Assistant Professor in Physics, Abu Dhabi University
Laila Al Sakkaf is an Assistant Professor at Abu Dhabi University, specializing in nonlinear physics and soliton dynamics. She completed her Ph.D. in Physics at UAE University (2019-2023) with a focus on Lax integrability and nonlinear Schrödinger equations. She has worked as an instructor and research assistant at UAE University, contributing to undergraduate and graduate education. Laila has an extensive research background, collaborating internationally, including a visit to Australian National University. She holds a patent on acousto-optic lenses and has authored multiple research papers in leading journals. Her work has been presented at global conferences such as APS and AIS. She is fluent in Arabic and English and has received the Arab Fund Associateship at ICTP for research collaboration. Passionate about theoretical and applied physics, she continues advancing nonlinear wave studies while mentoring students in higher education.
Profile
Scholar
🎓 Education
Laila Al Sakkaf earned her Ph.D. in Physics from UAE University (2019-2023) with a dissertation on nonlinear Schrödinger equations under Prof. Usama Al Khawaja (GPA: 3.74/4.00). She completed her M.Sc. in Physics at UAE University (2015-2018), focusing on power series solutions for nonlinear PDEs (GPA: 3.83/4.00). Her B.Sc. in Physics from UAE University (2010-2015) included a capstone project on ferromagnetism using the Ising model (GPA: 3.81/4.00). She was a full-scholarship student throughout her academic career and received training at Australian National University. She also completed the Ph.D. Teaching Academy Program at UAE University (2021-2022) and contributed to UAE’s Ministry of Education curriculum development (2021-2022). Her strong academic foundation has enabled her to excel in research, education, and international collaborations.
💼 Work Experience
Laila Al Sakkaf is an Assistant Professor at Abu Dhabi University (2024-Present). She was previously an Instructor at UAE University (2023-2024), teaching General Physics I. She co-instructed a graduate course on nonlinear differential equations (2022) and taught General Physics Lab II (2021-2022). As a Research Assistant (2018-2019), she contributed to physics research, and as a Graduate Assistant (2016-2018), she supported academic programs. She also taught Physics, Math, and Science at Ibn Khaldoun Islamic Private School (2015) and worked as an Undergraduate Research Assistant (2013-2014). She has collaborated internationally, visiting Australian National University (2022) for scientific research. Her experience spans undergraduate and graduate teaching, research mentorship, and curriculum development.
🏆 Awards and Honors
Laila Al Sakkaf received the prestigious Arab Fund Associateship at ICTP (2024-Present), allowing three research visits over three years for scientific collaboration. She was granted a U.S. patent (US11860384B1) for acousto-optic lens formation using spherical acoustic waves (2024). She secured a full scholarship for her Ph.D. at UAE University (2019-2023) and was selected for the Ph.D. Teaching Academy Program (2021-2022). She has presented her research at international conferences, including APS, AIS, and UAEGSRC. Her scientific contributions have earned her recognition in the fields of nonlinear physics and soliton dynamics.
🔬 Research Focus
Laila Al Sakkaf specializes in nonlinear physics, soliton dynamics, and integrability of nonlinear Schrödinger equations. Her research explores exact solutions, scattering properties, and wave interactions in optical and quantum systems. She has developed new methodologies for solving complex differential equations and has worked on acousto-optic lens formation. Her contributions include high-impact journal publications and a patent in wave optics. She collaborates with international researchers, including work at Australian National University. She actively participates in scientific conferences and interdisciplinary projects in mathematical physics.
Conclusion
Dr. Laila Al Sakkaf exhibits a strong profile with notable academic achievements, research contributions, and international collaborations, making her a compelling candidate for a Young Scientist Award. Addressing the identified areas for improvement could further strengthen her candidacy and contribute to her professional growth in the scientific community.
Publication
Al Khawaja, U., & Al Sakkaf, L. (2024). Handbook of exact solutions to the nonlinear Schrödinger equations. IOP Publishing. [31 citations]
Al-Mdallal, Q. M., Aman, S., Rehman, K. U., Al Sakkaf, L. Y., & Saranya, S. (2022). Numerical investigation of heat generation and magnetohydrodynamic flow of fluid over a shrinking infinite long cylinder through porous medium. Journal of Nanofluids, 11(2), 285-295. [12 citations]
Mohammed Elhadj, K., Al Sakkaf, L., Al Khawaja, U., & Boudjemâa, A. (2020). Singular soliton molecules of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Physical Review E, 101(4), 042221. [12 citations]
Al Sakkaf, L., & Al Khawaja, U. (2020). Superposition principle and composite solutions to coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations. Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences, 43(17), 10168-10189. [11 citations]
Al Sakkaf, L., & Al Khawaja, U. (2022). High accuracy power series method for solving scalar, vector, and inhomogeneous nonlinear Schrödinger equations. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 61(12), 11803-11824. [9 citations]
Uthayakumar, T., Al Sakkaf, L., & Al Khawaja, U. (2020). Peregrine solitons of the higher-order, inhomogeneous, coupled, discrete, and nonlocal nonlinear Schrödinger equations. Frontiers in Physics, 8, 596886. [9 citations]
Al Sakkaf, L., & Al Khawaja, U. (2023). Reflectionless potentials and resonant scattering of flat-top and thin-top solitons. Physical Review E, 107(1), 014202. [7 citations]
Al Sakkaf, L., & Al Khawaja, U. (2022). Bound-states spectrum of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with Pöschl-Teller and square-potential wells. Physical Review E, 106(2), 024206. [7 citations]
Elhadj, K. M., Al Sakkaf, L., Boudjemâa, A., & Al Khawaja, U. (2024). Quantum droplet molecules in Bose-Bose mixtures. Physics Letters A, 494, 129274. [5 citations]
Uthayakumar, T., Al Sakkaf, L., & Al Khawaja, U. (2021). High-speed soliton ejection generated from the scattering of bright solitons by modulated reflectionless potential wells. Physical Review E, 104(3), 034203. [5 citations]
Sakkaf, L. A., Uthayakumar, T., & Khawaja, U. A. (2022). Quantum reflection of dark solitons scattered by reflectionless potential barrier and position-dependent dispersion. Physical Review E, 105(6), 064207. [4 citations]
Alotaibi, M. O. D., Al Sakkaf, L., & Al Khawaja, U. (2023). Unidirectional flow of flat-top solitons. Physics Letters A, 487, 129120. [2 citations]
Alotaibi, M. O. D., Al Sakkaf, L., & Al Khawaja, U. (2025). Generalized flat-top soliton solutions to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with multi power-law nonlinearities and higher-order dispersion terms. Physics Letters A, 534, 130225.
Khawaja, U. A., Alotaibi, M. O. D., & Sakkaf, L. A. (2024). Elastic and inelastic scattering of flat-top solitons. Physical Review E, 110(4), 044215.