Dr. Rimah Alyahya, has made significant contributions to education in Saudi Arabia. Currently, she is a member of the Saudi Shura Council and was one of the first appointed female Deputy Ministers where she served in the Ministry of Education, overseeing Private Higher Education. Dr. Rimah has also been appointed prior to that as the first female Vice Rector of Prince Sultan University, a role that she has assumed for seven years.
Raised in the United States, where she pursued her elementary, intermediate, and secondary education in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, she then moved to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, where she earned her Bachelors and master’s degrees in English Literature from King Saud University. Dr.Rimah then achieved a historic milestone as one of the first Saudi women to have her Ph.D. thesis recommended for public publishing, obtaining her Ph.D. in English Literature fromPrincess Noura University (PNU)in 2005.
Immediately after graduation, she assumed the role of Chairperson of the English and Translation Department at Princess Nora University, demonstrating her dedication to fostering academic excellence. Dr. Alyahya taught English Literature in several higher education institution in the kingdom including PNU, Prince Sultan University and the Open Arab University.
Recognized for her academic expertise, the Ministry of Higher Education entrusted Dr. Rimah with researching critical issues impacting educational aptitude in Saudi Arabia. Her impactful research in English Literature, with a focus on international and immigrant literature, has been published in prestigious journals with high impact factors. She is also actively engaged in speaking at conferences and presenting papers on sustainability in higher education. In 2016, she earned the title of Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Women’s Development in Saudi Arabia, coupled with the Educational Leadership Award.
