Princess Sumaya bint Hassan
| Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan | |
|---|---|
 HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan | |
| Born |
14 May 1971 Amman, Jordan |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | 4 |
| House | Hashemite |
| Father | Prince Hassan bin Talal |
| Mother | Sarvath Ikramullah |
| Religion | Islam |
| Royal family of Jordan |
|---|
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Extended royal family
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Sumaya bint Hassan (born 14 May 1971) is a princess of Jordan.[1]
Early life
Princess Sumaya is the second daughter of Prince Hassan bin Talal and Princess Sarvath al-Hassan. She was born in Amman on 14 May 1971 and received her primary education in Jordan at the Amman Baptist School and subsequently at the International Community School, Jordan. Princess Sumaya later attended Sherborne School for Girls in Dorset, in England. She went on to graduate from the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London with a BA (Hons) in the History of Art, specializing in Early Sources Of Islamic Art and Architecture.
Marriage and children
In August 1992, Princess Sumaya was married to Minister Nasser Judeh, Jordan’s former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs. Judeh was born in Amman in 1961 and is the son of Sami Judeh a former Jordanian state minister, and Lamia Samir Al Rifai. Princess Sumaya and Mr Judeh have four children:
- Tariq Judeh (born 1994); twin brother of Zein, graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2017 with an MA (Hons) in Ancient Mediterranean Civilisations.
- Zein el Sharaf Judeh (born 1994); twin sister of Tariq, graduated from King's College, University of London, in 2017 with a BSc in Adult Nursing.
- Ali Judeh (born 1996); graduated from Georgetown University in 2018 with a BSc in Foreign Service.
- Sukayna Judeh (born 1998); currently attending university.
Career
Princess Sumaya is Chair of the Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT), which she founded in 1991. She is actively involved in its day-to-day management and is dedicated to reinforcing PSUT’s commitment to excellence in education and to making the university a regional hub for IT research and development. Under her leadership, PSUT has become the leading science and technology institution in Jordan, and a ranking-leader in the region.
In October 2006, she was appointed President of the Royal Scientific Society (RSS) by her father, the founder of RSS, Prince El Hassan Bin Talal. The Princess had previously sat on its Board of Trustees.
In her capacity as President of the Royal Scientific Society, Princess Sumaya sits as a member of the Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST), a government body that advises the State on public policy issues relating to science and technology. She is also founder of the Queen Rania Centre for Entrepreneurship (QRCE), Jordan’s first and only university-based centre for Entrepreneurship, and established theQueen Rania National Business Plan Competition for aspiring student entrepreneurs.
She was elected as Chair of the Board of Governors of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA) Technology Centre, which is based on the RSS campus.
She has been a supporter of SESAME for over a decade and has raised awareness of the project at numerous global high-level fora. In May 2017, King Abdullah II invited Princess Sumaya to head the Jordan Delegation at SESAME’s official opening.
As a response to the need for accurate information to inform responses to future challenges, she has established the National Campaign for Public Awareness of the Drivers of Change, an initiative that seeks to initiate debate on the factors that are driving change in the Kingdom. This two-year project was launched by the king in May 2010.
Princess Sumaya was Chair of World Science Forum 2017, which was held historically in Jordan in November 2017 under the theme of "Science for Peace". World Science Forum is a biennial conference founded in 1999 and is the leading global forum for scientists and policymakers. World Science Forum 2017 marked its first time in the Middle East or the Arab World, hosting over 3000 participants from 140 countries over five days on the shores of the Dead Sea.
Princess Sumaya serves as Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Amman Baccalaureate School, which she joined in 2005, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Hashemite Society for Education. In 2009, Princess Sumaya became a member of the Jordan Council of Higher Education.
