Dr Ali A Daffa’ was born in 1938 (1358 H) at Anayza (Gassim, Saudi Arabia). He obtained his BSc from the Stephen F Austin State University in 1967, then his MSc from East Texas State University in 1968. In 1972, He was awarded his PhD from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University (USA).

He joined King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran (Saudi Arabia) in 1972 as Assistant Professor and became Associate Professor in 1977. He was appointed Chairman of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, KFUPM, for the period 1974-1977, and then Dean of the College of Sciences (1977-1984). In 1980, he was promoted to Full Professor.

A visiting Professor at King Saud University, Riyadh (1979-1982), and at Harvard University, USA (1983), Prof. Daffa' was twice elected President of the Union of Arab Mathematicians and Physicists (1979-1981 and 1986-1988). Prof. Daffa’ is/was member of the following organisations: the Committee of the Islamic Civilization Encyclopedia, the Royal Academy of Islamic Civilization Research, Jordan; the Academy of the Arabic Language, Jordan (honorary); the Scientific Council of the Islamic Foundation for Science, Technology and Development (IFSTAD), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; the Board of King Faisal Centre for Islamic Studies and Research, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia); and the Arab Scientific Society, Baghdad, Iraq.

He is the author of 36 books on mathematics and the History of Sciences (32 in Arabic, 4 in English) and more than 250 articles in international and Saudi magazines.

Prof. Daffa’ is a Founding Fellow of the Islamic Academy of Sciences (1986).