KAUST students and faculty attended the 2017 Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting & Exhibit in Phoenix, Arizona. KAUST students also participated in the 2016 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit in Boston, Massachusetts, where they organized seminars and workshops. Rahim Munir represented the KAUST student chapter at the Spring 2017 event, attending a luncheon to recap the Fall 2016 communication seminars. Why it matters: KAUST's strong presence in international materials science conferences highlights its commitment to advancing research and fostering collaboration in the field.
KAUST researchers in the Functional Materials Design, Discovery & Development group have discovered a minimal edge transitive net with high connectivity. This net was used as a blueprint for the design and construction of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Specifically, a new rare earth nonanuclear carboxylate-based cluster was used as an 18-connected MBB to form gea-MOF-1. Why it matters: This work contributes to the advancement of solid-state materials design, which could have broad implications for energy and environmental sustainability in the region.
KAUST's Vice President for Research, Donal Bradley, received the 2019 Jan Czochralski Award from the European Materials Research Society for his work in advanced materials science. He was presented with the award at a ceremony in Warsaw, Poland, and gave a lecture titled "Tuning Conjugated Polymer Electronic and Optical Properties via Physical Structure and Environment." Bradley is the 16th recipient of the award, joining a list including Nobel laureate Shuji Nakamura. Why it matters: This award recognizes KAUST's leadership in materials science and its commitment to attracting top researchers in this critical field.
KAUST hosted the Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center Research Conference from February 20-23. The conference focused on new materials for energy-intensive industrial separations. Experts, students, and researchers participated in presentations and poster sessions. Why it matters: Conferences like this promote collaboration and knowledge sharing in materials science, which is crucial for developing sustainable technologies in energy and other sectors within Saudi Arabia.
KAUST Ph.D. student Maha Alamoudi won a best poster award at the 2016 Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting in Boston. The award was for her poster entitled “Photophysical Processes in Polymer:Non-fullerene Small Molecule Acceptor Bulk Heterojunctions for Organic Solar Cells.” She is supervised by Frederic Laquai, associate professor of material science and engineering at KAUST's Solar Center. Why it matters: This award recognizes promising research in materials science at KAUST.
Scimagine is a KAUST-based startup that provides a cloud-based platform for managing and storing experimental data for material scientists. The platform allows researchers to store, manage, and share their data, as well as create scientific visuals. It addresses the problem of experimental data being hidden in PDF files and not easily searchable. Why it matters: This platform improves data accessibility and collaboration in materials science research, potentially accelerating discovery and innovation in the field.
The KAUST student chapter of the Materials Research Society (MRS) was the first outside the U.S., established in 2012. In late 2016, KAUST students, faculty, and staff attended the MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit in Boston, setting up a recruitment booth and organizing student-led seminars. KAUST faculty and PhD students also gave talks on their research at the event. Why it matters: This highlights KAUST's commitment to international engagement and student development in material science, fostering research and career opportunities.
KAUST researchers at the Composite and Heterogeneous Materials Analysis and Simulation Laboratory (COHMAS) are developing new composite materials and computational models. The research focuses on ensuring the stability and service lifetime of composite structures used in aircraft, windmill blades, and industrial pipes. Professor Gilles Lubineau leads the group's work on computational modeling and experimental developments. Why it matters: This research aims to advance the use of composite materials in key sectors by addressing the challenge of long-term reliability, contributing to sustainability goals in energy, transportation and other industries.