Prof. Al-Shamlan, born on March 8, 1945 in Kuwait, is married.
He graduated from Kuwait University with a PhD in Geology (1973), and is fluent in Arabic and English.
He held the successive positions of:
Demonstrator (1967), Assistant Professor (1973), Associate Professor (1978) and Full Professor (since 1985) at Kuwait University.
A former Chairman of Geology Department (1975-1978), Assistant Dean (1978-1982) and Dean of the Faculty of Science since 1982 at Kuwait University, he is currently Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS).
His membership in professional organizations includes the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists.
He is the author of many specialized publications on Microfacies Analysis and Petrography.
Prof. Al-Shamlan chairs the Science College Council of Kuwait and is a member of Kuwait University Council since 1986, a member of the Higher Committee for the Evaluation of the Educational System and the Higher committee for the Establishment of the Kuwait Military Academy.
Prof. Shamlan is a Founding Fellow of the Islamic World Academy of Sciences (1986), and former Minister of Higher Education in Kuwait