Mohamed H. A. Hassan is Special Advisor to OWSD and was a founding member of the study group that met in 1987 to discuss the possibility of setting up an organization dedicated to the needs of women in science in developing countries.

M. Hassan is President of TWAS, the World Academy of Sciences, co-chair of the global network of science academies (IAP) , and chairman of the Council of the United Nations University (UNU). He also serves on a number of Boards of international organizations worldwide, including START - the global change SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training, based in Washington, USA, the Board of Trustees of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt; the Council of Science and Technology in Society Forum in Japan; the Board of the International Science Programme in Sweden; the Board of the Science Initiative Group, USA; and the International Advisory Board of the Centre for International Development in Germany.

After obtaining his DPhil in Mathematics from the University of Oxford M. Hassan returned to Sudan as Lecturer at the University of Khartoum, and later became Professor and Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences. He has many publications in theoretical plasma physics and fusion Energy; and in wind erosion, dust and sand transport in dry lands. He has also published several articles on science and technology in the developing world.

M.  Hassan was founding executive director of TWAS, president of the African Academy of Sciences and chairman, Honorary Presidential Advisory Council for Science and Technology in Nigeria. Among his honours: Comendator, Grand Cross, and National Order of Scientific Merit, Brazil; and Officer, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

M. Hassan is a member of several merit-based academies of science, including TWAS, the African Academy of Sciences; and the Islamic World Academy of Sciences; as well as the national science academies of Belgium, Columbia, Cuba, Lebanon, Pakistan and South Africa.