KAUST Associate Professor Derya Baran was named one of Forbes’ 20 Women Behind Middle Eastern Tech Brands for her work developing iyris SecondSky, a greenhouse roofing product. SecondSky uses nanoparticle additives to block heat while allowing light to pass through, reducing energy consumption by up to 40% and water use by 30%. The technology is already used in farms across 12 countries and is being considered for residential and commercial construction in Saudi Arabia. Why it matters: This recognition highlights the growing role of women in Middle Eastern tech and the potential for KAUST-developed technologies to address sustainability challenges in the region.
Forbes Middle East's 30 Under 30 list for 2025 includes four KAUST students/alumni in Science and Technology, and two Saudi founders from KAUST's TAQADAM accelerator in Commerce and Finance. The KAUST honorees are Aljawharah Alsharif (wearable health tech), Arwa Alghuneim (blood cancer research), and Esraa Fakeih (femtech startup Gees). These individuals are recognized for leveraging their KAUST education and research to make real-world impacts, particularly in global health. Why it matters: This recognition highlights KAUST's role in developing Saudi talent and contributing to advancements in science, technology, and entrepreneurship within the region.
A KAUST team led by Hossein Fariborzi won second place in the MEMS Design Contest for their "MEMS Resonator for Oscillator, Tunable Filter and Re-Programmable Logic Applications." The device is runtime-reprogrammable, allowing the function of each device in the circuit to be changed during operation. The KAUST team demonstrated that two MEMS resonators could replace over 20 transistors in applications like digital adders, reducing digital circuit complexity. Why it matters: This innovation could significantly reduce power consumption, chip area, and manufacturing costs in microprocessors, advancing the development of energy-efficient microcomputers in the region.