Emily Drill stands between two Carnegie Mellon in Qatar students as they take a selfie together.

Biological Sciences Faculty Exchange Encourages a Unified Learning Experience

By Angela Ford Email Angela Ford

By Kirsten Heuring Email Kirsten Heuring

Heidi Opdyke

Faculty in Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Biological Sciences cross borders to inspire a world of learning. The department bridges two continents and two campuses — the flagship campus in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the undergraduate campus in Doha, Qatar.

Yasser Majeed, assistant teaching professor of biological sciences at CMU-Q, is the first faculty member from Biological Sciences to participate in a faculty exchange. Majeed, who joined Carnegie Mellon in 2024, spent seven weeks in Pittsburgh during the fall of 2024. The experience helped him understand the teaching philosophy and methods at Carnegie Mellon.

"CMU follows a Socratic approach, which encourages students to arrive at answers through guided questioning," Majeed said. "It teaches students how to think through problems."

Majeed teaches a genetics laboratory course and works closely with Carrie Doonan, teaching professor and director of undergraduate laboratories for Biological Sciences. Doonan guided Majeed in key aspects of teaching laboratory courses and introduced him to the department's culture and philosophy.

"Carnegie Mellon emphasizes the educational experience, and in lab courses this is particularly important," Majeed said. "I really value how connected our faculty is in Qatar with our colleagues in Pittsburgh. We collaborate and we align our teaching practices so students in both places receive the same experience."

CMU-Q offers programs in biological sciences, business administration, computer science and information systems. Students who attend CMU-Q have identical graduation requirements as those on the main campus. CMU-Q graduates have CMU degrees, conferred from the Pittsburgh campus.

While Majeed was in Pittsburgh, Emily Drill, associate teaching professor of biological sciences on the Pittsburgh campus, traveled to CMU-Q to teach lab courses and learn about the campus.

"We work hard to make sure that course structure and the learning objectives are very much the same between the Pittsburgh campus and the Qatar campus, and these lab courses are really critical to the student experience," Drill said. "This was a chance to see firsthand how courses run there and to see what we could do to make sure that we're aligning our teaching objectives."

Drill taught Experimental Techniques in Molecular Biology lab and Neurobiology of Disease, an elective class that typically is not offered on the Qatar campus.

"The latter was a really fun class to teach," Drill said. "Since it's an introductory course, you get a big mix of students, so I had first years, second years and fourth years. They all really enjoyed it."

Doonan, who spent two weeks at the Qatar campus in January 2025, is a strong supporter of faculty exchange: "Students learn better when they hear different perspectives. Faculty exchange fosters collaboration and teamwork, and I think that makes us all better teachers."

Majeed strongly recommends faculty exchange, especially for professors new to Carnegie Mellon. "This was such an enriching experience, and an excellent way to begin teaching at CMU-Q," Majeed said. "I strongly recommend other new faculty members to make the most of this opportunity."

Drill said that the experience is just as valuable for faculty who have been at Carnegie Mellon for years.

"Getting to spend time in that environment was really impactful," Drill said. "It helps to connect the department and give the students across both campuses a richer experience," Drill said.