KAUST alumnus Jagdish Chandra Vyas (Ph.D. '17) received a Student Presentation Award at the Seismological Society of America (SSA) Annual Meeting for his poster "Mach Wave Coherence in the Presence of Source and Medium Heterogeneity." Vyas's Ph.D. research at KAUST, under the direction of Professor Martin Mai, focused on analyzing the effects of rupture complexity and heterogeneities in Earth structure on near-source ground motions. He is currently a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Why it matters: This award recognizes the high-caliber research being conducted at KAUST and its impact on the field of seismology.
KAUST research scientist Viko Ladelta received the best poster award at the 16th Pacific Polymer Conference (PPC-16) in Singapore for his work on multicrystalline multiblock polymers. The award-winning research, co-authored with Nikos Hadjichristidis, details a one-pot synthetic strategy using organocatalysts. PPC-16 brought together over 1,000 polymer scientists from 16 countries to discuss polymer research. Why it matters: This award recognizes KAUST's contributions to advanced polymer science, highlighting the university's role in international research and innovation in materials science.
KAUST Ph.D. student Jian You Wang won the outstanding poster award at the 17th International Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics in Taiwan for his work on zaxinone mimics. His research, co-authored by other KAUST researchers and scientists from Japan and Spain, focused on developing easy-to-synthesize compounds that act like zaxinone. Two identified mimics (MiZaxs) significantly increased root growth and biomass in wild-type rice seedlings. Why it matters: This research has implications for developing new rice cultivars with higher yields, addressing global food security challenges.
KAUST student Zain Ahmad won a best poster award at the 45th International Conference on Micro & Nano Engineering in Rhodes, Greece. Ahmad's poster, titled "Hydrophobic Desalination Membranes from Common Hydrophilic Materials," presented research co-authored by Ratul Das, Sankara Arunachalam, Ulrich Buttner, and Himanshu Mishra. The poster presented the first-ever membranes for water desalination using membrane distillation processes derived from water-loving materials, addressing the limitations of traditional water-repellent materials. Why it matters: This award highlights KAUST's contribution to innovative desalination technologies, crucial for water security in arid regions.
KAUST postdoctoral fellow Muhammad Jamil won the best poster award at the 15th World Congress on Parasitic Plants for his research on combating the parasitic plant *Striga hermonthica*. His poster outlined his work at KAUST on developing technologies to help farmers in sub-Saharan Africa control this weed, which severely impacts cereal crops. Jamil is part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project at KAUST focused on controlling *Striga* in pearl millet. Why it matters: This recognition highlights KAUST's contributions to addressing critical food security challenges in Africa through innovative agricultural technologies.
KAUST Ph.D. student Chiheb Ben Hammouda won the best poster award at the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics Conference on Financial Mathematics & Engineering (FM19) for his work on option pricing under the rough Bergomi model. The winning poster, titled "Hierarchical adaptive sparse grids and quasi-Monte Carlo for option pricing under the rough Bergomi model," details research carried out under the supervision of KAUST Professor Raul Tempone. The research group designed new efficient numerical methods for pricing derivatives under the rough Bergomi model by combining smoothing techniques. Why it matters: This award highlights KAUST's growing expertise in financial mathematics and its contribution to solving complex problems in the field using advanced numerical methods.
KAUST Ph.D. student Abdullah Almansouri won a best poster award at the 2019 Joint MMM-INTERMAG Conference for his work on a super-flexible composite magnet, or "magnetic skin". The research, carried out by the Sensing, Magnetism and Microsystems (SMM) group, developed a stretchable and biocompatible wearable magnet. The device's flexible properties make it comfortable and imperceptible when worn. Why it matters: This research contributes to the growing field of wearable technology and biomedical monitoring, with potential applications in eye-movement tracking and touchless gesture control.
KAUST Ph.D. student Michał Mańkowski won a Poster of Distinction Award at the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) 18th Annual State of the Art Winter Symposium for his work on kidney allocation systems. His poster described a simulation for a new kidney allocation system to accelerate organ placement, focusing on marginal quality kidneys. The research involves combinatorial optimization, operation research and management science with healthcare applications, stemming from a collaboration with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Why it matters: The research aims to improve organ transplantation efficiency and save lives by optimizing kidney allocation systems, demonstrating the potential of AI and optimization techniques in healthcare.