Dr Ismail Serageldin is an Emeritus Librarian of Alexandria, Former Vice President of World Bank, the Founding Director of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt, the co-chair of the Board of Trustees of the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre (NGIC) and a former Vice-President of the World Bank. He is a member and Chair of many advisory boards for academic, research, scientific, and international institutions. Dr Serageldin has received numerous awards, including the first winner of the Grameen Foundation award for a life-long dedication to the fight against poverty, (1999); Honorary Medal of Pablo Neruda, presented by the Government of Chile (2004); Bajaj Award for the promotion of Gandhian values outside India (2006); Order of the Rising Sun – a golden and silver star presented by the Emperor of Japan (2008); Champion of Youth Award presented by World Youth Congress, Quebec (2008); The Order of Chevalier by the French Legion of Honor given by the President of France (2008); The Millennium Africa Award for Life Achievement, Ghana (2010); Public Welfare Medal, National Academy of Sciences, Washington DC (2011); Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters presented by the Government of France (2011); and presidential medals in Azerbaijan (2015), Montenegro (2016); Albania (2017) and Macedonia (2019).
Dr Serageldin published more than 100 books and monographs and over 500 works on various topics, including biotechnology, rural development, sustainability, and the value of science for society. He graduated in engineering at Cairo University, finished his Masters with distinction and PhD studies at Harvard University and has received 39 honorary doctorates from all over the world."
