lihaibi, S. S., Ayyad, S. N., Shaher, F. M., & Alarif, W. M. (2010). Antibacterial sphingolipid and steroids from the black coral Antipathes dichotoma. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 58(11), 1635–1638.
Ayyad, S. N., Makki, M. S., Al-kayal, N. S., Basaif, S. A., El-Foty, K. O., Asiri, A. M., Alarif, W. M., & Badria, F. A. (2011). Cytotoxic and protective DNA damage of three new diterpenoids from the brown alga Dictoyota dichotoma. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 46, 175–182.
Ayyad, S. N., Al-Footy, K. O., Alarif, W. M., Sobahi, T. R., Basaif, S. A., Makki, M. S., Asiri, A. M., Al Halwani, A. Y., Badria, A. F., & Badria, F. A. (2011). Bioactive C15 acetogenins from red alga Laurencia obtusa. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 59(10), 1294–1298.