Dr. Khaja Mohteshamuddin

Dr. Khaja joined UAEU, College of Agriculture & Veterinary Medicine (formerly known as College of Food & Agriculture) in the year 2016 at Department of Veterinary Medicine as an Instructor. Since then, he has proactively served the institution at different levels. He continues to provide excellent instruction to the students of Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) program since his joining at the UAEU. Being licensed Veterinarian has enabled Dr. Khaja to organize and conduct hands‐on training sessions for students in farms, clinics and laboratories. He has prepared important laboratory practical manuals for several of the infectious diseases, immunology and clinical pathology courses, serves as part of the department’s clinical relations and outreach team engaging in building relations with the community, stakeholders and various relevant organizations, and also serves on the Department’s curriculum committee with special contributions on mapping general education courses in relation to the BVM program. Dr. Khaja contributes importantly as the Department’s originator in UAEU Curricunet system having submitted the modified Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine program curriculum proposal and 65 new course proposals along with a Master of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences proposal. He is a very active member of the Department’s council contributing to upgrading the veterinary laboratories, campus development and clinical skills training facilities on Falaj Hazza facility while also mentoring newly joined faculty members.

Dr. Khaja is very much engaged with onboarding students and supporting them throughout the BVM program.  He is a member of the BVM  program  admissions  panel  involved  with  preparing  and conducting the entrance exams, screening tests and personal interviews of the candidates, he then serves as an academic advisor of many of the students entering the program and mentors them as they proceed on choosing the appropriate career choices and providing career counselling and professional development advice. He engages actively in student‐based research activities from Sure Plus and SDG grants as well as other research projects with peer‐reviewed publication outcomes and participation in scientific conferences in the field of animal health and veterinary medicine, having facilitated field‐ oriented research to address food security goals and the problems of the farming community as well as animal health and welfare issues in the companion animal community.   Dr. Khaja also mentors students on effective and appropriate community service involving them in various community initiatives such as the Al Ain and Abu Dhabi Pet Festivals and animal welfare campaigns.

At the College administrative level, Dr. Khaja plays an important role having served as the Dean’s office work director during the period 2021‐2023 while also serving as the college website coordinator and social media strategist as well as helping prepare the college business plan in the period 2021‐2023 taking on the tasks of risk management  planning and preparation  as well as business and strategic planning  and preparation.  Dr. Khaja developed  and classified  a CAVM  stakeholder  list for various public and private institutions in the country. He has served on various CAVM committees including:

• Digital Branding and Outreach Committee (serving as Chair)
• KPI reporting committee (serving as Chair)
• Farms Coordination Committee
• Annual Report and Newsletter Committee
• Online task force during Covid‐19 epidemic
• Digital Course transformation project liaison
• Liaison/coordinator  for handling SSR reports and updates
• College week organization committee

Dr. Khaja is also recognized for preparing and guiding CAVM students to participate in various external competitions notably having served as faculty supervisor for two consecutive years to train students for the Pan‐Arab Emirates Environmental group public speaking competition in 2021 and 2022.

At the University  level Dr. Khaja has been recognized  for his efforts  aimed  at human  and animal welfare and well‐being on UAEU campus and the greater Al Ain and UAE community including serving as CAVM representative on the wellbeing committee‐employee wellbeing and relations team, creating the UAEU animal welfare student club unit and mentoring it for the benefit of the UAEU Community and  involving  CAVM  and  other  college  students,  securing  sponsorships  for  food,  vaccines  and medicines for UAEU community cats, providing professional veterinary services to UAEU students’ pet animals, providing technical consultancy  to the UAEU animal welfare community and Al Ain animal welfare  society,  and  serving  as  consultant  expert  veterinarian  with regard to animal‐related  activities on UAEU premises. He continues to make other numerous contributions at the university level including providing expert advice to postgraduate students at UAEU and other universities, engaging in research and service with multiple faculty members in diverse multidisciplinary projects, providing clinical diagnostic services to stakeholders  in areas of animal health and diseases as well as reproduction,  and leading a cutting‐ edge  technological  research  project  based  on  Biosensors in animal health with internal and external partners.