She received a PhD in Automotive Engineering from Clemson University, SC, in 2012 and became the first women in the United States to earn a PhD degree in Automotive Engineering. Her research interests include design for manufacturing, sustainable manufacturing, and Origami sheet metal folding as well as applications to the vehicle’s body in white design and structure. Qattawi received the Hellman Faculty Award in 2016 and was named an Emerging Scholar of the Year 2017 by the Diverse: Issues In Higher Education Emerging Scholar. Qattawi’s research has been funded by the University of California President Office, The Hellman Foundation, and The University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS).