Small effort makes big change.

Belgacem Haba

Inventor & semiconductor pioneer · El-Oued, Algeria

Born in 1957, Haba earned his PhD from Stanford and became one of the most inventive engineers in Silicon Valley. With 600+ US patents and 1,700+ worldwide, he pioneered 3D chip integration at IBM, NEC, Tessera, and Google. Ranked #1 most inventive in Silicon Valley since 2008 and among R&D Magazine's global top 100 inventors. He founded the Haba Institute in Algeria to nurture young talent.

Dr. Elias Zerhouni

Radiologist & biomedical engineer · Nedroma, Algeria

Born in 1951, Zerhouni rose to lead the world's largest biomedical research agency as NIH Director — the first immigrant ever to hold the role. Appointed by President Bush and later serving as science envoy under Obama, he pioneered MRI cardiac-tagging techniques still used in cancer diagnosis today. Managed a $28 billion annual budget and launched the landmark NIH Roadmap initiative.

Dr. Yasmine Belkaid

Immunologist & global health leader · Algiers, Algeria

Born in Algiers in 1968, Belkaid built a distinguished career at the US National Institutes of Health (NIAID). In 2024 she became President of the Institut Pasteur in Paris. Elected to the US National Academy of Sciences, she has published 220+ papers reshaping how we understand immunity and the microbiome, with breakthroughs in gut health, skin immunity, and infectious disease.

Dr. Miriam Merad

Oncologist & immunologist · Algeria

Trained at the University of Algiers then Stanford, Merad transformed cancer immunology at Mount Sinai by identifying tissue-resident macrophages and their role in tumors. The first Algerian and Arab woman elected to the US National Academy of Sciences. Her research has been cited thousands of times globally. France awarded her the Legion of Honor in 2025.

Dr. Taha Merghoub

Cancer immunologist · Algeria

Trained at the University of Algiers then Paris (PhD with highest distinction), Merghoub built a landmark career at Memorial Sloan Kettering before becoming Deputy Director of the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. His research on tumor-immune interactions has been published in Nature, Science, and Cancer Cell, with over 17,000 citations. He served as president of the Algerian American Foundation (2017–2020).

Dr. Farouk Dey

Higher education leader & life design pioneer · Algeria

A native of Algeria, Dey became one of the most influential voices in American higher education. After serving as Dean at Stanford and founding Vice Provost at Johns Hopkins, he was appointed President of Palo Alto University in 2025. Named one of LinkedIn's Top 10 Voices in Education, he pioneered the "life design" philosophy to democratize access to meaningful careers for all students.

Noureddine Tayebi

Engineer, inventor & tech entrepreneur · Algiers, Algeria

Born in Algiers in 1977, Tayebi earned a PhD from Stanford and spent 8+ years at Intel accumulating 23 patents. He co-founded InSense (acquired by Mojo Vision) then launched Yassir in 2017 — a ride-hailing and delivery super-app that became North Africa's most valued startup with over $193M in funding and millions of users across Africa and beyond. He mentors startups at Stanford's StartX accelerator.

Prof. Noureddine Melikechi

Physicist & laser scientist · Thénia, Boumerdès, Algeria

Born in 1958 in Algeria, Melikechi became a key scientist on NASA's Mars Curiosity and Perseverance rover missions, analyzing Martian soil using laser spectroscopy. Dean of Sciences at UMass Lowell, he won the NASA Group Achievement Award and was named Delaware's "Ambassador to Mars." His same laser technology also detects early-stage ovarian cancer and melanoma from a single drop of blood.