Search Associates Congratulates Peter Corcoran, New Director for Qatar Academy-Sidra

What’s the best way to get from Seoul to Doha? Ask Peter Corcoran, who, with the assistance of Senior Associate Ralph Jahr, has just been appointed as the new Director of Qatar Academy-Sidra in Doha, Qatar, to start in August 2014. Ralph comments,

“We were pleased when Peter Corcoran was offered and accepted the Director position at Qatar Academy-Sidra. His qualifications and experience made a strong match with the profile of the desired candidate.”

Peter, having previously held administrative and teaching positions in Canada, is currently Director of the Seoul International School in Seoul, South Korea. Prior to that, Mr. Corcoran earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Clinical Neuropsychology from the University of Victoria and a Master’s in Education from the University of British Columbia in Canada.

Peter will be the first Director of Qatar Academy-Sidra (QAS). Established in 2012 under the auspices of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development, QAS currently has students from Kindergarten to Grade 8. QAS will eventually offer a full IB program including the IBD, MYP, and PYP. In addition to this, QAS has its own curriculum based on standards and benchmarks, which are derived from best educational practices and pedagogical theories and which support the International Baccalaureate programs.

The school will serve mainly school-age dependents of the new Sidra Medical and Research Center, also under construction in Education City in Doha, Qatar. Sidra is part of a dynamic research and education environment in Qatar that includes alliances with leading international institutions, such as Georgetown University, as well as other newly established national research centers. The state-of-the-art medical center, complete with ultra-modern, all-digital technology, will employ approximately 5,000 employees, predominately expatriates. Funded with one of the largest endowments ever provided to a medical and research center in the world, the facility will not only provide world-class patient care for women and children, but will also help to build Qatar’s scientific expertise and resources.

Qatar Academy Sidra is currently housed in a temporary facility until the new campus is built, scheduled for completion in 2016. Because neighboring schools are packed to capacity, with waiting lists, Qatar Academy Sidra will quickly expand to a population of 1,000 – 1,200 students from pre-K to 12th grade.

Search Associates congratulates Peter Corcoran on his imminent headship of a school in such an exciting environment of growth, international collaboration, and technological and medical advancement.