KAUST Professor Carlos Duarte will receive the Blaise Pascal Medal from the European Academy of Sciences in October 2018 for his contributions to Earth and environmental sciences. Duarte is the Tarek Ahmed Juffali research chair in Red Sea ecology. He is involved in KAUST's Red Sea Research Center and supports Saudi Vision 2030 initiatives like The Red Sea Project and NEOM. Why it matters: The award recognizes KAUST's impact in environmental science and Duarte's role in aligning research with Saudi Arabia's development goals.
KAUST Professor Iain McCulloch has received the 2020 Blaise Pascal Medal for Materials Science from the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc). McCulloch directs KAUST's Solar Center and also holds a professorship at Imperial College London. His research focuses on semiconducting small molecules and polymers for organic electronic devices, leading to advancements in organic solar cells. Why it matters: This award highlights KAUST's contributions to materials science and its focus on advancing solar energy technologies in the region.
KAUST Professor Carlos M. Duarte was awarded the 2016 Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal by the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The medal recognizes Duarte's outstanding contributions to biogeosciences as the Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in Red Sea Ecology. Duarte's research focuses on the impacts of global change in marine ecosystems. Why it matters: This award highlights KAUST's contribution to global research in marine science and environmental sustainability, enhancing its reputation as a leading institution in these fields.
MBZUAI Adjunct Professor Iryna Gurevych has won the 2025 Royal Society Milner Award for her contributions to NLP and AI. The Milner Award recognizes outstanding European computer scientists and includes a bronze medal and a £5,000 honorarium. Gurevych's work focuses on processing big data with NLP tools, argument mining, and detecting misleading content. Why it matters: The award highlights MBZUAI's growing prominence in the international AI research landscape and Gurevych's work in making language models safer.
KAUST has been awarded the ACM Gordon Bell Prize for Climate Modelling, considered the "Nobel" of high-performance computing, for their work on exascale climate emulators. The winning paper, a collaborative effort with institutions including the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, addresses the computational and storage demands of high-resolution earth system models. The KAUST team included Sameh Abdulah, Marc G. Genton, David E. Keyes, and others. Why it matters: This is the first time an institution in the Middle East has won the prize, highlighting KAUST's leadership in high-performance computing and climate research in the region.
KAUST Professor Tadeusz Patzek has received the EAGE Desiderius Erasmus Award for his contributions to energy supply research. The award recognizes Patzek's analysis of shale gas and biofuels, as well as his work on climate change and environmental damage. Patzek currently directs the Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Center at KAUST, focusing on the impact of fossil fuels and agrofuels on social and ecological systems. Why it matters: The recognition highlights KAUST's contribution to research on sustainable energy strategies and their impact on global environmental policy.
KAUST Professor Pierre Magistretti received the 2016 Fondation IPSEN Neuronal Plasticity prize for his work in neuroenergetics. The award recognizes Magistretti's contributions to understanding the relationship between neuronal activity and brain energy consumption. He shares the award with Dr. David Attwell and Dr. Marcus Raichle, and will be honored at FENS in Copenhagen. Why it matters: This award highlights KAUST's contribution to international neuroscience research and strengthens its reputation in biological and environmental science.
KAUST Professor Håvard Rue was honored by the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) with the Guy Medal in Silver for his work on efficient computational techniques. The award recognizes Rue's contributions to the theory underpinning the INLA software, particularly through two influential papers on approximate Bayesian inference and Gaussian fields. Rue's research focuses on computational Bayesian statistics and Bayesian methodology, with the R-INLA project being a core part of his work. Why it matters: Recognition of KAUST faculty by international organizations highlights the institution's growing prominence in statistical research and computational modeling.