KAUST Ph.D. student Mohammed Aljahdali received the Best Paper award at the International Conference on Federated Learning Technologies and Applications (FLTA) 2025 for his research on federated learning. His paper, "Flashback: Understanding and Mitigating Forgetting in Federated Learning," introduces an algorithm to help AI systems retain knowledge across diverse datasets while preserving privacy. Aljahdali's research, supervised by Professor Marco Canini, focuses on training machine learning models directly on user devices. Why it matters: This award recognizes the growing talent and impactful research emerging from Saudi universities in the field of privacy-preserving AI.
KAUST Ph.D. student Abdulkhaleq Almansaf won 3M's 2017 Invent a New Future Challenge, representing Saudi Arabia among 14 global finalists. Almansaf presented an idea to use metal nanoclusters in solar energy, drawing on KAUST's example of resource utilization and diversity. As part of his win, Almansaf will receive mentorship from a 3M senior leader for six months. Why it matters: The recognition highlights KAUST's role in fostering innovation and its students' ability to contribute solutions on a global scale.
KAUST was ranked first in Saudi Arabia and in the global top twenty in the Nature Index Annual Tables' new normalized ranking. The ranking considers the number of high-quality articles published as a proportion of an institute's overall output in the natural sciences. This normalized ranking allows institutions of different sizes to be compared on the same basis. Why it matters: This ranking highlights KAUST's growing impact on global scientific research and its commitment to producing high-quality publications.
KAUST research scientist Muhammad Wakil Shahzad won the 'best presenter' award at the 2019 Global Summit and Expo on Power & Energy Engineering in Dubai. His presentation focused on the energy efficiency of seawater desalination processes. Shahzad's research at KAUST's Water Desalination and Reuse Center aims to improve desalination methods and develop water reclamation strategies. Why it matters: This award highlights KAUST's contributions to innovative desalination technologies, which are crucial for addressing water scarcity in the Gulf region and drought-stricken areas globally.
KAUST Discovery Associate Professor of Chemical Science Niveen Khashab received a 2017 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award. The award recognizes her research contributions in the field of physical science, specifically organic chemistry. The award highlights the impact of KAUST researchers on the global scientific community. Why it matters: This recognition underscores the growing prominence of women in STEM fields within the Middle East and the increasing global impact of research originating from Saudi Arabia.