Dr Talal A. Alsedairy

Chairman

Dr Talal bin Ahmed bin Turki AlSedairy is Chairman of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Saudi Arabia and Senior Vice President for Research and Development at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), a post he assumed by royal order effective July 2022. In that role he leads KACST's research and development across future economies, energy, industry, health and environmental sustainability, and oversees the National Lab function. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Surrey awarded in 2013, an MSc in Mobile and Satellite Communications from the same university in 2009, and a BSc in Electrical Engineering from King Saud University in 2006. He previously directed KACST's Space and Aeronautics Research Institute between 2019 and 2022 after serving as its deputy director, helped establish joint research centres with the California Institute of Technology, advised the President of the Saudi Space Commission on national space strategy and space law, and was part of the founding team of the General Authority for Military Industries. He is a board member and President of the Scientific Committee at the King Salman Center for Disability Research. At World Quantum Day 2025 he delivered the keynote announcing the Quantum Valley initiative, a collaboration between KACST, Saudi Aramco and SDAIA to operate the Kingdom's first quantum computer with IBM and Pasqal as partners.