Diamond Light Source hosted a delegation from SESAME in Jordan, marking a renewed commitment to the existing scientific collaboration between the two facilities.
Also in attendance was Professor Dame Angela McLean, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, a representative of His Excellency Manar M Dabbas, Jordan’s ambassador the UK and Professor Samar Hasnain, the UK’s representative on the SESAME Council since 2004.
The visit marked a new phase in the long-standing relationship between the two synchrotron facilities, which share a mission of advancing scientific excellence and fostering cross-border collaboration.
SESAME, located in Allan, Jordan, is an intergovernmental research centre established under UNESCO and inspired by the cooperative model of CERN. It brings together scientists from across the Middle East and neighbouring regions, serving as a scientific hub of shared research.
The UK has been involved with SESAME since its inception, serving as a founding observer nation and offering guidance and expertise throughout the facility’s development over the past two decades.
Read more on the Diamond website
Image: L-R: Dr Kawal Sawhney (head of the Optics and Metrology group), Professor Samar Hasnain (UK representative on the SESAME Council), Dr Richard Walker (Diamond Technical Director), Professor Sofia Diaz-Moreno (Spectroscopy group leader), Dame Angela McLean (UK government chief scientific adviser), Dr Khaled Toukan (Director of SESAME), Professor Gianluigi Botton (CEO of Diamond Light Source), representative of the Jordan ambassador to the UK, Professor Sir Chris Llewellyn-Smith (former president of SESAME Council), Professor Michael Fitzpatrick (Diamond board member), Professor Sir Mark Walport (foreign secretary and vice president of the Royal Society) Dr Maher Attal (SESAME Technical Director), Dr Adrian Mancuso (Diamond Physical Science Director), Dr Martin Walsh (interim Diamond Life Science Director), Professor Andy Dent, Dr Andrea Lausi (SESAME Science Director)
Credit: Diamond Light Source