EXCHANGING EXPERTISE WITH NOBEL LAUREATES

Nobel Laureate Meeting

In June 2023, three KAUST PhD students were invited to attend the 72nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany, alongside 600 young scientists from around the world. The doctoral students – Asma Al-Amoodi, Walaa Khushaim and Hajar Al-Zarah – were invited to attend in recognition of their excellence in the fields of bioscience and bioengineering.

The event has been held in the small German town of Lindau since 1951, bringing together some of the brightest minds in science over the decades. It assembles Nobel laureates and young scientists to engage and collaborate. The meeting focuses on a different scientific topic each year; 2023’s focus was on physiology and medicine.

Hajar Al-Zarah

Hajar Al-Zarah is working in DNA nanotechnology in KAUST’s Molecular Imaging and Microscopy Lab. Her research focuses on DNA protein hybrid nanostructures using a variety of imaging techniques. Al-Zarah studied clinical pharmacy at Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal University before joining KAUST, where she now contributes to its aim to propel the country to the forefront of the biotech sphere.

“I am thrilled and honored to have been selected for this incredible opportunity, and I am eager to learn from Nobel laureates and engage with other young researchers from around the world.”

HAJAR AL-ZARAH has two branches. The first is the Ibn Rushd Postdoctoral Fellowship program, which offers funded fellowships for exceptional recent Saudi doctoral graduates and soon-to-graduate candidates to pursue postdoctoral research at top international research universities. the University of Washington and Stanford University, in the United States; the French National Center for Scientific Research; and the University of Toronto in Canada.

Students are given a unique networking opportunity, with the chance to listen to lectures, talks and panel discussions, as well as enjoy personal exchanges with the Nobel laureates and other young scientists representing various academic institutions around the world. Around 40 Nobel laureates contributed to the wide-ranging program of discussions and activities this year.

KAUST

PhD student

Walaa Khushaim

OSMAN

KAUST announced the second cohort of fellows for its flagship initiative supporting exceptional Saudi postdoctoral researchers, the Ibn Rushd Postdoctoral Fellowship. The highly competitive program is inspired by and named after Ibn Rushd, a well-traveled and influential 12th-century Islamic philosopher. It supports and enables top scholars to pursue postdoctoral research at leading research universities around the world.

The overarching program, the Ibn Rushd Program for Saudi Scholars and Researchers,

The second branch is the Ibn Rushd Professorship program, directed at established Saudi researchers and academics who are ready to apply to a faculty position at any level. The latter supports KAUST’s mission to diversify its faculty and double the number of Saudi scholars at the institution to create future leaders, thinkers and innovators.

The 2023 cohort of postdoctoral fellows includes 13 Saudi researchers. In May 2023, KAUST welcomed the new fellows to its campus for orientation. The scholars are conducting research at a range of prestigious institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, the University of California San Diego, the California Institute of Technology,

Mentorship is a core component of the program. Scholars taking part in the fellowship are assigned a mentor to support them throughout their experience abroad, keeping them closely involved in the KAUST community. The cohort can also use KAUST facilities when visiting Saudi Arabia, with access to research and leadership development initiatives, entrepreneurship and networking opportunities, and invitations to relevant KAUST seminars and workshops.

For the Ibn Rushd Professorship, Saudi researchers that wish to become faculty members at KAUST are invited to apply for support through the program. It considers positions at a range of levels – from assistant professor to associate professor to full professor – offering established researchers and academics with PhDs the opportunity to pursue a faculty position at KAUST.

Council For The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

“635 young scientists from around the world… will get the chance to listen to lectures, Agora Talks and panel discussions, as well as enjoy personal exchanges with Nobel laureates and the other young scientists.”

Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Walaa Khushaim is working to develop sensitive biosensors to enable the rapid detection of heart attack biomarkers. These biosensors could reduce mortalities from cardiovascular disease and other timecritical conditions. Khushaim obtained a master’s degree from the University of Oxford after completing her undergraduate degree in biochemistry at Queens University of Charlotte in the United States.

Asma Al-Amoodi

Asma Al-Amoodi’s research focuses on enhancing the migration of long-term hematopoietic stem cells for therapeutic purposes. Viewed as ground-breaking research in translational medicine, her work centers around identifying and understanding the sugars and proteins on the surface of hematopoietic stem cells involved in the key mechanistic steps in the migration of cells in circulation. Her ultimate ambition is to establish a research facility dedicated to cancer studies, staffed by some of the world’s most eminent scientists.