Abdulkader M. Afifi is a Professor of geology at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. He leads the Arabian Plate Geology (APG) research group focused on the geology and natural resources of Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea. He started his career in 1980 with the USGS Mission in Saudi Arabia in geological mapping and mineral exploration. He worked from 1991 until 2017 in Aramco’s Exploration Organization where he held technical and management roles in oil and gas exploration, reservoir characterization, and upstream joint ventures. Abdulkader has a PhD in geology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, a Masters from the Colorado School of Mines, and a Bachelors (high honors) from KFUPM. He also completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School. He is active in professional societies as an author, lecturer, conference organizer, and field trip leader. He served for two decades as an associate editor of GeoArabia. He served the American Association of Petroleum Geologists as an International distinguished lecturer, councilor, and president of the Middle East region. He also served on various committees including the executive committee of the Saudi Geological Survey and the alumni advisory board of the University of Michigan’s earth and environmental sciences department.