Former Qatar-resident Dr Muqeem Khan is an internationally acclaimed transdisciplinary designer, educator, and herbal medicine practitioner whose work bridges Hollywood’s visual effects, academic innovation, and Unani healing traditions.
Dr Khan brings over a decade of academic leadership to Qatar, shaping design education as Associate Professor at Northwestern University (2010–2014) and Assistant Professor at VCU (2005–2010). His global career bridges continents and disciplines—from VFX contributions to George of the Jungle, Flubber, Armageddon, and Final Fantasy at Walt Disney and Square USA, to founding Hakeem Mursaleen Pvt Ltd, which integrates Unani medicine with preventive care. A PhD graduate from Charles Sturt University and recipient of Qatar’s $1 million NPRP grant as Lead Principal Investigator, Dr Khan continues to inspire through multimedia design, indigenous knowledge systems, and holistic healthcare.
Unani (Greek) medicine is one of the few ancient healing systems still practiced today. Medicine runs in Dr Khan’s blood; it’s a family tradition passed down from his father. His father, Hakeem Mursaleen, was a respected figure in this field. After a transformative year as a professor at the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation, Dr Khan, a design visionary and Unani herbalist, returned to Karachi to uplift communities through his holistic health clinics and dynamic teaching at Aga Khan University.
In a recent online interview with the Qatar Tribune, Khan shared insightful reflections on his dual journey as an academic and a practitioner of herbal medicine. Excerpts.
You spent nearly a decade in Qatar, how did that experience shape you personally and professionally?
My nine years in Qatar were transformative. I arrived with ink-stained fingers from the old fingerprinting process, and watched the country evolve into a tech-driven society. As an academic and designer at VCUarts and Northwestern University in Qatar, I contributed to shaping its creative and knowledge economy. Qatar didn’t just offer me a career, it redefined me. As I often say: “Qatar transformed me from a dreamer with ink-stained fingers to a designer of its knowledge economy.”
How did your father’s legacy and your early interests shape your path in both herbal medicine and design?
My father’s mastery of herbal medicine and calligraphy began in Delhi, rooted in a rich family tradition. After partition, he moved to Karachi with support from Hakeem Muhammad Saeed, evolving from pharmacist to practicing Hakeem. Named after the legendary Hakeem Muqeem of Delhi, I was expected to carry on that legacy—while cultivating my own passion for design. In 9th grade, my first computer sparked a love for digital creativity. I designed credits for a Gul Gee documentary, won art awards in Karachi and Geneva, and earned degrees in Interior and Industrial Design from The Ohio State University. Before finishing my master’s, I joined Walt Disney as a Special Effects Artist, with my first major project being the digital elephant in George of the Jungle.
Can you walk us through your journey from Hollywood to herbal medicine and academia?
After years in Hollywood’s VFX industry, I returned to family and taught design at the University of Sharjah for five years while studying Unani medicine under my father. I later served as Associate Professor at VCU and Northwestern University in Qatar. During a research residency in Australia, a call from my father reignited my commitment to Unani medicine. With formal education and a government license already secured, I pursued a PhD at Charles Sturt University to integrate traditional healing with design. This shift led to my clinical practice in Unani diagnosis and treatment. I now teach design thinking at Aga Khan University and work as a registered herbalist in FB Area and DHA, Karachi—merging Unani medicine, speculative design, and digital visual culture in a human-centered approach.
What was your PhD about, and how does it involve multidisciplinary studies?
My doctoral research explored Speculative Design as a tool to engage with intangible cultural heritage, oral traditions, rituals, and tacit knowledge like Unani pulse diagnosis. By bridging design with ancestral epistemologies, I aimed to reframe these practices within modern academic and digital contexts. This included examining how Artificial Intelligence (AI) transforms such knowledge into digital intangible heritage, a focus now recognised by UNESCO.
How does pulse reading diagnose disease?
The pulse reflects both body and emotion. Originating from Hippocrates’ four humors and refined by Galen, ancient physicians read its patterns—frog-like, mouse-like—to diagnose. My father compared it to a sitar string: “Learn to read it, and you’ll understand a person completely.”
What is the philosophy behind the Unani medicinal system?
Unani medicine emphasises restoring the body’s natural balance, considering individual temperament—hot, cold, moist, or dry—alongside lifestyle, digestion, and emotional well-being. Based on the four humors (Safra, Balgham, Soda, Khoon), it parallels systems like Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, relying on deep observation over lab tests.
What’s the core difference between Unani and other systems?
Unani medicine treats root causes through a holistic mind-body-spirit approach. I think it should not compete with allopathy but complement it, especially where surgery or emergency care is needed. Together, both systems can offer more comprehensive healthcare.
What else would you like to achieve in your life, and how does it relate to your work?
I aspire to advance Unani medicine through the Hakeem Mursaleen Foundation (www.hakeemmursaleenfoundation.org), inspired by my father’s legacy and my journey in design and healing. The foundation seeks to preserve Unani’s holistic principles, offering educational programs, awareness about health and lifestyle diseases, digital archives, and community help in Karachi and beyond. By blending traditional knowledge with design innovation, I aim to create culturally resonant, human-centered healthcare solutions that promote wellness
globally.
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