The ground-breaking ceremony for King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) was held on Oct. 21 and teams of planners are now engaged in working to ensure that KAUST meets the goal of being up and running in 22 months. KAUST is to be an international, graduate-level research university, with its core campus located on a site of 36 million square meters to the north of Jeddah at Thuwal.
While the university doesn’t yet have a physical presence, it has already established itself online at www.kaust.edu.sa. KAUST plans to update the international community on its progress through its website and will frequently be streaming KAUST events over the website to create a sense of inclusiveness in its activities.
KAUST will focus on research that applies science and technology to the problems of human need, social advancement and economic development. The university wants to get away from creating disciplines in the traditional “ivory tower” approach. Instead, professors, all non-tenured, and students at the university will work in a cross-disciplinary approach, which KAUST envisions will find better solutions faster for the practical problems facing mankind.
The university will concentrate its research in a limited number of Research Institutes such as:
• Resources, Energy and Environment
• Biosciences and Engineering
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Applied Mathematics and Computational Science.
KAUST will be offering two types of assistance for students from around the world — both men and women. The KAUST Discovery Scholarship and The King Abdullah Scholar Award. Discovery Scholarships will provide full financial support to highly talented students enrolled in KAUST. The King Abdullah Scholar Award will be conferred upon outstanding doctoral students to support their continued research efforts. These awards consist of generous funding for up to four years to continue the scholar’s research project, a living stipend and travel funds. Students interested in attending KAUST or applying for one of its scholarships may do so through online applications and are encouraged to consult the KAUST website immediately.