KAUST Professor Dr. Bakr was elected as a member of the Arab-German Young Academy (AGYA). AGYA selects Arab and German researchers from universities and research institutions across the Middle East and Germany. The academy promotes cooperation between Arab and German researchers within the first 10 years of their Ph.D. Why it matters: This appointment fosters international research collaboration and provides a platform for interdisciplinary projects between Arab and German researchers.
KAUST Assistant Professor Derya Baran has been selected as a member of the Global Young Academy (GYA), the first member to represent a Saudi Arabian institution. The GYA is an international society for young scientists under 40 focused on science, policy, research environment, and science education. During her five years in the GYA, Baran hopes to contribute to building a National Young Academy in Saudi Arabia and give KAUST and the Saudi educational system greater representation in the scientific world. Why it matters: This appointment enhances the visibility of Saudi research institutions on the global stage and promotes the development of young scientists in the region.
KAUST alumnae Dr. Fatimah Abdulhakim, Dr. Nadine Hosny El Said, and Dr. Rana Hussein Ali were honored in the 2025 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards. Abdulhakim was recognized for her research on plant immune response, while El Said was honored for her work on epigenetic science and RNA-based therapies. Ali was named a 2025 German Laureate in the global L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards for her work at Goethe University Frankfurt. Why it matters: The recognition highlights KAUST's role in fostering female scientific talent and advancing research in areas crucial for regional food security and global healthcare.
Three KAUST students, Mohammed Zidan, Joanna Nasser, and Stephanie Saade, were selected to attend the 65th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany. The meeting will host 65 Nobel Laureates and 650 young researchers in physiology, medicine, physics, and chemistry. The students look forward to the transfer of knowledge and networking opportunities with leading scientists. Why it matters: This recognition highlights KAUST's commitment to fostering young scientific talent and providing opportunities for them to engage with the global scientific community.
Fudan University's Zhongyu Wei presented research on social simulation driven by LLMs, covering individual and large-scale social movement simulation. Wei directs the Data Intelligence and Social Computing Lab (Fudan DISC) and has published extensively on multimodal large models and social computing. His work includes the Volcano multimodal model, DISC-MedLLM, and ElectionSim. Why it matters: Using LLMs for social simulation could provide new tools for understanding and potentially predicting social dynamics in the Arab world.
MBZUAI adjunct professor Iryna Gurevych was appointed to the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and received the “Social Impact Award” at the 18th Conference of the European Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics. The Social Impact Award recognized her study on sociodemographic prompting, a technique that steers prompt-based models towards answers reflecting specific sociodemographic profiles. Gurevych was also named one of the 15 most important women in AI in Germany by Manager Magazin for her work building an AI assistant with Amazon. Why it matters: Recognizing experts at MBZUAI raises the visibility of the university and its contributions to cutting-edge NLP research, particularly in areas like ethical and responsible AI development.
Four researchers from KAUST attended the 69th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany, which focused on physics. The meeting provided an opportunity for young scientists to interact with 39 Nobel laureates, including Donna Strickland and Gérard Mourou. KAUST attendees included Abderrahmen Trichili, Ibrahim Dursun, Abdullah Almansouri, and Latifah Al Maghrabi, who participated in lectures, talks, and open exchanges. Why it matters: Participation in such events raises KAUST's profile and provides invaluable networking and learning opportunities for its researchers.
KAUST will host its Fall Discovery Enrichment program from October 14-22, focusing on the theme "Food for All." The program includes discussions on women in biology led by Bettina Berger, Jasmeen Merzaban, Peiying Hong, and Ashwag Albukhari. Other activities feature a workshop on diet improvement by Amna Malik and cooking demonstrations by German chef Bernd Arold, alongside screenings of food-related movies. Why it matters: The event promotes community engagement and education around food-related topics, highlighting the intersection of science, health, and culture within the KAUST community.