Meet KAUST New Student: Fares Fourati

About

-By Taruna Rapaka

Fares Fourati holds a diploma in multidisciplinary engineering from Ecole Polytechnique de Tunisie, Tunisia. Fourati first joined KAUST as a visiting student and was instantly impressed with the University’s exceptional research atmosphere. He believes KAUST offers excellent research opportunities and is an ideal location to collaborate with leading international researchers.

Fourati joined KAUST in spring 2021 as a M.S./Ph.D. candidate and a member of the Communication Theory Lab under the supervision of Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini.

What was your main subject during your undergraduate degree? Why did you choose it?

At Ecole Polytechnique de Tunisie, I received multidisciplinary engineering training, with an emphasis on signals and systems. An engineer is an innovator, a problem solver, and a communicator. I have chosen this training to boost my science and engineering skills in a wide range of fields.

When did you first become interested in electrical and computer engineering? What are your research interests?

Since I was young, I have been passionate about science. I am a curious person who enjoys solving real-world problems, which explains my love for engineering. I am interested in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and applications to solve real-world problems related to information and communication technologies; that's why I have chosen electrical and computer engineering. 

What do you do in your spare time? What are you passionate about?

I enjoy exploring new things, reading, traveling, walking, going out in nature, planting and gardening. I like taking part in competitions too. 

Can you give a piece of advice to students who plan to pursue a M.S./Ph.D. at KAUST?

The most important thing is: "To follow your inner voice."