Benha University President Congratulates Researcher Bilal Salem on Global Discovery of Great Ape Fossils in Egypt's Western Desert

Prof. Nasser El-Gizawy, President of Benha University, extended his congratulations to researcher Bilal Salem—PhD candidate at Ohio University and Assistant Lecturer at Benha University—along with the research team at Mansoura University, for their groundbreaking discovery of ancestors of great apes dating back 18 million years in Egypt's Western Desert. He praised this remarkable scientific achievement, which has been published in Science, one of the world's most prestigious journals.
Prof. El-Gizawy also congratulated prof. Sherif Khater, President of Mansoura University, and prof. Hesham Sallam, head of the research team, for their leadership and support of Bilal Salem throughout his academic journey, as well as for fostering collaborative research between the two universities.
He emphasized that Benha University is proud of its many outstanding young scientists across diverse fields of research, reaffirming the university's commitment to cultivating a stimulating academic environment for young researchers and ensuring that scientific research is closely linked to societal challenges.
It is worth noting that Bilal Salem earned his Master's degree in vertebrate paleontology from Ohio University in the United States. He has three internationally published papers in high-impact Q1 journals, in addition to numerous abstracts presented at major international conferences. He is currently pursuing his PhD at Ohio University and serves as a team member and specialist in reptile and bird fossils at Mansoura University's Vertebrate Paleontology Center.