2011-2012
ANNUAL REVIEW
VISION
MISSION
CONTENTS
KAUST will be a globally renowned graduate university that makes significant contributions to scientific and technological advancement, and will play a crucial role in the development of Saudi Arabia and the world.
KAUST advances science and technology through bold and collaborative research. It educates scientific and technological leaders, catalyzes the diversification of the Saudi economy, and addresses challenges of regional and global significance, thereby serving the Kingdom, the region, and the world.
03 The King's Dream 05 Message from the President 07 Education 23 Research 59 Economic and Technology Development 65 Our People and Community 73 Governance and Leadership
ANNUAL REVIEW, 2011-2012 INAUGURAL ISSUE
SHARING THE DREAM
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud had a dream to found a university of global excellence that would rekindle the great traditions of scholarship and service that characterized the Golden Age of Islamic Civilization. It would be one imbued with a spirit that seeks knowledge not only for its own sake, but also for the larger purpose of serving humanity through finding scientific and engineering solutions to the challenges of the Kingdom and beyond.
THE KING’S DREAM “The idea of this University has been a dream of mine for more than 25 years,” said the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in his address at the inauguration of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. He hoped, he said, with the University’s creation, to rekindle the flame of learning that was prevalent during the Golden Age of Islam when scholars from all over the world met in centers of learning to discover and innovate. “It is my desire that the new University become one of the world’s great institutions of research; that it educate and train future generations of scientists, engineers, and technologists…” He hoped that the knowledge gained would be put to use for the betterment of the people of Saudi Arabia, the region, and the world. He did not envision just a university. He intended to build an entire community where people from around the globe lived, studied, and worked together. “Our intention is to create an enduring model for advanced education and scientific research. A complete residential and academic compound will permit the faculty, staff, students, associates, and their families to enjoy a rich and broad range of educational programs and social amenities. In providing a strong foundation for all aspects of life and work in the University, we aim to ensure its success in promoting the economic development and social prosperity of the people of the Kingdom and the world,” he said. He foresaw the University serving “as a bridge between people and cultures” and as a “beacon for peace, hope, and reconciliation.” Now, five years later, the extraordinary University is built, bringing together a world-renowned faculty, outstanding students from Saudi Arabia, the region, and the world, and dedicated staff living and working together intent on fulfilling the King’s dream.
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The idea of this University has been a dream of mine for more than 25 years."
The most precious institutional gift that a human can give or receive is a university. We, the charter members of KAUST, have not only witnessed a miraculous birth – through the generosity of King Abdullah, we have been incorporated into it! To be brought into this “global neighborhood” of scholars and to watch it evolve in scale and quality toward its own legacies of sustainability and peace through science and technology is a life-defining experience. I cannot hope for a greater thrill, but only that this thrill should be experienced by more people.” ~David Keyes, Dean, Mathematical and Computer Sciences and Engineering King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is a huge leap for Saudi Arabia. I feel privileged to be part of this great development in Saudi history. The University was not built for scientific purposes only. On the contrary, it is a cultural hub that helps many international people learn about our country, be exposed to our culture, and understand its uniqueness. Building the University, the King raised the standards for us as individuals to think differently, to be more challenged and, most importantly, to be more creative.” ~Shahd Mannaa, Communications Coordinator It is not every day that you get to see a new institution come into existence, let alone be part of it as a founding student. To many, my choice to come to KAUST was a big risk, but it never was to me after reading the first page of the website, entitled 'Message from the King.' Back then I was an enthusiast of his dream. Now, I am part of it fulfilling his dream inch by inch, day by day. I take great pride and honor in the fact that I am involved in a project of such grandeur.”
~Sou Miyake, PhD candidate
My time at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology has been like nothing I knew before. All of us, whether Saudis, Mexicans, Chinese or Americans, agree that KAUST has been our most unique experience so far. For that, my gratitude, and that of my colleagues, goes to King Abdullah for transforming his amazing dream into the most fascinating journey of our lives. We are given many opportunities to stretch our minds, meet new challenges and work together with people from all over the world to meet goals for the good of mankind. ” ~May Majed Altawati Alqurashi, PhD candidate
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT EXCELLENCE WITH PURPOSE: AN EPIC JOURNEY
In founding our University, King Abdullah brought to life his long-cherished dream and launched us on an epic journey.
this vision of excellence with purpose, I resolved to become part of this ambitious endeavor by the Red Sea.
My own journey with KAUST began five years ago. Standing on the desert sands of Thuwal and gazing at the sea sparkling in the distance, I saw glimmers of King Abdullah’s dream of a world-renowned research university for Saudi Arabia dedicated to scholarship and service, to taking on the grand challenges of the 21st century and to building bridges from the Kingdom to the world – across communities, cultures, and continents. Enthralled by what I saw of the transformative potential of
Three years after KAUST’s Inauguration, our young University is striding steadfastly towards building a research university with global impact and reach, one that is also rooted in the Kingdom. At KAUST, we are fostering rootedness through our people, Saudi and international, dedicated to the highest academic standards and working together to support the aspirations of the Kingdom and contribute to its economic growth.
… a world-renowned research university for Saudi Arabia dedicated to scholarship and service, to taking on the grand challenges of the 21st century, and to building bridges from the Kingdom to the world …”
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Aspiring to live and work by KAUST’s core values of merit, excellence, and rootedness, we embrace a culture of openness with respect, passion with patience, and diversity with sensitivity.” The pages ahead in this inaugural issue of our Annual Review offer a glimpse of our diverse and lively community’s efforts and progress in this exhilarating journey. We have embarked on a quest for excellence in discovery and delivery through science and engineering for the benefit of humankind. Our pursuit of excellence with purpose energizes KAUST’s core missions of education, research, and economic development. Striving for excellence in research, education, and innovation, our scientists and engineers collaborate across disciplines to address the grand challenges of our times. Aspiring to live and work by KAUST’s core values of merit, excellence, and rootedness, we embrace a culture of openness with respect, passion with patience, and diversity with sensitivity. We are growing a dynamic academic community where opportunities abound. Our University invests in people – the proven and the promising – offering opportunities to excel, opportunities to make a difference, and opportunities worthy of the ambitions that brought us to join this journey of epic proportions. We have built momentum in the first mile of our quest to run with the best in the world and serve humanity. As we pursue excellence with purpose together, we are shaping our University that rose from the sands of Thuwal. In turn, KAUST is shaping us – intellectually and culturally.
When taking on the responsibility as founding president, I affirmed that we have a trust to keep and a dream to fulfill. The King’s dream to build a university of global excellence, imbued with a spirit that seeks knowledge not only for its own sake, but for the larger purpose of bringing knowledge in fruitful service of peoples everywhere, still lies ahead of us. Five years later, I hold fast to my unwavering belief that our greatest hope and best assurance of sharing and fulfilling the King’s dream resides within the talented and dedicated individuals of our dynamic community by the Red Sea.
… best assurance of sharing and fulfilling the King’s dream resides within the talented and dedicated individuals of our dynamic community by the Red Sea.”
CHOON FONG SHIH PRESIDENT
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annual review |
EDUCATION
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology integrates education and research that transcends disciplinary boundaries to educate the next generation of scholars and scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs who can make a difference to the Kingdom and beyond.
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A university is first and foremost a collection of people – not just any people, but great entrepreneurial minds that come together to create, innovate, and discover. They make up the soul, strength, and substance of this University.� ~H.E. Ali I. Al-Naimi, Chairman, KAUST Board of Trustees
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Annual Review | Education
Students discuss their orientation meetings. New students came from all over the world.
STUDENTS They came in mid-August from all over the globe, many far, far from home. Some came alone; others with their families. All 252 came anticipating one of the most extraordinary experiences of their lives. They were at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, a university and a community that would be their home for 18 months as they entered the MS degree program or at least three years if they were entering the PhD degree program. What drew them to KAUST? I learned about KAUST from my father. He is in Project Management with Saudi Aramco and was helping to build the University. I was in school in Canada and thinking about where to go for my higher degrees. He thought KAUST was a great opportunity. Everything he said about it encouraged me to apply. I had lived in many different countries with my parents when my father was sent on projects. That made me interested in diversity, in learning about people from different cultures. KAUST promised students from all over the world, and I liked that. Coming to KAUST was also a chance to come back to my roots and Arabic.” Sarah Almahdali, Saudi Arabia My advisor in my college in Brazil heard about KAUST from a professor who used to be at my university and was now a professor at KAUST. He encouraged me to speak to her. She spoke about the huge investment the King was making in the University, the facilities being built and the type of research that was going on, research that could make a real difference for the Students meet in world. She talked about the diverse group of students too. I wanted to learn about other Discovery Square. cultures and about the Middle East so that really interested me. I am so glad I talked to her and applied. ” Fabio Ravanelli, Brazil A recruiter came to my university to talk about KAUST in 2009. I still had two years to complete before finishing my undergraduate degree, but I was so excited that I never forgot that presentation. Others from my school came to KAUST before me and had wonderful things to say about the University. When I was nearing the completion of my degree, I applied and was accepted. My parents, in fact, my whole family, encouraged me to come, even though I am so far away. I have always been interested in the Middle East. Now I am here and very happy to be.” Bingmu Xiao, China No matter what their reasons for choosing KAUST, they all came with a common purpose – to learn, conduct research, and hopefully and ambitiously innovate to meet the challenges of their generation.
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STUDENT STATISTICS 2011-2012 ACADEMIC YEAR Students for MS degree by Academic Division
Students for PhD degree by Academic Division
HOME REGIONS
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Annual Review | Education
ACADEMIC DIVISIONS Excellence with purpose is a neverending quest."
A student finds a quiet space to think.
~Choon Fong Shih
At the 2011 Convocation on September 5, President Choon Fong Shih asked students, professors, and staff to foster a culture of excellence at the University. He explained, “A culture of excellence is one of hard work and teamwork, where each of us strives to reach our full potential, where we help others to reach theirs…It entrenches the tireless pursuit of excellence and celebrates individual and collective talent, passion, and ambition.” The hard work towards excellence began September 3, the first day of classes, when students began their journey toward their degrees in one of three Divisions – Chemical and Life Sciences and Engineering (CLSE); Mathematical and Computer Sciences and Engineering (MCSE); and Physical Sciences and Engineering (PSE). Degrees offered in each Division are:
CLSE • Bioscience • Chemical and Biological Engineering • Chemical Sciences • Environmental Science and Engineering • Marine Science
MCSE • Applied Mathematics and Computational Science • Computer Science
PSE • Earth Science and Engineering • Electrical Engineering • Materials Science and Engineering • Mechanical Engineering
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The meeting of international cultures and ideas at KAUST creates a dynamic atmosphere for learning.
The MS degree is a 36-credit program designed so that most students finish in three semesters plus the intervening summer. Degree requirements are divided into three sections: Core Curriculum (9-15 credits); Elective Curriculum (9-15 credits); and Research/Capstone Experience (12 credits). The PhD degree requires a minimum of six credit hours of PhD coursework beyond the MS degree, and 60 credits of dissertation research earned during the first (proposal preparation and defense) and second phases of the program. Achieving candidacy is contingent upon successfully passing a qualifying examination. The final dissertation phase involves submission, acceptance and an oral defense of the written dissertation. Although the degrees are in specific areas, the research is interdisciplinary.
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COMMENCEMENT This year, the third year of classes, 239 Master of Science degrees were awarded at the University's 2nd Commencement on December 16 - 97 from CLSE; 62 from MCSE; and 80 from PSE.
That’s my advice to you new KAUST alumni, keep on moving, keep on moving” whether it is in studies, research, or work..." ~Charles Vest, KAUST Trustee and Commencement Speaker, President of the National Academy of Engineering and President Emeritus of MIT
2011 MS GRADUATES
Charles Vest and Ali Al-Dawood, Commencement speakers
HOME REGIONS OF 2011 MS GRADUATES
This is it… the moment we have all waited for and worked so hard to enjoy…It’s not only the certificate that matters. It’s the science and knowledge that we obtained; it’s the skills of problem solving and communications that will make us competent professionals. Our degrees are keys to open doors to the many opportunities and challenges waiting for us." ~Ali Al-Dawood, MS ’11 Student Commencement Speaker
KAUST Trustee Charles Vest, President of the National Academy of Engineering and President Emeritus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was the commencement speaker. Ali Al-Dawood, member of the Class of 2011, was the student speaker.
Of the 239 graduates, 51 continued for their PhD degrees at KAUST while another 31 continued for their higher degrees at universities out-of-Kingdom such as Harvard, the University of Rochester, Georgia Institute of Technology, UC Berkeley, and Texas A&M in the US; University College London, the Universities of Oxford, Exeter, Warwick, and St. Andrews in the UK; and other well-known universities around the globe. Seventy-eight remained in Kingdom – 30 took jobs at Saudi Aramco and 20 began at SABIC. Thirty began work outside the Kingdom, and 49 are pursuing other opportunities.
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annual review |
NEW FACULTY Faculty drive the University’s core missions of research, education and economic development. The search for the best minds – the proven and the promising – from around the world to educate, inspire and challenge KAUST’s students is ongoing. The 15 new faculty members hired this year joined the 84 professors already mentoring and helping students realize their intellectual potential.
James Calvin
Luigi Cavallo
Nina Fedoroff
Yves Gnanou
Satoshi Habuchi
Nikos Hadjichristidis
Vice President Education Professor, Applied Mathematics and Computational Science, MCSE, PhD, Statistics, Colorado State University, US From Texas A&M University, US
Dean, PSE, Professor, Chemical Science, PSE DSC, Polymer Chemistry, University of Louis Pasteur, France. From Ecole Polytechnique, France
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Associate Professor, Chemical Science, CLSE PhD, Chemistry, University of Napoli, Italy From the University of Salerno, Italy
Associate Professor, Bioscience, CLSE PhD, Chemistry, Hokkaido University, Japan From the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
Distinguished Professor, Bioscience, CLSE PhD, Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, US. From Pennsylvania State University, US
Professor, Chemical Sciences, CLSE PhD, Polymer Chemistry, University of Liege, Belgium. DSC, Industrial Chemistry, University of Athens, Greece. From the University of Athens, Greece
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Xabier Irigoien
Burton Jones
Pierre Magistretti
Peter Markowich
Vivek Polshettiwar
William Roberts
Mani Sarathy
Peter Wonka
Xiangliang Zhang
Director Red Sea Research Center Professor, Marine Science and Engineering, CLSE PhD, Oceanography, University of Bordeaux, France. From Pelagic Fisheries & Biological Oceanography Area, AZTI, Spain
Distinguished Professor, Applied Mathematics, MCSE Dr. Techn., TU Wien; Habilitation, Applied and Numerical Mathematics, TU Wien, Austria From the University of Cambridge, UK
Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, PSE. PhD, Chemical Engineering and Environmental Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada. From Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, US
Professor, Marine Science, CLSE PhD, Zoology (Biological Oceanography), Duke University, US From University of Southern California, US
Assistant Professor, Chemical Sciences, CLSE PhD, Chemistry, DRDE, India From US Environmental Protection Agency, US
Associate Professor, Computer Science, MCSE PhD, Computer Science, Vienna University of Technology, Austria From Arizona State University, US
Dean, CLSE; Professor, Bioscience, CLSE PhD, Biology, University of California at San Diego, US Diploma Federal de Medicin, University of Geneva, Switzerland From National Center for Competence in Research, Switzerland
Professor, Mechanical Engineering, PSE PhD, Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan, US From North Carolina State University, US
Assistant Professor, Computer Science, MCSE PhD, Computer Science, INRIA and Universite Paris Sud II, France. From the Norwegian University of Science and Technology
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Annual Review | Education
Noteworthy Faculty Awards A measure of excellence of a university is the awards earned by faculty. This section contains awards bestowed on KAUST faculty from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012.
Best Poster and Paper Awards Alfonso Caraveo (PhD student) and Professor Husam Al-Shareef (Associate Professor, PSE) won the Best Poster Award at the 21st International Materials Research Congress, Cancun, Mexico, August 2011. Dr. Ryota Gemma (Postdoc) and Tala'at Al-Kassab (Associate Professor, PSE) won the best Poster Award in the 53rd International Field Emission Symposium (IFES), Tuscaloosa, Alabama, US, May 2012. Ibrahim Hoteit (Assistant Professor, PSE) was coauthor of the Best Poster Award at the SIAM Conference on Mathematical & Computational Issues in Earth Sciences, Long Beach, California, 2011 and co-author of the Best Poster Award at the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference in San Francisco, US, 2011.
Professor Ibrahim Hoteit
Tariq Al-Khalifah (Professor, PSE) was co-author of a Best Poster at the Australia Society of Exploration Geophysicists, 2012. Basem Shihada (Assistant Professor, MCSE) co-authored “Contention Aware Routing for Intermittently Connected Mobile Networks,” which received the Best Paper Award at the International Conference on Advances in Future Internet (AFIN) 2011. Peter Wonka (Associate Professor, MCSE) coauthored the paper “Estimating Color and Texture Parameters for Vector Graphics,” that won second place for Best Paper Award at Eurographics 2011.
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Professor Basem Shihada
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Mohamed-Slim Alouini (Professor, PSE) is a coauthor of the most cited paper in Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Transactions on Communication published in the last five years (2007-2012).
Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini
Helmut Pottmann (Director for the Geometric Modeling and Scientific Visualization Research Center) is co-author of "Integral Invariants for Robust Geometry Processing," the most cited paper in 2011 and 2012 in the journal Computer Aided Geometric Design.
Professional Awards
Professor Jean Frechet
Jean Frechet (Vice President of Research) was awarded an honorary doctorate from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden in November 2011, for his work in the interface between organic chemistry and polymer chemistry in the area of nano-science and nano-technology. Professor Frechet has authored more than 800 scientific papers and holds 70 US patents. Before coming to KAUST he held the Henry Rapoport Chair of Organic Chemistry at UC Berkeley. David Keyes (Dean of Mathematical and Computer Sciences and Engineering) received the Prize for Distinguished Service to the Profession from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) in 2011 at its annual meeting. Professor Keyes was also named a SIAM Fellow for “contributions to implicit methods for the solution of partial differential equations and dedicated service to the scientific community.�
Professor David Keyes
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Annual Review | Education
Ghassan Jabbour (Director of the Solar and Photovoltaic Engineering Research Center) was elected a Fellow of the European Optical Society for his outstanding contribution in multidisciplinary fields of optics and photonics, for his role in the optical community, and especially for his contributions and innovations in printed and flexible nanothick photonics and photovoltaics. Peter Markowich (Professor, MCSE) was named Laureat de la Chaire d’Excellence 2011 of the Foundation of the Mathematical Sciences of Paris, the top award of the foundation.
Professor Ghassan Jabbour
Ingo Pinnau (Director of the Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research Center) was elected Vice President of the North American Membrane Society. He will serve as President in 2013-2014. Tariq Al-Khalifah (Professor, PSE) was selected as the Honorary Lecturer for the Middle East and Africa, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, 2011. Gerard Schuster (Professor, PSE) was selected as the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Distinguished Lecturer for 2013. Dr. Mohamed Salem (Postdoc) mentored by Hakan Bagci (Assistant Professor, PSE) received the URSI Young Scientist Award at the General Assembly of the Union Radio-Scientifique internationale (URSI), Istanbul, Turkey, August 2011.
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Professor Ingo Pinnau
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Kalendeski, Dr. Issam Gereige, Dr. Taewoo Ryu, Dr. Johanna Beyer, Dr. Mamoon Rashid, Dr. Ali Idris, Dr. Zhonghai Zhang, Dr. Hailin Dong, Dr. Yin Chen, and Dr. Yulia Medvedeva.
Professor Ulrich Stingl
The SEDCO Research Excellence Award, KAUST’s first privately-funded research grant, was awarded to “The Deep-Sea Brine Pools of the Red Sea: From Novel Extreme Organisms to Commercial Applications.” The research project is led by principal investigator Ulrich Stingl (Assistant Professor, CLSE), and co-investigators Jorg Eppinger (Assistant Professor, CLSE), Samir Hamdan (Assistant Professor, CLSE), Vladimir Bajic (Professor, MCSE), and Niveen Khashab (Assistant Professor, CLSE). Mohamed-Slim Alouini (Professor, PSE) was awarded two Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) grants, May 2012.
Professor Suzana Nunes
A sampling of grants SABIC Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards for researchers involved in long-term research relevant to SABIC and Saudi Arabia were granted to Dr. Khalid Quraishi, Dr. Miao Sun, Dr. Elizabeth Tyler, Dr. Min Yoon, Dr. Luke Thompson, Dr. Stoitchko
Suzana Nunes (Associate Professor, CLSE), along with Markus Hadwiger (Associate Professor, MCSE), Ganesh Sundaramoorthi (Assistant Professor, PSE), and Victor Calo (Assistant Professor PSE), was the recipient of the Geometric Modeling and Scientific Visualization Collaborative Award. The three year project, “Visualization and Pore Tuning of Asymmetric Membranes,” began December 2011. Boon Ooi (Professor, PSE) has been awarded a King Abdullah City of Science and Technology (KACST) grant to set up a Technology Innovation Center (KACST-TIC) in solid state lighting at KAUST.
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Annual Review | Education
TALENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS The education and talent development of young Saudis is critical to the scientific and economic development of the country." ~Nadhmi Al-Nasr
Executive Vice President Administration and Finance
The recently formalized Saudi Initiatives organization facilitates the goals of the University by focusing on the development of one of Saudi Arabia’s greatest resources – its young citizens. One of its departments, Young Talent Development, fosters scientific and academic talent in young Saudis by investing in them and nurturing them in their academic pursuits so that they may help meet the future needs and development of the Kingdom.
Members of the first Saudi Research Science Institute enjoy a laugh with Prof. David Keyes, their math lecturer, and Dr. Amy Sillman, a first week guest lecturer from the US.
The department seeks out and supports talented Saudi youth during their academic development through various programs like the Saudi Graduate Recruitment Program; the KAUST Gifted Student Program; and the Saudi Research Science Institute. Together these programs form a pathway of opportunities for young Saudis with talent and ambition in science. “The students in these programs are truly outstanding. I am continually amazed at the intelligence, tenacity, and potential of the students with whom we work,” said Najah Ashry, Vice President, Saudi Initiatives. “The level of intellectual curiosity and vigor that I sense when speaking with these students in person, and when hearing about their individual achievements, is truly inspiring.” The programs are woven into many sectors of KAUST, including academia, research, economic development, and the community. The team works closely with the Provost, the Vice Presidents of Education and Research, and with Graduate Affairs in developing initiatives. For example, the first group of gifted Saudi high school students attended the Inaugural Saudi Research Science Institute (SRSI) in July and August 2011. For six weeks they were mentored by University faculty members in a rigorous program of lectures, research, and intensive academic writing practice. The emphasis was on advanced theory and research in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.
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Hanan Al-Ali and Mohammed Al-Johani, both selected from out of 50,000 students to represent the Kingdom at the International Science and Engineering Fair in the US last May, work in the labs during the rigorous SRSI program.
The program is key to inspiring interest in young scholars in these fields. As proof of the effectiveness of the program, nine of the 2011 KAUST SRSI graduates went on to win places to represent the Kingdom at the May INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair in the US. They represent nine of the 36 winners selected from the Kingdom’s applicant pool of approximately 50,000 students. Of them, two, one male and one female, won third place in the Engineering Track and one male won fourth place in the Chemistry Track at the fair. Also the top places in the female track and the top five in the male track at the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity in Riyadh in April 2012 were won by SRSI students.
Stanford, MIT, Harvard, University College London, and Johns Hopkins. The first five graduates of this program will join KAUST in the Fall of 2012.
The KAUST Gifted Student Program is a long term investment in the hearts and minds of young talented Saudis which ensures KAUST of the caliber of student it seeks. The program prepares gifted students for graduate studies at KAUST by allowing them to study for an undergraduate degree at world-renowned universities abroad. Sixty students were admitted to the program in Fall 2011. The total number of students in the program is 115. Current students were placed in undergraduate programs at universities such as
Saudi Initiatives also has programs in three other departments: Specialized Enrichment; the Advanced Engagement and Support Department; and the Social and Public Responsibility Department. These important departments aim to provide training of an international standard for a KAUST Saudi Academic workforce pool, opportunities for Saudi graduates with key national and international partners, and Community Outreach to enhance the quality of life for all.
Saudi Graduate Recruitment has been effective as well. Thirty percent of the KAUST 2011/2012 MS and PhD intake was comprised of Saudi graduates. The target for 2012-2013 is 35 percent. Saudi Initiatives has greatly expanded the pool of applicants by conducting outreach activities and identifying ambassadors for KAUST to promote the University and engage the Saudi community in countries where each ambassador is completing his or her degree, mainly the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
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Annual Review | Education
WINTER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM The third Winter Enrichment Program (WEP) took place January 14-29, 2012. The program provided more than two weeks of lectures, symposiums, workshops, an international poster competition, art exhibitions, a science fun fair, a film festival, and musical performances. Although the program is devised for student enrichment, the entire KAUST community benefits from the program as do guests from Saudi academia and industry. This year the program was designed from 170 proposals submitted by students, faculty, staff, members of the community, and KAUST partners. A panel of students, staff, and faculty reviewed the proposals and suggested selections. In the end, there was something for everyone. The opening keynote lecture was presented by Professor Rolf-Dieter Heuer, KAUST Trustee and Director of the European Organization of Nuclear Research, entitled “Research at CERN – From the Highest Energies to the Smallest Particles.” Of great interest to the students and audience was the keynote address, “Solar Impulse: a New Vision of Sustainable Development,” by Dr. Bertrand Piccard, Goodwill Ambassador to the UN and Initiator and President of the Solar Impulse Project. Other keynote lectures throughout WEP were “Business for Sustainable Development, a Case Study” by Abdulaziz Ali Al-Turki, Chairman of
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Rawabi Holding; “Antarctica” by Robert Swan, the first explorer to reach both Poles; “The Life Cycle of an Entrepreneur, SEDCO’s Experience” by Dr. Adnan Soufi, SEDCO CEO; “The Rise of Enthought…” by Dr. Eric Jones, Enthought, CEO; “Hope in a Changing Climate” by John Dennis Liu, an ecological filmmaker; and “WebGL and Google Maps” by Dr. Bill Baxter, a Google Software Engineer. The first International Research for Undergraduates Poster Competition was another highlight. More than 300 papers were submitted. The 50 top authors were selected to spend one week at KAUST and present their posters during a special Poster Session. The top six were given special awards.
An exhibition of local artists from around the Kingdom was held in the University Library.
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Art exhibits included a Saudi modern art exhibit and a lecture and exhibition on Tingatinga art by Pascal Bogaert, a Belgian art teacher who lived and worked in East Africa for many years. He was accompanied by two famous Tingatinga artists. There was also a workshop on Arabic calligraphy and one entitled “Storytelling: How to Create and Tell a Story,” and a concert by the Technische Universität-Munchen (TUM) orchestra. TUM is one of KAUST’s founding academic partners. The favorite of children was Dr. Bunhead’s Crash Test Science Show presented by famous British television scientist Tom Pringle. Professor Rolf-Dieter Heuer, KAUST Trustee and Director of the European Organization of Nuclear Research, presented the opening keynote address to a packed auditorium.
Community members enjoyed the Science Fun Fair at WEP 2012.
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annual review |
RESEARCH
At KAUST, research is organized around people and projects. Scientists and engineers pursue curiosity-driven and use-inspired research. They work together to think big, to push the boundaries of knowledge, to deliver innovative technologies. Four research thrusts – Water, Food, Energy, and the Environment – offer rich intellectual space for our scientists and engineers to discover and deliver scientific and engineering solutions to the challenges of the Kingdom and the world.
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Work should be play and play should be work. The two are mutually reinforcing and energizing. Discoveries are painstaking journeys, but incorporating adventure and fun into the process makes the journey much more worthwhile." ~Choon Fong Shih KAUST President
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Annual Review | Research
RESEARCH CENTERS Research at KAUST is typically interdisciplinary and focused on solving the challenges facing the Kingdom, the region, and the world, with particular interest in energy, water, food, and the environment. The Research Centers, supported by the Core Labs, are the hub for discovery. They are: • Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials • Catalysis • Clean Combustion • Computational Bioscience • Geometric Modeling and Scientific Visualization • Plant Stress Genomics • Red Sea • Solar and Photovoltaic Engineering • Water Desalination and Reuse
to help clean the environment with advanced membranes and porous materials for carbon capture and separation and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and to develop biomedical membranes for controlled drug release and other biomedical devices. “The goal is not only to have isolated groups with individual investigators, but to encourage collaboration within the center and then to collaborate with other world-class academic groups and with industry,” Professor Pinnau said.
2011-2012 Center Highlights
In April, the Catalysis Research Center, in its 14th month of operation, celebrated the publication of its 100th paper and fifth patent with a celebratory ceremony and its first Research Poster Competition. The publications were in noted journals (five in J. Am. Chem. Soc., seven in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., seven in Chem. Comm….) Also, Center scientists have given more than 100 presentations worldwide including five plenaries and 22 invited papers. The center, directed by Professor Jean-Marie Basset, has grown rapidly, presently representing ten multidisciplinary groups. This year there have been some novel discoveries from the center, a fibrous nano-silica, the first choice among chemists to form heterogeneous catalysts, and the discovery of a new mechanism for nanofabrication – thermal blast.
In March 2012, the Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research Center was inaugurated. The goals of the center, directed by Professor Ingo Pinnau, are to develop materials, membranes, and modules to enhance energy output in gas separation, water production, and waste water treatment;
Clean Combustion Research Center's Combustion and Laser Diagnostics Lab and the Computational Reacting Flow Lab in the Al-Kindi Building and the Combustion Kinetics Lab in Building 7 were commissioned on May 29, 2012. Various laser-based measurements for combustion stud-
The centers typically consist of faculty, graduate students, research scientists and engineers, postdoctoral researchers, visiting researchers, and administrative and technical staff. Although each Research Center is affiliated with an Academic Division (CLSE, MCSE, and PSE), projects frequently involve several centers and faculty across Divisions and disciplines.
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Researcher in the Geometric Modeling and Scientific Visualization Research Center examines data.
temperature auto ignition relevant to advanced concept internal combustion engines, soot formation characteristics related to emission reduction and fuel formulation, electric-field/plasma-assisted combustion to explore new ideas, and high fidelity computation to develop predictive capability. The center is directed by Professor Suk Ho Chung.
Vortex ring from the Clean Combustion Research Center
ies are now available, including laser-induced fluorescence, coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced incandescence, light extinction/ scattering, and Rayleigh and Raman scattering. In addition, high-speed time-resolved OH PLIF and tomographic PIV systems are available for turbulent flame study. Current research areas include low-
Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC) initiated major collaborative research programs in genomics-led cell and population modeling and bioengineering with two leading Saudi companies SABIC and Saudi Aramco. These programs combine bioinformatics with discovery and are driving scientific research and building human capital to accelerate the economic transformation of the Kingdom. In the reporting period CBRC faculty, staff, and students published 39 peer-reviewed journal articles, three book chapters, two bioinformatic databases, and one full and seven provisional patent applications. As the main contribution, CBRC, directed by Professor Vladimir Bajic, has trained 42 students, seven on the collaborative projects with industry.
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Annual Review | Research
Geometric Modeling and Scientific Visualization Research Center highlights include work in geometry analysis and understanding, architectural geometry and its links to discrete differential geometry, and visualization of human brain data in the petascale range. The center, directed by Professor Helmut Pottmann, has published and presented about 80 papers in the two and a half years of its existence in refereed journals and at conferences, most notably 16 papers at Siggraph and Siggraph Asia. Professor Nina Fedoroff, renowned geneticist and molecular biologist, the 2006 National Medal of Science laureate, and past President and present Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, was named acting director of the Plant Stress Genomics Research Center. The Center has adopted a new initiative, the Desert Agricultural Research Initiative (DARI), proposed by Professor Fedoroff. DARI is a systems approach to food production for the future, undertaking the development of low-input, water efficient, intensive, sustainable systems of food and feed production suitable to a desert environment based on seawater and powered by sunlight. The highlight of the Red Sea Research Center, directed by Professor Xabier Irigoien, was the 2011 Red Sea Expedition, which began September 15 and ended December 16. Sixty-five scientists sailed on the oceanographic research ship, Aegaeo, to conduct collaborative research between the University and various local and international institutions. The expedition consisted of five cruise legs that catered to the sampling needs of 20 research studies and provided invaluable experience for KAUST students. Solar and Photovoltaic Engineering Research Center’s Solar Technology Laser Lab was commissioned and opened. Ongoing research resulted in a novel optical method called Ultrahigh Resolution
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In the Plant Stress Genomics Research Center a student waters sea asparagus plants.
A Red Sea Research Center student collects a coral sample from a reef.
Optical Coherence Tomography, which has been applied in imaging of plastic flexible solar cells and other printed functional structures in the Center. Faculty member Osman Bakr developed an approach to determine simultaneously the nanoparticle size, density, and mass distributions using analytical ultracentrifugation. A new generation anode material for fuel cells was also developed. The center is directed by Professor Ghassan Jabbour. Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), directed by Professor Gary Amy, has continued work on strategic research topics related to both water desalination and wastewater reuse. Significant progress has been made in develop-
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Solar cells on top of the Al-Kindi Building at KAUST
Membrane separators in the Waste Water Treatment Center
ing new low-energy (-cost) seawater desalination processes including: forward osmosis (FO), membrane distillation (MD), and adsorption desalination (AD), all of which have the potential to desalinate water at one-half of the specific energy consumption of conventional technologies. Two of these technologies, FO and MD, have advanced to the pilot-scale. Significant advances have been made in new higher-flux MD and FO membranes. There has also been much progress in understanding and controlling membrane fouling.
New concepts in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are being developed to provide the possibility of energy-neutral wastewater treatment. A new approach to wastewater reclamation, groundwater aquifer recharge and recovery (ARR), is being developed in which wastewater is infiltrated in dry river beds, (wadis) and used to replenish groundwater aquifers. The process has been designated as Wadi-ARR. Further progress is being made in new innovative adsorbents with improved selectivity for targeted water contaminants.
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Annual Review | Research
RESEARCH FACILITIES Core Labs and Major Facilities are the backbone of research at KAUST, supporting the research of the faculty, scientists, postdocs, and graduate students. These labs and facilities are cutting edge and rival those of top-tier universities. That is not to say that other institutions do not have much of the same equipment, but what is at KAUST will not often be found under one roof elsewhere. Rachid Sougrat of the Nanofabrication Lab explained, “Say I have a request that requires three different tests on three different types of equipment. At most universities I could do part of the testing but would not have the equipment to do it all. I would have to send it out to another lab. Here I can do it all.” He also explained that the core labs were arranged so they could be shared by all the Research Centers as the equipment is expensive, and some of it needs special housing and handling. In the Nanofabrication Imaging and Characterization lab alone, he said there are three sections that would be considered national labs in many other places. Core labs are:
The Center for Deep Computing Research and the Supercomputing Facility is another example of the state of the art equipment in the Core Labs. Shaheen, the supercomputer, is presently the 85th fastest in the world. It is used for KAUST research with large amounts of data such as combustion simulation, climate modeling, materials science and seismic imaging. It is also used by KAUST industry partners such as Saudi Aramco, SABIC, and IBM, and academic partners such as Cornell, Texas A&M, Stanford, Imperial College, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Principal Investigator Labs (PI Labs) provide a base for faculty to pursue fundamental questions in their research. Several PI labs were mechanically completed, commissioned, and opened for initial operations this year. They were: the Integrated Nano Technology Laboratory, the Microbial Genomics Lab, Environmental Nanotechnology, Environmental Nano Materials, the Applied Math Lab, Microbial Ecology, and the Marine Operations Building MR1020.
• Analytical Chemistry • Biosciences and Bioengineering • Center for Deep Computing Research and Supercomputing Facility • Coastal and Marine Resources • Nanofabrication, Imaging, and Characterization • Visualization Core Lab • Workshops
The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Laboratory contains 10 NMR spectrometers for solution-based and solid-state samples.
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RESEARCH VITAL TO THE KINGDOM AND THE WORLD At KAUST learning is invigorated by research, the main focus of the University. Students take what they have learned in the classrooms into the Research Centers and Labs to apply it, to stretch their boundaries and to discover. Much of the research at KAUST is directed toward four areas of vital importance to the Kingdom – energy, water, food, and environment. The following pages are composed of student profiles and their projects, and other important research being conducted by the Faculty, Postdocs, and PhD and MS students as they discover and deliver in the pursuit of excellence and relevancy to the needs of the world.
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The facilities at KAUST contain everything I need to conduct my research."
Ahmed Al-Saggaf Solar and Photovoltaic Engineering Research Center Ahmed Al-Saggaf, a first year PhD student conducting research in the Solar and Photovoltaic Engineering Research Center, is investigating a cost effective way to industrialize the process of making solar cells, especially in Saudi Arabia, using a roll to roll printer. “Instead of silicon for the cell, I am testing plastic (PET) as the substrate with other conductive material since the Kingdom can readily and cheaply make plastics from hydrocarbons,” he said. “I am also experimenting with different kinds of conductors mixed as ink to print the solar cells. Most importantly, I am experimenting with the roll to roll printer to determine if it can be used as a means to produce cells at a reasonable cost at an industrial level.”
The roll to roll printer in action
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Different units of the roll to roll printer
Controlling the roll to roll printer through a touch interface
Ahmed is sponsored to KAUST by Saudi Aramco. “I am from Jeddah, and I didn’t know much about Saudi Aramco as a student. But our neighbor worked for the company and told me about it. I applied and was sponsored to Colorado State University for my BSc degree in chemical engineering,” he said. Later, after working for four years at the Rabigh Refinery, he was sponsored for his MS degree in chemical engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. After returning to the Kingdom for a year, he was sent to Houston to work on the front-end design engineering for the Dow
Saudi Aramco Joint Venture, Sadara. From there he was sponsored to KAUST for his PhD. “The facilities at KAUST contain everything I need to conduct my research. For instance, I just finished being trained by the manufacturer on this state of the art machine, the roll to roll printer, which is essential to my research,” he said. “Add to that the culture at KAUST which encourages students under the guidance of their mentors to explore and innovate, and I can’t think of a better place for me to be. It is exciting to be part of this university.”
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Annual Review | Research
ENERGY Much of the research in the Solar and Photovoltaic Engineering Research Center has focused on solar energy as a means to take advantage of Saudi Arabia’s climate to run industries with an alternative fuel.
Determining Nanoparticles Size Distribution and Density or Molecular Weight Using Single Technique Researchers led by Solar Center faculty member Osman Bakr developed an approach to determine the nanoparticle size, density, and mass distributions simultaneously using analytical ultracentrifugation. This is a critical discovery since it is not possible with any single traditional approach to obtain such data. This finding will reduce the steps involved in nanoparticle characterization leading to lower cost nanoparticle materials used in various applications including solar cells, batteries, fuel cells, and drug delivery, to mention a few.
Ultrahigh Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography A novel optical method called Ultrahigh Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography has been applied in the imaging of plastic flexible solar cells and other printed functional structures in the Solar and Photovoltaic Engineering Research Center. In imaging of thin printed structures, none of the commercially available tomography tools is capable of providing such micro-structural information in a non-contact and non-invasive way. The researchers’ approach provides imaging resolution better than 1¾m and structural images with a video frame rate that allows the apparatus to be used in mass production of passive and active photonics and electronics. The goal of the current work is to push the imaging resolution to near 500 nm. image magnified
3D reconstruction of commercially available flexible amorphous silicon solar cell on plastic substrate measured by Ultrahigh Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography.
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Combinatorial Optimization of CIGSe Solar Cells via Two-Step Process
New Generation Anode Material for Fuel Cells
Using combinatorial sputtering approaches, the Center’s team was able to obtain a high efficiency solar cell based on CIGSe (16.1% without anti reflection layer; open circuit voltage of 0.67 V). These sulfurfree CIGSe solar cells were fabricated by sequential two-step absorber formation and are a critical advance in this particular type of solar cells fabrication. The process consists of combinatorial sputtering of copper, indium, and gallium allowing an accelerated learning curve to form high quality thin film solar cells. In this work, researchers mainly investigated the impact of sodium on the absorber properties and the solar cell performance. The research was carried out by KAUST Solar Center in collaboration with Intermolecular Corp. in San Jose, CA.
Complex oxide perovskite type material (LSCM) is known to be stable under aggressive anodic conditions in fuel cells but is less preferred than the instable CerMet state of the art material. This material was doped with nickel and used as a new generation anode material for fuel cells. The originality of this work is that the dopant dissolves in the LSCM structure if heat treated in air and then exsolves as nano particles (20 to 30 nm) on the surface of the LSCM in anodic working conditions. The performance of the new stable doped material is 38% to 80% higher than the undoped material. This makes it as good as the instable state of the art materials and would allow longer lifetime fuel cells to be made.
Improved Performance of Solution Processable Quantum Tetrapod Solar Cells
Scanning electron microscopy image showing the cross section of the CIGSe absorber grown on the molybdenum back contact
By controlling the arm length and spatial distribution of quantum size tetrapods, researchers at the Solar Center have enhanced the performance of solution processable hybrid organic-inorganic solar cells by nearly 50% over traditional methods. This finding allows the fabrication of efficient solar cells using high speed printing techniques (such as those used in newspapers) to reduce the overall cost of solar modules making possible wider adoption of power generation by solar cell technology.
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annual review |
It is safe for my family, and my children are receiving a good education at the schools while I receive a first-rate education at mine."
Bedour Al-Sabban Catalysis Research Center Bedour Al-Sabban, a Saudi from Makkah, has many roles. She is a wife, a mother of three young children, and a MS student in chemistry at KAUST. She is working with Assistant Professor of Chemical Science Kazuhiro Takanabe in the Catalysis Research Center to develop a photocatalyst for water splitting in order to produce hydrogen as a renewable energy carrier. They are attempting to find a way to use the sun and a visible light responsive photocatalyst to obtain hydrogen from water. Bedour is experimenting with different materials to find the best for the absorption of light and to find the most cost effective way to generate hydrogen.
Adding water and catalyst to the reactor The photocatalysis system for water splitting
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Bedour, a graduate of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, was with her husband in Washington when she learned about KAUST. Her husband was finishing his MA degree in Architecture at Washington State University in Spokane, sponsored by the Kingdom. She applied online and later was called for an English test. She was accepted a short time later. Bedour, who hopes to continue for a PhD in chemistry at KAUST, says that “KAUST is the best university in the Kingdom.” She is impressed with the professors and with the facilities and is especially happy with the community. “It is safe for my family, and my children are receiving a good education at the schools while I receive a firstrate education at mine.”
Grinding the reactant powder
Testing the catalyst
Connecting the reactor to the photocatalytic system
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annual review |
KAUST was more than I could have hoped for, a vibrant international community and excellent research facilities.�
Justine Mink Integrated Nanotechnology Lab and Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center Ski instructor, water researcher, Congressional intern, and Johns Hopkins student are just a few of the hats Justine Mink wore before arriving at KAUST as a member of the founding class. She is a woman with a plan, and part of it is completing her PhD program in 2013 in Environmental Science and Engineering. Justine spent her early years in Florida near Sea World where her father, a zoologist, trained the gigantic Orca whales. She spent her high school years in the Catskills in New York State where she taught skiing and then moved on to Baltimore to Johns Hopkins University earning a BSc degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a BA in International Relations. During the summers her interest in other countries and cultures took her to Panama and New Zealand for summer jobs. Before her senior
Sputterer machine used to deposit metals on silicon chips.
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Metal sample before deposition.
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Nano-engineered anode where bacteria grow Assembling micro sized microbial fuel cells
year in college she was a Congressional aide for her district’s Congresswoman. After graduation she was backpacking in Colombia when she received word from KAUST that she was accepted. She had also been accepted at Johns Hopkins for the master’s program, had a job in DC, and a lease on an apartment. By the time she returned from her trip there were only three weeks left before school started at KAUST. Her desire to see the world won out. “However, I was concerned about the logistics of getting everything done and to KAUST before school started and I wanted to ensure I’d be safe as a female in Saudi Arabia. Since we were to be the first class, there was no one to talk to. Consequently I spoke to my Congresswoman, someone at the State Department, and a cultural attaché at the Saudi embassy,” she said. Confirming that safety was not an issue, Justine took the adventurous route and enrolled. “KAUST was more than I could have hoped for, a vibrant international community and excellent research facilities.” she said. “I decided to stay for my MS and my PhD.” Justine was awarded a MS degree in Environmental Science and Engineering and will complete her research for her PhD spring semester 2013. Her
research is in micro sized Microbial Fuel Cells. She studies with a team led by Professor Muhammad Hussain, “the most organized, hardworking person I know,” she said. Her work takes her between the Integrated Nanotechnology Lab and the Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center. The microbial fuel cell is a unique technology that can purify water without consuming power. Instead it creates electricity as the bacteria consume impurities in the water, thereby generating energy. Justine and her colleague Jhonathan Rojas have successfully demonstrated a micro-sized (1.25 uL) MFC device using micro fabrication techniques and carbon nanotubes. The fuel cell is a mini battery fueled by wastewater or any liquid containing a carbon source, like sugar, that bacteria can eat. In the case of the micro microbial fuel cell, it is acetate. The device is recharged by adding more liquid. Justine is also testing different metals to see which is the best conductor for the electricity. She and her team have also devised a flexible microbial fuel cell made of rubber. Justine will begin an internship with Saudi Aramco in January applying the knowledge she has attained at KAUST to alternative energy strategic planning for the company. She hopes in the future to become engaged in developing energy policy for the Middle East.
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Annual Review | Research
WATER The focus of the Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC) is to optimize existing processes and develop new ones to treat seawater and waste water for industry, agriculture, and human drinking water needs. Three of the processes currently being researched by the Center are forward osmosis, membrane distillation, and adsorptive desalination.
Forward Osmosis Forward osmosis (FO) uses membranes to collect usable water from wastewater or seawater. The feed (either seawater or wastewater) on one side of a membrane is enticed to pass through the membrane because of osmotic pressure into the draw solution on the other side. Impurities are left on the entry side of the membrane, and the water is purified from the draw solution. Reverse osmosis is the standard process in desalination. It uses hydraulic pressure to push the water through the membrane, resulting in high energy use. Forward osmosis uses one half the energy of reverse osmosis resulting in lower energy use and lower cost. Dr. Victor Yangali and his team at KAUST have completed a number of experiments on FO at the lab scale. They are now moving into the pilot scale which will treat 1 cubic meter of water each day. Dr. Yangali’s process has been developed and tested using real seawater as the draw solution and wastewater from the treatment plant in Jeddah as feed. By using seawater the team can take very small substances made by sea organisms into ac-
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count (TEPs). These can stick to the membrane and reduce the flow. The team is working with Professor Suzana Nunes to develop new FO membranes that can improve the efficiency.
Membrane Distillation Membrane distillation (MD) has been under development for several decades. However, it is still considered novel, and no commercial plant utilizes the MD process yet. At KAUST Dr. Noreddine Ghaffour, a process engineer and Principal Research Scientist, and his team are starting from scratch to optimize the process. The MD unit at KAUST is an experimental bench-scale setup that uses direct-contact MD. Soon the process will be scaled up to a pilot unit, which may include other MD techniques like air-gap and vacuum systems. The various techniques use the same general process: seawater is heated on one side of the membrane to create pure water vapor, which crosses the membrane and is condensed and collected on the other side, leaving behind salts and particulates in the seawater. The distinction between the processes lies in how the pure water is collected and in the condensation options –either cooling or by vacuum, both of which create a differential pressure that drives the technology. The team is working with industry and academic membrane partners to develop membranes for the process. The team is also looking at the hydrodynamics as well as developing simple pretreatment options to increase water flow and prevent membrane fouling. Plans for the pilot include harnessing solar radiation with solar panels to heat the seawater and to produce energy to run the pumps. The hope is to make the plant fully driven by nature so it can be used in remote locations.
Buckled water splashes
KAUST WDRC research team with a world map indicating their home countries
The Solar-Powered Water Adsorption Desalination Prototype Plant is nearing readiness for the commercial stage.
Gary Amy, Director of the Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center, and colleagues examine the Waste Water Treatment Center aeration pool.
Solar-Powered Water Adsorption Desalination Plant Professor Kim Choon Ng and his team are working to introduce solar-powered water desalination technology to Saudi Arabia. Prof. Ng is a visiting professor from the National University of Singapore (NUS) where his adsorption desalination project was a prototype water plant built for cooling applications such as air conditioning. Some visiting KAUST executives saw a demonstration of the plant and suggested the prototype be used in a joint collaboration and extend the technology to desalination. In March 2009, Prof. Ng began work with HOK, the firm that designed the KAUST campus, on design specifications for a prototype plant to be built on campus. By 2011 the plant was fully automated and
operational and in use for research purposes only. The plant produces water at a low energy consumption twice the thermodynamic limit, the lowest possible energy needed to extract water. Conventional desalination technologies like reverse osmosis consume energy at five to ten times higher than the thermodynamic limit. The team is very close to a commercial stage and, with help from Economic and Technology Development at KAUST, are in talks with a Saudi company to take over licensing from the University. The technology can also be driven by waste heat from industry. The plant has very few moving parts so requires a low level of maintenance and can be built vertically or horizontally, making it adaptable throughout the world.
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Coming to KAUST was a unique opportunity. It is very rare to have a chance to be a part of a new growing institution and to think you might be able to make a difference there.”
Agnieszka Piatek Plant Stress Genomics Adventure, curiosity, being part of a university that was built so quickly and was developing, were some of the reasons Agnieszka Piatek and her husband Marek applied to KAUST. “Coming to KAUST was a unique opportunity. It is very rare to have a chance to be a part of a new growing institution and to think you might be able to make a difference there,” Agnieszka said. “We are excited to be a part of KAUST.” Agnieszka is studying for her PhD in Bioscience and hopes to be in the first group of PhD students earning their degrees at KAUST.
Preparing the LB media for E. coli bacteria growth Snap freezing plant tissue samples
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Preparing the glycerol stock of the E. coli bacteria carrying the desired construct Extracting DNA
A native of Poland, Agnieszka grew up a couple of hours from Krakow and earned BSc and MS degrees in Biotechnology from the University of Silesia (Uniwersytet Slaski) in Katowice, Poland. She was awarded a second BSc Degree with first class honors in Molecular Biology from Huddersfield University in the United Kingdom.
ule (like a zip code) that, with pinpoint accuracy, takes the whole protein to the region or address of the genome. The address-seeking module can be engineered to recognize any sequence in the DNA. Using this new technology, novel genes can be identified, crop trait development accelerated, and the range of possible traits can be expanded.
At KAUST, Agnieszka is studying with Dr. Magdy Mahfouz, on developing the technology for targeted genome modifications in crop plants. This new technology, also known as “molecular scissors,” holds significant potential for improving the quality and yield of current crop varieties. As the world population increases and resources are limited, increasing crop yield and being able to grow crops in arid areas will be increasingly important. Agnieszka is investigating and researching a molecular “repair tool” in the form of an engineered protein that makes a complete cut in the DNA double helix of an organism’s genome. The module of the protein is composed of an address seeking mod-
“Taking part in this research that is going to shape the environment and perhaps be recognized all over the world is such a wonderful and humbling experience. This research has implications not only for modifying plants genomes and helping to solve future world food problems but also for improving human genetic problems as well,” she said. Besides her research, Agnieszka enjoys the opportunity to take part in sports, like cycling, at KAUST. “I have done the off road desert cycling trek and it was amazing,” she said. She and her husband enjoy the opportunity to travel as well. They climbed Kilimanjaro in 2012.
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Annual Review | Research
FOOD Research in the area of food is critical for Saudi Arabia because of its growing population, its shrinking ground water resources, and paucity of arable land. To find solutions science, engineering and technology must meet the challenges of increasing agricultural output under deteriorating climatic conditions and develop much greater water efficiency in agriculture. KAUST is poised to be a major contributor at this water/food nexus. Researchers are examining halophytes, salt tolerant plants, and developing a suite of precise and efficient genome modification tools to accelerate the domestication of halophytes and the genetic modification of salt sensitive plants. Researchers are also looking for ways to minimize the energy needed to generate water and recycled water and to deliver the water to the plants’ roots where it is needed. Solar desalination technology and irrigation methods to minimize evaporation are being studied. A prototype solar desalination adsorption plant has been built at KAUST and is in use for research. In April KAUST signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Prawn Company (NPC) for collaborative research in areas of shrimp genome research, water management, marine biology, and saline agriculture. Joint projects will encompass research on waterborne diseases relevant to shrimp cultivation, studies of long-term aquaculture and agriculture on
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The genetic traits of sea asparagus, a salt tolerant plant, are being investigated as a means to genetically alter other plants for salt tolerance.
the Red Sea, biotechnology, and environmental monitoring. The NPC farm south of Jeddah on the Red Sea Center covers 210 square kilometers with almost 450 10-hectare ponds. The farm uses only seawater, has its own feed mill, reverse osmosis plant, water treatment plant, and a power generation facility. Because of its size and largescale food production, it offers KAUST many opportunities for research in water desalination and reuse, genomics, and marine ecology and food production. Adding another dimension to this important research is the Desert Agriculture Research Initiative (DARI). The goal of this new initiative, proposed by Professor Nina Fedoroff, Acting Director of the Plant Stress Genomics Center, is to take a “systems� approach to food production for the future. Specifically, DARI seeks to develop low-input, water efficient, intensive, sustainable systems of food and feed production suitable to a desert environ-
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ment based on seawater and powered by sunlight. As part of the plan, greenhouses that are cooled and supplied with fresh water through solar-powered technologies will be designed and developed. Cost effective partial desalination technologies will be developed to support horticulture, aquaculture, and aquaponics. The genetics, genomics, and physiology of promising halophytes will be studied, halophytes will be domesticated, and fresh-water crops will be genetically modified to grow in more saline water.
DARI will also address the critical entomological problem of KSA agriculture using modern genetic and genomic approaches and study the genetics and genomics of Red Sea fish and shellfish in support of aquaculture. Inland waterways and integrated saline agri-aquaculture systems using species of fish and plants suitable for local conditions will be developed. Additionally, a resource analysis team and a design team to address issues of water management and food production and to design efficient systems that function in both covered (greenhouses) and open (field) environments in desert conditions will be established. Finally, agribusinesses based on DARI research and development will be created.
Salt grass is also a halophyte, a salt tolerant plant that can be used for feed. The base leaves of the aster trifolium are edible and similar to spinach in taste.
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I wanted to be exposed to more of the world, and I am."
Chengcheng Tang Geometric Modeling and Scientific Visualization You might find him playing his viola or an ancient Chinese two-stringed instrument like a cello called an Erhu. But chances are you will find Chengcheng Tang at his work station in the Geometric Modeling and Visualization Research Center on his computer devising algorithms or coding programs for intuitive architectural geometry design methods.
Visualization of the mean curvature (top) and Gaussian curvature  (bottom) confirms the variety of design sampling results in the constrained manifold.
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Chengcheng is presently studying with Professor Helmut Pottmann, Director of the Center. His research is on new methods for exploring architectural free forms, especially meshes, under desired constraints or mathematically navigating high-dimensional non-linear constraint manifolds. “Basically, I’m providing architects with the freedom to explore different design possibilities of meshes under certain construction and aesthetic constraints,” he said. Chengcheng completed his MS degree in Applied Math and Computational Science last August and is a first year PhD student in the same.
He calls Sichuan, China home. His home city, Chengdu, is in the southwest of the country in a plain surrounded by high mountains. He went to Jilin University in Changchun in the Northeastern part of China and says it took him longer to get from his home to his university in China by train than it does to get home from KAUST by air. Chengcheng, is a founding and KAUST Discovery Scholarship student. A recruiter spoke about KAUST and its opportunities at his university, and he was so excited about the opportunity that he decided to apply. He was accepted and came. “I wanted to be exposed to more of the world,” he said. “And I am.” tangent plane
constrained mesh manifold
input mesh
tangent space mesh
projected mesh
Given a single input mesh (left) and a set of constraints, a constrained mesh manifold is constructed to capture all the meshes having the same connectivity while conforming to all the input constraints within allowable margin error.
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Annual Review | Research
ENVIRONMENT Many research studies are being conducted at KAUST about the environment. Four of them involve smart architectural and urban design, the study of gas emission contributing to the greenhouse effect, the consequences of global warming on the peninsula, and research about the Red Sea.
GMSV has been invited to partner with PLP Architecture, London, in their competition entry for the master plan of King Abdullah City of Atomic and Renewable Energy. If they win, GMSV design tools will be used for a major landmark building and possibly for the residential area layout.
Smart Architectural and Urban Design The project of the Geometric Modeling and Scientific Visualization Research Center (GMSV) deals with the development of novel graphics tools to greatly simplify the workflow in architectural design and urban planning. The project aims to integrate form, function, and fabrication into a single smart modeling tool, which will allow users to design complex geometric shapes at reasonable cost by including important aspects of statics, fabrication, energy consumption, functionality, etc. Currently, all these considerations are largely decoupled from the shape design phase, thus making the overall design process tedious, inefficient, and costly. Likewise, the researchers are developing graphical tools to support urban planners in their difficult task. This ranges from data acquisition (buildings, flow of traffic, etc.) from an existing city, to analyzing and visualizing the data and integrating them into the design process for future smart cities. The overall goal is to increase the quality of life while optimally using resources.
The unique rht-MOF platform designed at KAUST has potential use as a sorbent for enhanced post-combustion CO2 capture.
Using a single smart modeling tool, complex geometric shapes such as these can be analyzed to integrate form, function and fabrication.
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CO2 Capture This year a group of young researchers in Professor Mohamed Eddaoudi’s Functional Materials Design, Discovery, and Development Lab, designed a unique material, an amine functionalized Metal-Organic Framework (MOF), with potential use as a sorbent for enhanced postcombustion CO2 capture. Their work was recently featured on the cover of Chemical Communications, a Royal Society of Chemistry journal. The scientists constructed a solid-state material for the specific purpose of investigating methods of enhancing CO2 capture using a building block approach. The MOF chemistry allowed changes to the surface chemistry of the material using nitrogen containing organic ligands (amine and triazine groups). The capacity and affinity for CO2 increased by 50% compared to the MOF without the amine functionality. The ongoing work of the group is already showing promise for even more efficient materials for CO2 capture.
Climate Modeling
To do so, they are using a 25-kilometer resolution global climate model and the computing capacity of the Shaheen Supercomputer Lab and KAUST IT Scientific Computing. Also essential to their research are the University Library and the expertise of colleagues in the Water Desalination and Reuse Center, The Red Sea Research Center, and PSE and MCSE Divisions. Fine-resolution simulation, using the KAUST super computing facilities, combined with aerosol observations updated every 15 minutes make it possible to identify patterns of dust pollution and events that will ultimately lead to predictions of strong dust outbreaks, which have been increasingly affecting weather visibility and human health. The group is hoping to forecast to 2050 starting from 1979 when satellite observations began. They are also analyzing evidence of 60-year oscillations in local warming and cooling over the Arabian Peninsula. One hope of the group of scientists is that by predicting heat waves and extreme precipitation events more people will be rescued and water can be better contained and used.
Professor Georgiy Stenchikov, Chair of the Earth Science Program, and his international group of postdocs, PhD, and master’s students are examining the dynamic and physical reasons for local climate variability and helping to predict future climate change.
Professor Georgiy Stenchikov and his group are examining the dynamic and physical reasons for local climate change using a climate model like this one.
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RED SEA EXPEDITION The KAUST 2011 Red Sea Expedition began September 15, 2011. This was the third time the oceanographic research ship, Aegaeo, sailed the Red Sea to allow collaborative research between the University and local and international institutions. This expedition consisted of five legs and satisfied the sampling needs of 20 research studies as well as giving practical training experience to KAUST students.
One important study of the expedition is of the sea brine pools. The University’s first privately funded research grant, the SEDCO Research Excellence Award, was awarded to a senior faculty team to study “The Deep - Sea Brine Pools of the Red Sea: From Novel Extreme Organisms to Commercial Applications.” There are around 25 of these unique environments in the Red Sea. The sea brine pools are distinct “lakes” that contain unusual communities of extremophilic microorganisms existing in harsh conditions of high salinity, high levels of heavy metals, no oxygen, and elevated temperatures. The novel microorganisms have adapted to thrive in these conditions. The chemicals produced by these microbes have the potential for diverse biotechnological applications that could impact global medicine and health. Samplings were taken from 50 of the 206 stations covered for microbiological studies. A recent discovery about Red Sea bacteria highlights the importance of this study and the collection of microbes. A published article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (dx.doi. org/10.1021/ja301735a) and featured in Nature Middle East (doi:10.1038/middle east.2012.59) reported the discovery of potent anticancer activity from compounds made by two Red Sea bacteria. A whale shark tagged as part of a KAUST project to study what brings a large number to the southwest coast of Saudi Arabia, population demographics and any connections to whale shark populations outside the Red Sea.
KAUST student divers explore the reefs of the Red Sea.
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The study was a KAUST-Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST) partnership. The lead author is Dr. Sharon Xu Ying, a KAUST-funded postdoctoral researcher on HKUST Professor Pei Yuan Qian’s project to screen and catalog the diverse chemistry and bioactivities produced by Red Sea microbes. Dr. Xu focused on two related bacterial strains, Tistrella mobilis and T. bauzanensis that produce potent anticancer activity, a suite of chemicals called didemnins. Members of the didemnin family are known for anticancer activity as well as antivirus and immunosuppressive activities. Plans are now underway to transfer a copy of Professor Qian’s Red Sea bacterial cultures from HKUST to KAUST.
A KAUST student evaluating bleached coral.
In the previous year the Red Sea expedition covered the northeastern part of the Red Sea northward from KAUST, but this year the group covered almost all of the Saudi Red Sea waters, from the Gulf of Aden to the Sinai Peninsula on Leg 1. Observations of top-to-bottom ocean current and water properties (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and fluorescence) were obtained.
During Leg 4, the cold seeps, discovered on the 2010 Expedition, were studied. These cold seeps, just off the coast of Thuwal, are not brine pools. Various forms of life were found around them, including bacterial mats, sponges, soft corals, and tubeworms. On this leg the team obtained samples of sponges and tried to find a deeper understanding of the unusual habitat.
On Leg 2, the scientists visited five of the 25 brine pools. Two of them, Nereus Deep and Erba Deep, had never been sampled for microbes before.
In Leg 5, the deep waters up to 120 km from Thuwal were explored. By deploying a remotelyoperated vehicle (ROV) which broadcasts live in high definition from depths down to 800 meters, the entire research team was able to share in the experience. The group also used a two-man submersible. This allowed them a close look at the deeper topography and to see how the substrate and coral communities alter with increasing depth. They also were able to view the creatures that live at such depths and at the twilight zone of coral reefs at depths between 50 and 300 meters.
On Leg 3 the team studied mesopelagic fishes, which live between 200 and 1000 meters deep in the sea during the day and swim to the surface at night. They observed the fishes’ behavior using the Hamburg Plankton Net for the first time in the Red Sea. They also explored the possibility of organisms living in the interface between the brine pools and the sea.
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We worked non-stop, but it was worth it."
Tyas Hikmawan Red Sea Research Center Tyas Hikmawan, a PhD student, is from Yogyakarta, Indonesia, where he studied for his BSc degree in Biology at Gadjahmada University. When a recruiter for KAUST came to his university, he attended the presentation and was very impressed. Since he was interested in marine life and a member of a marine club, he thought KAUST, built right on the Red Sea, sounded like a wonderful opportunity to learn more, especially when he learned about the Red Sea Center that was to be built.
Anaerobic enrichments of the samples from the deep sea brines of the Red Sea
A cloning library to study microbial profiles on the brine
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Preparation of the LB media used for the cloning library
“Even so, I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave Indonesia and didn’t apply until the last minute. Of course, the internet failed, and I had to run all over to try to get my application filed, but I succeeded, was asked for an interview and accepted,” he said. Tyas is a founding student and received his MS in Marine Science. He is working towards his PhD in Marine Microbiology. He was a member of the 2011 Red Sea Expedition sailing the Red Sea for three weeks, traveling from the north of Egypt to the South of the Sudan, collecting samples for data essential to his research. He is studying with KAUST Professor Ulrich Stingl, one of the recipients of the SEDCO grant to study microbes in the Red Sea brine pools. The sea brines, “lakes” with very high concentrations of salt, no oxygen, and high temperatures, are located at depths of around 2 kilometers so samples cannot be collected by divers. Instead a device called a rosette sampler equipped with a CTD that can measure connectivity, temperature, and depth and take samples is sent down into the sea brine pool. It takes two hours for the device to descend and another two to come back up to the surface. “We worked non-stop, but it was worth it,” Tyas said.
Transferring the enrichments to the fresh media
Tyas is presently studying the samples taken on the expedition for novel microbes. The purpose is to study the microbial community of the brines and the DNA of the microbes to determine if they have genetically altered to survive in such extreme environments and how. The researchers are looking for metabolic pathways, enzymes, and chemicals that might have biotechnology applications.
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MATHEMATICAL AND COMPUTER SCIENCE RESEARCH Aslan Kasimov (Assistant Professor, Applied Mathematics and Computational Science) invented a new detonation engine concept. Inspired by experiments in hydraulic jumps, this new concept involves a detonation wave that is standing in a supersonic flow so that the combustion products, ejected at a high speed and under high pressure, create necessary thrust. He also invented a new hyperbolic partial differential equation (PDE) that for the first time predicts chaotic shock dynamics. This equation has the potential to become a prototype for chaotic dynamics in PDE, just as the Lorenz system became a prototype for chaotic dynamic ODE (ordinary differential equations). David Ketcheson (Assistant Professor of Mathematical and Computational Science) has developed the first ever second-order accurate, unconditionally positivity preserving time stepping methods for hyperbolic PDEs. A famous result dating from 1978 essentially forbids the existence of such methods, but he has found a reformulation that avoids this barrier. His paper on these methods has been hailed as “a major breakthrough” by reviewers and given an “accept as is” rating on first submission. If efficient implementations can be developed, these methods may revolutionize implicit time stepping for hyperbolic PDEs.
Also in a joint work with Randall LeVeque of the University of Washington, Prof. Ketcheson has developed a new theory for shock formation in periodic materials. He has found that periodic materials generically inhibit the formation of shocks – a surprising result that in a sense overturns previous understanding of nonlinear hyperbolic PDEs and demands development of a new theory. The new theory is elegantly simple, reducing a host of factors to one critical, dimensionless parameter that explains nearly all the variety of known behaviors. It has created a ripe avenue for extension and further computational exploration. Furthermore, through direct numerical simulation on Shaheen, Prof. Ketcheson has discovered a new class of two-dimensional solitary waves occurring in periodic non-dispersive media. These waves are remarkable because solitary waves typically result from a balance between nonlinearity and dispersion, yet these arise in the absence of any dispersive terms. Rather, they rely on effective dispersion arising from material in homogeneities.
A mathematical image of Partial Differential Equations
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Beautiful minds and mathematical calculations
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SELECTED NOTEWORTHY PUBLICATIONS
A measure of excellence of a university is the publications in respected journals by the faculty. This section contains citations for some of the top papers published this year. (KAUST faculty, postdocs, researchers, and students in bold) R. M. Dorin, D. S. Marques, H. Sai, U. Vainio, W. A. Philli, K.-V. Peineman, S. P. Nunes and U. Wiesner. Solution Small-Angle X-ray Scattering as a Screening and Predictive Tool in the Fabrication of Asymmetric Block Copolymer Membranes. ACS Macro Lett. 2012, 1, 614−617.
bal, Z. Lai, Y. Han, Z. Shi, S. Feng, J. Li. Enhanced Binding Affinity, Remarkable Selectivity, and High Capacity of CO2 by Dual Functionalization of a rht-Type Metal–Organic Framework. Angewandte Chemie Int. Ed. 51 (2012) 1412-1415. A. Schoedel, L. Wojtas, S. P. Kelley, R. D. Rogers, M. Eddaoudi, M. J. Zaworotko. Network Diversity through Decoration of Trigonal-Prismatic Nodes: Two-Step Crystal Engineering of Cationic MetalOrganic Materials. Angewandte Chemie Int. Ed. 2011, 50 (48), 11421-11424.
M. A. Khan, U. Bhansali, H. N. Alshareef. High Performance Ferroelectric Memory Devices on Banknotes. Advanced Materials. DOI:10.1002/ adma.201200626.
L. Wu, L. Falivene, E. Drinkel, S. Grant, A. Linden, L. Cavallo, R. Dorta. Synthesis of 3-Fluoro-3-aryl Oxindoles: Direct Enantioselective aArylation of Amides. Angewandte. Chemie Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 1-5. DOI:10.1002/anie.201200206.
B. Li, Z. Zhang, Y. Li, K. Yao, Y. Zhu, Z. Deng, F. Yang, X. Zhou, G. Li, H. Wu, N. Nijem, Y. J. Cha-
Y. H. Zhu, Q. X. Wang, L. Zhao, Y. Han. Direct Observation of Surface Reconstruction and Termina-
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tion on a Complex Metal Oxide Catalyst by Electron Microscopy. Angewandte Chemie Int. Ed. 2012, 51 (17): 4176-80. M. l. Kalkatawi, F. Rangkuti, M. Schramm, B. R. Jankovic, A. Kamau, R. Chowdhary, J. A. C. Archer, V. B. Bajic. Dragon PolyA Spotter: Predictor of Poly(A) Motifs Within Human Genomic DNA Sequences. Bioinformatics. 2012 Jan.1, 28(1), 127-129. J. Woo, C. R. MacPherson, J. Liu, H. Wang, T. Kiba, M. Hannah, X. J. Wang, V. B. Bajic, N. H. Chua. The Response and Recovery of Arabidopsis Thaliana Transcriptome to Phosphate Starvation. May, 2012 BMC Plant Biology, 12 (1):62. A. Lattanzi, A. De Fusco, A. Russo, A. Poater, L. Cavallo. Hexafluorobenzene: a Powerful Solvent for a Noncovalent Stereoselective Organocatalytic Michael Addition Reaction. Chem. Commun. 2012, 48(11), 1650-1652. DOI: 10.1039/C2CC17488J. R. Luebke, J. F. Eubank, A. J. Cairns, Y. Belmabkhout, L. Wojtas, M. Eddaoudi. The Unique rht-MOF Platform, Ideal for Pinpointing the Functionalization and CO2 Adsorption Relationship. Chem. Commun. 48(10), 1455-1457 (2012). A. Fihri, M. Bouhrara, B. Nekoueishahraki, JeanMarie Basset, V. Polshettiwar. Nanocatalysts for Suzuki Cross-coupling Reactions. Chemical Society Reviews. 2011, 40, 5181-5203. A. Fihri, M. Bouhrara, D. Cha, Noor Almana, V. Polshettiwar. Fibrous Nano-Silica (KCC-1) Supported Palladium Catalyst: Suzuki Coupling Reactions under Sustainable Conditions. ChemSusChem. 2012, 5, 85-89. K. McMahon, M. Berumen, I. Mateo, T. Elsdon, S. Thorrold. Carbon Isotopes in Otolith Amino Acids
Identify Juvenile Snapper (Family: Lutjanidae) in Coastal Nurseries. Coral Reefs. 30, 4(2011), 1135-1145. M. Berumen, G. Almany, S. Planes, G. Jones, P. Agudelo-Saenz, S. Thorrold. Persistence of SelfRecruitment and Patterns of Larval Connectivity in a Marine Protected Area Network. Ecology and Evolution. 2, 444-452. X. Xie, M. Ye, L. Hu, N. Liu, J. R. McDonough, W. Chen, H. N. Alshareef, C. S. Criddle, Y. Cui. Carbon Nanotube-coated Macroporous Sponge for Microbial Fuel Cell Electrodes. Energy & Environmental Science. 2012, 5, 5265-5270. Z. H. Zhang, P. Wang. Optimization of Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Performance on Hierarchical TiO2 Nanotube Array. Energy & Environmental Science. 2012, 5, 6506-6512. A. Ramaprasad, A. Pain, T. Ravasi. Defining the Protein Interacation Network of Human Malaria Parasite Plasmodium Falciparum. Genomics. Dec. 2011, 99(2), 69-75. M. Baron, C. Tubaro, A. Biffis, M. Basato, C. Graiff, A. Poater, L. Cavallo, N. Armaroli, G. Accorsi. A Blueemitting Dinuclear N-heterocyclic Dicarbene Gold(I) Complex Featured by a Nearly Unit Quantum Yield. Inorg. Chem. 2012, 51, 1778–1784. DOI: 10.1021/ ic2020786. W. Chen, Z. Fan, B. Zhang, G. Ma, K. Takanabe, X. Zhanag, Z. Lai. Enhanced Visible-light Activity of Titania via Confinement Inside Carbon Nanotubes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133 (2011) 14896-14899. X. Chen, L. Caporaso, L. Cavallo, E. Y.-X. Chen. Stereoselectivity in Metallocene-Catalyzed Polymerization of Renewable Methylene Butyrolactones:
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from Stereo-random to Stereo-perfect Polymers. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 7278. DOI: 10.1021/ ja301811s. R. Credendino, L. Falivene, L. Cavallo. -Face Donation from the aromatic N-substituent of NHeterocyclic Carbene Ligands to Metal and Its Role in Catalysis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 8127. DOI: 10.1021/ja212133j. J. F. Eubank, H. Mouttaki, A. J. Cairns, Y. Belmabkhout, L. Wojtas, R. Luebke, M. Alkordi, M. Eddaoudi. The Quest for Modular Nanocages: tbo-MOF as an Archetype for Mutual Substitution, Functionalization, and Expansion of Quadrangular Pillar Building Blocks. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133, 14204-14207 (2011). X. Teng, Y. Zhu, W. Wei, S. Wang, J. Huang, R. Naccache, Al. Tok, Y. Han, Q. Zhang, J. Capobianco, L. Huang. Lanthanide-Doped NaScFx Nanocrystals: Crystal Structure Evolution and Multicolor Tuning. J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2012), DOI: 10.1021/ja3016236. P. Wang, T. Minegishi, Ma, K. Takanabe, Y. Satou, S. Maekawa, Y. Kobori, J. Kubota, K. Domen. Photoelectrochemical Conversion of Toluene to Methylcyclohexane as an Organic Hydride by Cu2ZnSnS4Based Photoelectrode Assemblies. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134(5), 2469-2472. Y. Wang, Q. Wang, H. Sun, W. Zhang, G. Chen, Y. Wang, X. Shen, Y. Han, X. Lu, and H. Chen. "Chiral Transformation: from Single Nanowire to Double Helix." J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133 (2011) 20060-20063. S. P. Nunes, M. Karunakaran, N. Pradeep, A. R. Behzad, B. Hooghan, R. Sougrat, H. He, K.-V. Peinemann. From Micelle Supramolecular Assemblies in Selective Solvents to Isoporous Membranes. Langmuir. 27, (2011) 10184-10190.
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A. Correa, R. Credendino, J. T. M. Pater, G. Morini, L. Cavallo. Theoretical Investigation of Active Sites at the Corners of MgCl2 Crystallites in Supported Ziegler–Natta Catalysts. Macromolecules. 2012, 45, 3695. DOI: 10.1021/ma3001862. D. K. Ngugi, A. Antunes, A. Brune, U. Stingl. Biogeography of Pelagic Bacterioplankton Across an Antagonistic Temperature-salinity Gradient in the Red Sea. Molecular Ecology. 2012, 21(2), 388-405. A. Banerjee, J. Heo, F. Dogan, A. Manchon, W. Guo, P. Bhattacharya. Spin relaxation in InGaN Quantum Disks in GaN Nanowires. NanoLetters. 11, 5396, (2011). W. Chen, R. B. Rakhi, L. Hu, X. Xie, Y. Cui, H. N. Alshareef. High Performance Supercapacitors on a Sponge. NanoLetters. 11, 5165 (2011). H. M. Fahd, C. E. Smith, J. P. Rojas, M. M. Hussain. Silicon Nanotube Field Effect Transistor with Core-Shell Gate Stacks for Enhanced High Performance Operation and Area Scaling Benefits. NanoLetters. 2011, 11 (10), pp. 4393-4399. J. E. Mink, J. P. Rojas, B. E. Logan, M. M. Hussain. Vertically Grown Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Anode and Nickel Silicide Integrated High Performance Microsized (1.25 μL) Microbial Fuel Cell. Nanoletters. 2012, 12 (2), 791-795. H. Wang, Q. Wang, Y. Cheng, K. Li, Yi. Yao, Q. Zhang, C. Dong, P. Wang, U. Schwingenschlögl, W. Yang, X. X. Zhang. Doping Monolayer Graphene with Single Atom Substitutions. Nanoletters. 2012, 12 (1), 141-144. D. Zhitomirsky, I. J. Kramer, A. J. Labelle, A. Fischer, R. Debnath, J. Pan, O. M. Bakr, E. H. Sargent. Colloidal Quantum Dot Photovoltaics: The Effect of Polydispersity. NanoLetters. 2012, 12 (2), 1007–1012.
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F. Wang, R. Deng, J. Wang, Q. Wang, Y. Han, H. Zhu, X. Chen and X. Liu. Tuning Upconversion through Energy Migration in Core–shell Nanoparticles. Nature Materials. 2011, 10, 968–973. Y. Lai, Y. Wu, P. Sheng, Z.-Q. Zhang. Hybrid Elastic Solids. Nature Materials. 2011, 10, 620–624. J. Tang, K. W. Kemp, S. Hoogland, K. S. Jeong, H. Liu, L. Levina, M. Furukawa, X. Wang, R. Debnath, D. Cha, K. W. Chou, A. Fischer, A. Amassian, J. B. Asbury E. H. Sargent. Colloidal-quantum-dot Photovoltaics using Atomic-ligand Passivation. Nature Materials. 2011, 10, 765–771. C. Pfander, B. Anar, F. Schwach, T. D. Otto, M. Brochet, K. Volkmann, M.A. Quail, A. Pain, B. Rosen, W. Skarnes, J.C. Rayner, O. Billker. A Scalable Pipeline for Highly Effective Genetic Modification of a Malaria Parasite. Nature Methods. 2011, 8 (12), 1078-82. L. B. Zhang, Z. H. Zhang, P. Wang. Smart Surfaces with Switchable Superoleophilicity and Superoleophobicity in Aqueous Media: Toward Controllable Oil/water Separation. NPG Asia Materials. 2012, 4, e8; DOI:10.1038/am.2012.14. V. S. Sundararajan, M. N. Gabere, A. Pretorius, S. Adam, A. Cristoffels, M. Lehvaslaiho, J. A. C. Archer, V. B. Bajic. DAMPD: a Manually Curated Antimicrobial Peptide Database. Nucleic Acids Research. 2012, 40(1), 1108-1112. M. Lamberti, G. C. Fortman, A. Poater, J. Broggi, A. M. Z. Slawin, L. Cavallo, S. P. Nolan. Coordinatively Unsaturated Ruthenium Complexes As Efficient Alkyne−Azide Cycloaddition Catalysts. Organometallics. 2012, 31, 756-767. DOI: 10.1021/ om2012425h. A. Stephen, K. Hashmi, A. M. Schuster, S. Gaillard, L. Cavallo, A. Poater, S. P. Nolan. Selectivity Switch in
the Synthesis of Vinylgold(I) Intermediates. Organometallics. 2011, 30, 6328–6337. DOI: 10.1021/ om2009556. A. J. Reid, S. J. Vermont, J. A. Cotton, D. Harris, G. A. Hill-Cawthorne, S. Konen-Waisman, S. M. Latham, T. Mourier, R. Norton, M. A. Quail, M. Sanders, D. Shanmugam, A. Sohal, J. D. Wasmuth, B. Brink, M. E. Grigg, J. C. Howard, J. Parkinson, D. S. Roos, A. J. Trees, M. Berriman, A. Pain, J. M. Wastling. Comparative Genomics of the Apicomplexan Parasites Toxoplasma Gondil and Neospora Caninum: Coccidia Differing in Host Range and Transmission Strategy. PLoS Pathog. Mar. 2012, 8 (3):e1002567. H. Jacobsen, L. Cavallo. On the Accuracy of DFT Methods in Reproducing Ligand Substitution Energies for Transition Metal Complexes in Solution: The Role of Dispersive Interactions. Phys. Chem. Phys. 2012, 13, 562-569. DOI: 10.1002/ cphc.201100705. Q. Ge, J. I. Su, G. L. Amy, T.-S. Chung. Exploration of Polyelectrolytes as Draw Solutes in Forward Osmosis Processes. Water Research. 2012, 46(4), 1318-1326. N. Janot, P. E. Reiller, X. Zheng, J. P. Croue, M. F. Benedetti. Characterization of Humic Acid Reactivity Modifications due to Adsorption onto a-Al2O3. Water Research. 2012, 46(3), 731-740. M. Moshkov (Professor of Applied Mathematics and Computational Science) and B. Zielosko (Senior Research Scientist MC&E), co-authored the book, “Combinatorial Machine Learning: A Rough Set Approach,” which was published by Springer in 2011 in the series Studies in Computational Intelligence. It was developed at KAUST as a textbook for the course Computer Science 361, Combinatorial Machine Learning.
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ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
Building on its quest for excellence in research and education, KAUST seeks to contribute significantly to the development of a knowledge and innovation-driven sector for the Kingdom’s economy. KAUST is building capabilities for knowledge transfer and innovation.
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This University is an ambitious undertaking that will have profound effect on the country’s path toward development and modernization by bringing to bear the tools of science and technology to serve the Kingdom’s aspirations.” ~H.E. Ali I. Al-Naimi, Chairman of the KAUST Board of Trustees
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ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (ETD)
H.E. Ali I. Al-Naimi, Chairman of the KAUST Board of Trustees, visited the Economic Development Cluster in April, 2012. He listens to an explanation of Economic Development activities while seated next to Choon Fong Shih, (left), KAUST President.
Leveraging its talents and expertise in research and education, KAUST promotes an environment that offers opportunities for discovery and delivery through science and engineering. ETD’s mission is to bridge discovery and delivery at KAUST and to facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship. Through hosting industry partners and incubating start-ups, ETD provides a platform for technology transfer, spin-offs and new ventures, thereby contributing to job creation in the Kingdom. ETD’s programs and activities revolve around three major areas: transferring protected KAUST knowledge and technology to industry partners by way of licensing agreements; supporting entrepreneurs and technology transfer by stimulating new commercial opportunities; and developing thriving industry research and development (R&D) activi-
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ties within the KAUST Research Park and Innovation Cluster. The arrival on campus of major corporate R&D facilities; KAUST’s growing patent application portfolio and catalogue of IP agreements; growing membership of the industry affiliates program; project development initiatives; and aiding students, faculty and staff to actively engage in entrepreneurship are all significant milestones achieved by ETD.
Technology Transfer and Innovation Program (TTI) Even before its inauguration KAUST fully recognized and embraced the need to protect and man-
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age the commercialization of intellectual property (IP) both for its evolving relationships with industry and to protect the rights of its researchers and faculty. TTI continues to fulfill this growing responsibility by filing and managing patent applications, negotiating IP arrangements with partners, negotiating commercial rights and license agreements, and evaluating inventions for commercial use. KAUST’s IP portfolio continues to grow with more than 276 inventions reported by KAUST and its global research partners under active management. To date 132 patent applications have been filed in the US, Saudi Arabia, GCC, and Taiwan. Of the 101 KAUST owned inventions, 62 have at least one patent pending – an increase of 59% on the previous year. New IP arrangements have been successfully concluded during the year with LyondellBassel, Saudi Aramco, and UOP Honeywell. TTI negotiates commercial rights to inventions reported by partners under Global Collaborators' Research (GCR) grants. Until present time, 22 partner universities have reported 121 inventions, 61 of which are active. In 2012 two patent applications were filed by industry partner SABIC from sponsored research undertaken at the University.
New Ventures and Entrepreneurship (NVE) NVE is responsible for helping fledgling entrepreneurs with product development and commercialization. It helps them take the first steps to deliver their
discoveries into the marketplace by supporting them with funding and expertise.
The VentureLab is an intensive, one-semester program that supports, coaches and teaches young entrepreneurs the essential skills needed to start a business. Participants learn to validate research projects and ideas, develop an entrepreneurial mindset, obtain a unique start-up experience and create a product. The program was launched in Fall 2011 for KAUST entrepreneurs, but was opened up to teams from both Jeddah and KAUST during the second round in Spring Semester. The VentureLab, Coaching, and the Speakers Series inspired 60 new entrepreneurs to begin 13 start-up projects. Forty-seven students, faculty, and staff were trained at KAUST, and an additional 16 at an affiliate, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. Two of the four Round Four Seed Fund winners were coached by VentureLab together with 87 others. Over 1,200 students, faculty and staff attended the Speaker Series and the Startup Showcase, where VentureLab participants presented their projects.
The Seed Fund provides help to the potential future business owner at a time when it is most needed. By providing funding and support the Fund helps the entrepreneur get his or her invention from the lab/patent stage to commercialization. This year’s diverse winners from Round Four of the Fund’s competition were selected in March. They were: Envirola, a low-cost heavy metals detection instrument that provides an ease-of-use portable
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solution; iDiver, the first solution to enable full functionality of touchpad devices underwater; MuseTech, a photo-real 3D immersive environment allowing museum visitors to feel as though they have been transported to a remote location; and NOMADD, the No Water Mechanical Automated Dusting Device, which cleans desert-based solar installations both cost effectively and in an environmentally responsible manner.
Saudi Aramco has also completed the conversion of its allocated premises in the Innovation Cluster into both laboratories and support offices.
Research Park and Innovation Cluster (RPIC)
SABIC and KAUST have signed the definitive contractual agreements for the establishment of the SABIC Corporate Research and Innovation Center at KAUST. SABIC has occupied temporary offices in the Innovation Cluster and is working to remodel and outfit a dedicated building within the complex as well as building a new one. These two buildings will house up to 150 scientists and engineers.
RPIC is the physical bridge between discovery and delivery, providing opportunities from the close proximity for scientists and researchers to develop ideas for industry and opportunities for businesses to benefit from the University’s scientific research. RPIC overseas and manages the major infrastructural component of the University’s Economic Development mission. It provides both a physical space and supportive environment to nurture industry partners within the campus. The latter may include major international corporations seeking to establish corporate research and development facilities on the KAUST Research Park, as well as entrepreneurs transitioning their innovative ideas in start-up entities (arising from NVE or GRC partners) in the Innovation Cluster incubator space. A number of major milestones have been achieved during the year. These consolidate the previous notable success of signing the inaugural industry deal with Dow and confirm the potential of KAUST’s Research Park to become a research and technology magnet in the Middle East. This year Saudi Aramco has approved funding for the underground infrastructural developments in Research Park and work has commenced. Phase 1 is due for completion by December 2012.
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Dow has established a demonstration water filtration facility on the campus prior to its incorporation and further scale-up in the Innovation Cluster. The company has completed the conversion of its allocated premises.
Industry’s growing presence on campus recognizes the excellence and attraction of the Research Park, situated alongside the University campus. RPIC has been actively engaged with a number of companies that qualify as candidates for the establishment of corporate R&D facilities in the Research Park, specifically across different vertical markets aligned with KAUST research priorities. The companies that have been hosted on campus and that have been engaged in collaborative research discussions with Faculty include Total, ExxonMobil, Rolls Royce, Rhodia, Veolia, PALL, Johnson Controls, Air Liquide, BGI, Maaden, AMD, IBM, and Microsoft.
The KAUST Industry Collaboration Program (KICP) The unique industrial affiliation program continues to move from strength to strength and bring more industries into the KAUST arena. This academic year it added four strategic partners (Saudi Binladin Group, TOTAL, Sipchem, and Evonik) and one associate partner (BAE Systems) to its membership to bring the total number of Strate-
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gic and Associate Partners to 24 and 5 respectively. KICP partners have sponsored 21 research agreements and all industry student internships. Importantly, they employed the largest number of KAUST graduates who chose an industry career track. KICP completed its second annual strategic study on water1 and launched its third study on green building materials of importance to the region2. The latter topic was selected by consensus during the annual KAUST Industry Advisory Board meeting in 2011.
Technology Applications and Advancement Group (TAAG)
F"('&5 *
TAAG actively engages with industry to facilitate the commercialization of technology in Saudi Arabia, and it has a number of initiatives in the solar domain of crucial importance to this emerging sector in the region. A New Energy Oasis (NEO) established in 2009 continues to flourish and enables solar industry partners to collect valuable field performance data. Five new demonstration and evaluation units were added to the site during the year - Conergy, First Solar, Hitachi, Miasole, and Q Cells - bringing the total number of participating industry partners to ten.
Essential Expertise for Water, Energy and Air
Entitled “Promoting Waste Water Reclamation and Reuse in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Technology Trends, Innovation Needs and Business Opportunities” Entitled “Evaluation of Green Buildings Industry in Saudi Arabia and the GCC Region: Technology, Market Assessment and Business Opportunities.”
1 2
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OUR PEOPLE AND COMMUNITY page 65
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Our intention is to create an enduring model for advanced education and scientific research. A complete residential and academic compound‌. [serving] as a bridge between people and cultures.� ~Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
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Annual Review | Our People and Community
OUR PEOPLE AND COMMUNITY KAUST is more than a university campus, a collection of buildings, research centers, and labs. Built adjacent to the turquoise waters of the Red Sea, the campus is divided into academic, commercial, and residential zones. There are over 35 commercial enterprises on the campus – a pharmacy, grocery stores, food services, a book store, retail shops, and more. There are schools from early childhood centers through grade 12, recreation centers, a beach, a golf course, a stadium, and fully furnished housing for faculty, students, staff, and families. Yes, KAUST is more than a collection of buildings. KAUST is a community, a town, in essence, where people of many different nationalities come together to live, work, study, and play. Residential Services - The housing at KAUST is designed in modern Arabesque style and consists of apartments and some shared houses for students and housing units for faculty, staff, and their families. There are 2088 units built for faculty, staff, and families on university grounds, which vary in size from one to four bedrooms. Eight hundred and two one-bedroom apartments and 194 multi-bedroom apartments and houses are available for students, many built along canals and the Red Sea. This year 213 new two- and three-bedroom housing units were provided for staff and families. All are in the Garden District, close to the new secondary school.
Schooling – The KAUST School is available for children of community members and offers schooling for students grade K1 (age 3) through Grade 12 (age 18). In Fall 2011 the new Safaa Gardens Secondary School was opened, housing grades 6-12. The school gained International Baccalaureate authorization and Ministry of Education certification for both the IB diploma and the KAUST diploma this year. Classes maintain a student/teacher ratio of 1/15 in K1-3 and 1/18 in Grades 1-12. At the end of the 2011-2012 school year there was a total of 209 students in K1 and K2; 396 in K3 through Grade 5; and 227 in Grades 6-12 for a total of 832 students. Thirty per cent of the students are Saudi nationals and 50 per cent from the Middle East region. There are over 60 nationalities attending the school, which demonstrates the diversity of the University and the community. The course of study is interdisciplinary, inquiry based. In grades 11-12 the study is criterionbased inquiry. There is a focus on computer literacy, and each child has a computer available to him or her. In the lower grades the comput-
All units are fully furnished, and services for garbage removal, local telephone, and ongoing home maintenance are provided.
Boys test their heart rate on the stationary bikes during World Health Day.
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ers stay with the classroom or lab as the children move on to the next grade, but in secondary school a computer is assigned to each child to travel with him or her through the six grades to graduation. The school is measuring its success with a program called MAP (Measures of Academic Progress). Children are tested in October and April. The program shows a scorecard of growth over time for each child, his or her other cohorts and the school, facilitating comparisons and individualized assessments.
Recreation Services – There are extensive recreation and sports facilities at KAUST and training provided for most activities. Some of them are the Harbor Sports Club housing courts for squash, racquetball and tennis, an athletic track, fitness rooms and exercise studios, a ten-pin bowling alley and two swimming pools; the nine-hole championshipdesigned Safaa Golf Club; a 150-seat Theater; outdoor recreation fields; a marina and a 5,000seat stadium.
Some of the student apartment complexes
Over 120 participants took part in cycle races on Feb. 23rd at the Thuwal Park.
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Annual Review | Our People and Community Guest Services provides accommodations for business and personal guests visiting the campus. KAUST Inn 1 has 42 rooms while KAUST Inn 2 has 25 currently but will have 75 after an expansion is completed in 2013. There are also 26 guest units and five executive villas used for guests outside of the hotel. In order to meet the heavy demand for accommodations - 3,629 guests in the last year - 12 four-bedroom units were also made available for guests in September 2011.
A highlight of this academic year was the opening of the new Water Sports Center in Fall 2011. The center provides activities such as SCUBA diving, fishing, sailing, windsurfing, powerboat training, and a PADI Dive school for beginners, novice and experienced divers. Recreation Services also sponsored many special events that drew the community together. Over 850 people attended the Go Kart activity at the Stadium in March; 1000 took part in Earth Day; 700 attended a Discovery Square Cultural Night, and 5,000 plus were at Flavors International Food Festival in April. There were also cycle races, a dodge ball tournament, a 5K Family Fun Run, a Water Park Fun Day, and more. Security Services – Until this year security at KAUST had been performed by Al Majal contract employees and Saudi Aramco security personnel. This year 278 contract and new personnel became KAUST employees, and Saudi Aramco personnel were demobilized by the end of December 2011. All successful candidates were on the job by August 1, 2011. The new KAUST security force, under the Transformation Project, has undergone a series of assessments. A qualifications matrix of core competencies and specialist skills has been completed as has a training needs assessment. A fitness strategy has been implemented with 260 being assessed. Two hundred and fifty-one personnel have completed Royal Force Training. CPR and Basic Fire Extinguisher Training have also been completed by staff, all as part of the Security Performance Improvement Program (SPIP). A KAUST Apprentice Program was also implemented, and training commenced. Other major achievements for the year include the ID Replacement Program, the Sticker Replacement
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Program, and the commissioning of Building 17, the Security Operations Center and its manning 24/7. Other Health, Safety, and Environment activities included a World Health Day, a Diabetes Awareness Day, Fire Prevention Week, World Water Day, World Environment Day, a Bicycle Safety Awareness Campaign, the launch of an electronic Incident Reporting System for online reporting of hazards, near misses, and incidents, and the initiation of a health and safety bulletin for employees and the community. Also, KAUST was recognized by the Saudi Green Building Forum for outstanding commitment to sustainable building and development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Information Technology is critical to the success of the University and to its Research Park and to the broader KAUST community. The IT Department (IT) is responsible for everything from individual research computing to home telephones, from business applications to video download, from running data centers to KAUST's email system. IT maintains a vast network connecting the campus, its Research Centers and Core Labs, commercial and residential areas, and the outside world. A 10 Gigabit per second link provides high capacity communications for researchers. Internet connections are widely available, including WiFi throughout the university area. IT has installed and maintains 600 high-end computer stations for research and operates Noor, a large shared research computer cluster for the University, currently being upgraded to meet expanding research requirements.
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Huge crowds attended Flavors International Food Festival at KAUST in April.
Children enjoy a game of rugby in one of Thuwal’s parks.
In case of a water shortage, the water reserve tanks are sufficient to sustain potable water demand including irrigation and fire for 24 hours and three days if irrigation is switched off.
Participants get ready for the start of the 5K race.
Over 60 nationalities attend the KAUST elementary, middle, and high schools.
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This year Waste Management recycled 29.03 tons of PET bottles, 189.44 tons of waste cardboard, 25.07 tons of waste paper, 5.37 tons of aluminum, 47.78 tons of glass, 4,490 liters of used kitchen oil, 9100 liters of used motor oil, 8.42 tons reuse items, 2,754 pieces of lighting bulbs, 366 pieces of printer cartridges generated on KAUST, and disposed of 19,545 kilos of hazardous waste per local environmental requirements This year IT has commissioned and tested new Disaster Recovery capabilities located off-campus, enabling key functions to continue in the event of a fire or other unforeseen disruptions that might occur on campus. They have also started providing support to Research Park tenants on a commercial basis. They are currently working with the Library to establish a comprehensive records management system for the University. IT services have expanded in line with the University – supporting new areas of research, new research park tenants, and new houses, and schools. The IT department has also established a new IT store on campus to service those with their own computers. They also brought online the first phase of a Smart Campus app, which provides maps of campus. Future plans are afoot to eventually expand the app to allow everyone to pay at KAUST stores, restaurants, the cafeteria, etc. with their phone. IT continues to play a key role in the life of the University – from the annual IT lecture to heavy participation in the WEP Program. It is engaged in a number of external initiatives, and leads internal initiatives focused on process as well as technology, since good end-to-end processes often provide a better solution than adding more and bigger computer programs to automate flawed processes. IT is actively engaging administrative departments to help streamline their operations. More than 100 people have been trained in the Lean Six Sigma quality methodology to improve processes and enable the University to operate more efficiently.
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Children, teachers, and parents participate in a “Parade of Nations” at KAUST Elementary School.
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Students meet in the atrium of the new Garden District School which opened in Fall 2011.
KAUST Board of Trustees Chairman H.E. Ali I. Al-Naimi shares iftar with faculty, students, and staff.
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GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP Building a university up from the desert sands is an ambitious endeavor. KAUST is fortunate to have had the benefit of oversight, leadership, and advice from a remarkable group of visionary, knowledgeable, and talented individuals.
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Annual Review | Governance and Leadership
BOARD OF TRUSTEES The KAUST Board of Trustees, a self-perpetuating group comprised of leaders from academia, science, finance, industry, and public life, meets at least three times a year in accordance with its charter to oversee the University ‘s activities and monitor its progress and development. Members of the KAUST Board of Trustees during the 2011-2012 academic year were:
His Excellency Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi Chairman, KAUST Board of Trustees, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (resigned December 2011) His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Kingdom of Saudi Arabia His Royal Highness Prince Mansour bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Kingdom of Saudi Arabia His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah Minister of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Mohammed Ali President, Islamic Development Bank His Excellency Dr. Khaled Al-Sultan Rector and CEO, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
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Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam Chairman, National Research Foundation of Singapore (resigned September 2011)
Mr. John Brennan Chairman Emeritus, Vanguard Group (resigned November 2011)
Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni President, Global Research and Development, Sanofis Aventis
Mr. Mohammed A. Jameel President, Abdullatif Jameel Group
Professor Rolf-Dieter Heuer Director General, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) Professor Choon Fong Shih President, KAUST Professor Emeritus Frank H. T. Rhodes President Emeritus, Cornell University (resigned December 2011, named Emeritus Trustee December 2011) Professor Shirley M. Tilghman President, Princeton University
Ms. Lubna S. Olayan Deputy Chairperson and CEO, Olayan Financing Company Professor Alice P. Gast President, Lehigh University Dr. Charles M. Vest President, National Academy of Engineering and President Emeritus, MIT Dr. Nam Pyo Suh President, KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)
Mr. Khalid Al-Falih President and CEO, Saudi Aramco
Professor Tony Chan President, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Mr. Andrew Gould Chairman, BG Group
Mr. William F. Stamm Executive Secretary to the Board
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UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP The University’s senior leadership team comprises dedicated and talented individuals who have broad responsibility for developing and implementing the University’s goals, priorities, and plans.
Professor Choon Fong Shih President
Dr. Najah Ashry Vice President Saudi Initiatives
Professor Stefan Catsicas Provost
Professor Jean Frechet Vice President Research
Mr. Nadhmi Al-Nasr Executive Vice President Administration and Finance
Ms. Patricia Hughes Vice President Human Resources
Dr. Mohamed Samaha Senior Vice President Economic and Technology Development Mr. William Stamm General Counsel Professor James Calvin Vice President Education
Mr. John Larson Chief Information Officer Dr. Abdullah Almojel Vice President University Development Mr. Mutleb Al Shammeri Vice President Facilities and Community Mr. Amin Al Shibani Vice President Economic Development
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Annual Review | Governance and Leadership
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL The President’s International Advisory Council (IAC) supports and advises the president on the overall academic development of the University. The committee is composed of globally renowned scholars, researchers, and academic, technological, and business leaders from Asia, Europe, and North America.
THE MEMBERS ARE: Professor Richard Friend (Chair) Cavendish Professor of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom His Excellency Dr. Mohammed ibn Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel President, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Saudi Arabia Professor Alice M. Agogino Roscoe and Elizabeth Hughes Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, United States Professor Frances H. Arnold Dick and Barbara Dickinson Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry, California Institute of Technology, United States Professor Chunli Bai President, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Professor Anthony Cheetham Goldsmiths’ Professor of Materials Science, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Professor Nam-Hai Chua Andrew Mellon Professor and Head, Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology, Rockefeller University, United States Professor Avelino Corma Research Professor, Institute of Chemical Technology, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain Professor John E. Dowling Gordon and Llura Gund Professor of Neurosciences, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Professor of Ophthalmology in Neuroscience, Harvard University, United States Professor Charles Elachi Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Vice President, California Institute of Technology, United States Professor Alice P. Gast President, Lehigh University, United States
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Professor Barry Halliwell Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professor of Biochemistry and Deputy President for Research and Technology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Professor Henry T. Yang Chancellor, University of California, Santa Barbara, United States
Professor Wolfgang A. Herrmann President, Technische Universitat Munchen, Germany
PREVIOUS IAC MEMBERS:
Professor Karen Holbrook Senior Vice President for Global Affairs and International Research, University of South Florida, United States Professor Olaf K端bler Former President, ETH Zurich, Switzerland Mr. Mohamed H. Al-Mady Vice Chairman & CEO, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), Saudi Arabia Mr. Amin Nasser Senior Vice President, Upstream Operations, Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia Professor Mostafa El-Sayed Julius Brown Chair and Regents Professor and Director, Laser Dynamics Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States
Dr. Frank Press (Founding Chair) President Emeritus, US National Academy of Sciences, United States Dr. Samuel W. Bodman Former United States Secretary of Energy, United States Professor Paul C. W. Chu T.L.L. Temple Chair of Science and Executive Director, Texas Center of Superconductivity, University of Houston, United States Dr. Hiroshi Komiyama President Emeritus, University of Tokyo, Japan Dr. Jang Moo Lee Former President, Seoul National University, South Korea Professor Subra Suresh Director, National Science Foundation, United States
Professor Enge Wang Executive Vice President and Provost, Peking University, China
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King Abdullah University of Science and Technology 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal 23955-6900 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia www.kaust.edu.sa
The bridge connecting the South Parking Garage to the Al-Haytham Building at noon with the solar tower in the background.
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