News

August 2021

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  Harnessing the particle-tracking power of the algorithm

  1 min read · Wed, Aug 25 2021

  News

  fluid dynamics visual computing algorithms Computer science

  A simple camera system paired with a sophisticated image-processing algorithm can achieve faster and more accurate reconstructions of particle flow.
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  Drop the zeros for a performance boost

  1 min read · Mon, Aug 23 2021

  News

  machine learning big data artificial intelligence Computer science

  An eight-fold speed up of deep machine learning can be achieved by skipping the transmission of zero values.
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  Congratulation, Razan Andigani!

  1 min read · Thu, Aug 19 2021

  News

  We are happy to announce that Razan Andigani, a student of Prof. Shinkyu Park, won the first prize in the SSI 2021 E-poster Competition run by the Saudi Summer Internship (SSI) 2021 Program. 1 st Place Winners (It's a Tie!): Razan Andigani Robotics and Mechanical Engineering student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute E-poster: "Simultaneous Multi-Camera Localization and Mapping with AprilTags (TagSLAM) and Trajectory Planning for Underwater ROV" Faculty Advisor: Prof. Shinkyu Park Mohammed Alabdullah Physics student at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals E-poster: "Supporting the
• 

  Beating the curse of dimensionality

  1 min read · Wed, Aug 18 2021

  News

  Environmental Statistics big data statistics

  By scanning past data for both partial and complete matches to current observations, a KAUST-led research team has developed a prediction scheme that can more reliably forecast the future trajectory of environmental parameters. The collection of data at regular intervals over time is common in many fields but particularly so in environmental, transportation and biological research. Such data are used to monitor and record the current state and also to help predict what might come in the future. A typical approach is to look for previous patterns or trajectories in the data that match the
• 

  KAUST Ph.D. student wins 2021 IEEE Sensors Council Technical Achievement Award

  1 min read · Tue, Aug 17 2021

  News

  sensors IEEE award microwave sensors

  Muhammad Akram Karimi, KAUST Ph.D. student and co-founder of the KAUST-supported startup company Saher Flow Solutions, has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 IEEE Sensors Council Technical Achievement Award in the Field of Sensors – Early Career. The award honors an individual with “outstanding technical contributions within the scope of the IEEE Sensors Council, as documented by publications and patents. It is based on the general quality and originality of contributions.”
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  Meet KAUST new student: Zhengying Lou

  1 min read · Mon, Aug 16 2021

  News

  Unmanned aerial vehicles UAVs

  Zhengying Lou is a communication engineering graduate who joined KAUST from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. Zhengying first came to KAUST in June 2020 as a visiting student and was instantly impressed by the university’s high academic standards and convenient living environment.
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  Trio of tuning tools for modeling large spatial datasets

  1 min read · Thu, Aug 12 2021

  News

  big data Environmental Statistics statistics

  Statistical tools help fine-tune the parameters and approximations of models used to make sense of large spatial datasets.
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  Dr. Harrou receives two IEEE ECBIOS 2021 best paper awards

  1 min read · Tue, Aug 10 2021

  News

  renewable energy systems Deep learning

  Dr. Fouzi Harrou, a research scientist in the KAUST Environmental Statistics (ES) group, recently received two IEEE Eurasia Conference on Biomedical Engineering, Healthcare and Sustainability 2021 (IEEE ECBIOS 2021) best paper awards.
• 

  Wildfire simulation heats up

  1 min read · Tue, Aug 10 2021

  News

  Computer science modeling environment visual computing

  Computational models capture the capricious behavior of forest fires.
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  Outstanding KAUST research acknowledged by leading photonics journal

  1 min read · Sun, Aug 8 2021

  News

  optics photonics photodetector optical engineering Optical wireless communications radio frequency communication

  KAUST professors Boon Ooi and Osman Bakr and their respective research groups have recently had their collaborative research recognized by one of the major journals for optics and photonics, Light: Science & Applications (LSA). The teams’ paper— titled "High-speed color-converting photodetector with all-inorganic CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals for ultraviolet light communication—" was awarded as an “Outstanding Paper of Light: Science & Applications in 2020.”
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  A supercomputer, billions of data points—and a plan for more efficient planes

  1 min read · Mon, Aug 2 2021

  News

  Matteo Parsani and his team at KAUST are modeling how air particles move around objects—providing vital info for engineers designing lighter jets.
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  Divided attention could ease wireless congestion

  1 min read · Sun, Aug 1 2021

  News

  communications artificial intelligence electrical engineering Computer science

  Predicting wireless traffic using artificial intelligence could improve the reliability of future wireless communications.

July 2021

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  Alumni Focus: Michal A. Mankowski

  1 min read · Thu, Jul 29 2021

  News

  KAUST Alumnus Michal Mankowski's first encounter with KAUST was in 2015 when he joined the university as a VSRP student. Then, in 2016, he started his Ph.D. program and defended it in the year 2020, and then he continued as a Pos tdoc under prof. Mikhail Moshkov. He worked on multi-objective optimization and applied operations research in the healthcare domain. Together with his PI, they published a book describing a novel framework on multi-objective optimization using dynamic programming (2021). Michal is joining Erasmus Univerys Rotterdam, Netherlands as an Assistant Professor of Operations
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  Mixing precision for model acceleration

  1 min read · Mon, Jul 26 2021

  News

  extreme computing supercomputing big data statistics

  A mixed-precision approach for modeling large geospatial datasets can achieve benchmark accuracy with a fraction of the computational run time.
• 

  Professor Eltawil honored with UCI faculty innovator award

  1 min read · Mon, Jul 26 2021

  News

  KAUST Professor of Electrical Engineering Ahmed Eltawil has recently been honored as the winner of the 8th Annual SSoE Spring Faculty Awards "Innovator of the Year" by the Henry Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine (UCI). The award is presented annually to the most innovative, current or former, UCI faculty member who has “demonstrated excellence by developing a breakthrough technology, idea or process and has demonstrated its large potential to create economic value and improve lives.”
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  CBRC congratulates Aryam Alotaibi a SRSI student on winning the top paper Award

  1 min read · Mon, Jul 26 2021

  News

  machine learning model evaluation bioinformatics

  Aryam Alotaibi a SRSI student at CBRC wins the top paper Award titled "Computational method to predict drug-disease associations using machine learning and graph embedding."
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  Grant award set to boost KAUST student’s efforts to close the digital divide

  1 min read · Mon, Jul 26 2021

  News

  NDA architecture interconnectivity

  A research team featuring KAUST M.S./Ph.D. student Aniq Ur Rahman recently received €5,000 in funding from AlumNode, for their project: “Connecting the Unconnected: A Tool for Digital Inclusion.” Rahman—along with his colleagues Dr. Anish Jindal from the University of Essex, U.K., and Dr. Khac-Hoang Ngo from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden—received the grant for their innovative optimal network deployment architecture (NDA) software aimed at reducing the global digital divide.
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  KAUST researchers attend 70th Lindau Nobel Meeting

  1 min read · Wed, Jul 14 2021

  News

  Each year, young scientists from around the world get the coveted opportunity to learn from Nobel laureates as part of the annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. Traditionally held in the small German town and island of Lindau, this year's 70th edition of the Lindau Meeting is taking place virtually, June 27-July 2, 2021, on account of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
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  Training an AI eye on the Moon

  1 min read · Mon, Jul 12 2021

  News

  machine learning algorithm modeling Computer science

  Machine learning accelerates the search for promising Moon sites for energy and mineral resources.
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  KAUST team power ahead with alternative energy research

  1 min read · Sun, Jul 4 2021

  News

  sensors electrical engineering IoT

  With the continued growth in Internet of Things applications, deployments, and devices, highly connected, sustainable smart cities are no longer mere concepts or fantastical future dreams; many are already active and are expanding apace.
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  Xiaohang Li promoted to Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

  1 min read · Sun, Jul 4 2021

  News

  KAUST faculty member Xiaohang Li was recently promoted from the rank of Assistant Professor to Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Since joining KAUST in January 2016, Li led his Advanced Semiconductor Laboratory (ASL) in making several important contributions in semiconductor research.

June 2021

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  KAUST research group win inaugural MCIT Digital Innovation Award

  1 min read · Mon, Jun 28 2021

  News

  digital innovation award smart tap artificial intelligence

  A team of KAUST researchers have won first place in the Digital Research track at the inaugural Digital Innovation Awards held on Sunday, April 25, 2021. Launched by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), the awards aim to “enhance the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in digital research and development” in Saudi Arabia.
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  Viruses as communication molecules

  1 min read · Sun, Jun 27 2021

  News

  Computer science human health pathogens modeling

  Electrical and computer engineers take on complex modeling questions that can further our understanding of virus spread in small spaces.
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  Coronavirus testing made quick and easy

  1 min read · Mon, Jun 21 2021

  News

  COVID-19 human health Biosensors bioengineering

  New diagnostic technique could help contain the spread of COVID-19 and other viral outbreaks.
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  Plant probes make sense for sustainable farming

  1 min read · Sun, Jun 20 2021

  News

  plant science Biosensors agriculture electrical engineering

  Ultrathin needles for probing plants could help keep crop health in check.
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  SAAI Summer 2021 Hybrid Hackathon

  1 min read · Wed, Jun 16 2021

  News

  In Summer 2021, in an international hybrid hackathon, the participants will come together and join forces to prototype, experiment and work on the realization of the artistic ideas. The hackathon will take place both locally - in Hamburg, Zurich, Lagos, Thuwal, Riyadh, Dubai, Mumbai, Bangalore, and San Francisco - and virtually.
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  KAUST postdoctoral fellow wins URSI Young Scientist Award

  1 min read · Tue, Jun 15 2021

  News

  electromagnetic waves electromagnetic fields

  KAUST Postdoctoral Fellow Rui Chen has been awarded a Young Scientist (YS) Award by the International Union of Radio Science (Union Radio Scientifique Internationale-URSI) for his “innovative contributions and discoveries in multidiscipline research related to electromagnetic fields and waves.”
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  Seven IVUL members recognized as Outstanding Reviewers by CVPR 2021

  1 min read · Sun, Jun 13 2021

  News

  Computer Vision Pattern Recognition artificial intelligence

  The 2021 IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) has granted Outstanding Reviewer awards to seven members of IVUL: Alejandro Pardo, Ali Thabet, Chen Zhao, Mattia Soldan, Mengmeng Xu, Juan C. Pérez, and Silvio Giancola. CVPR, a premier annual computer vision event that will take place virtually from June 19th to June 25th, is the largest computer vision conference in the world, gathering researchers from academia and industry alike. The peer-review process through which the conference determines acceptance of papers relies on expert reviewers from across the world
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  SDAIA, KAUST sign MoU to develop AI research and innovation in Saudi Arabia

  1 min read · Wed, Jun 9 2021

  News

  artificial intelligence

  Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have signed a memorandum of understanding to unite efforts to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) research and modern technologies in the Kingdom. The MoU was signed by the CEO of the National Center for Artificial Intelligence, the innovative arm of SDAIA, Dr. Majid Al-Tuwaijri, and by KAUST President, Professor Tony Chan, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday. The MoU supports science and technology research and improves its quality
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  The IEEE CS Global Student Challenge seeks top KAUST CS talent

  1 min read · Wed, Jun 9 2021

  News

  big data Computer science

  The annual IEEE Computer Society Global Student Challenge provides an avenue for students worldwide to create innovative solutions to big data problems. This year’s competition, IEEE CS GSC 2021, encourages each individual or team (max three students) to present solutions to pre-determined problem/issue statement of relevance in CS today.
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  Chun Hong Kang receives SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship

  1 min read · Thu, Jun 3 2021

  News

  optics photonics

  Chun Hong Kang, a Ph.D. student in the KAUST Photonics Laboratory, has been awarded a 2021 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship by SPIE for his “potential contributions to the field of optics and photonics.”
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  KAUST VCC research scientist appointed as Associate Editor of leading IEEE journal

  1 min read · Thu, Jun 3 2021

  News

  Laurent Condat, a research scientist based in the KAUST Visual Computing Center, has recently been appointed as an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing (TSP). The peer-reviewed journal covers novel theory, algorithms, performance analyses, and applications of techniques for the processing, understanding, learning, retrieval, mining, and extraction of information from signals.
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  KAUST scientists develop virus mutation tracker

  1 min read · Wed, Jun 2 2021

  News

  COVID-19

  ​KAUST scientists have developed a user-friendly COVID-19 mutation tracking system, useful for authorities and scientists to quickly detect variants in their region, allowing them to make speedy policy and public health decisions.

May 2021

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  KAUST Prof. Mohamed Slim Alouini and Prof. Ibrahim Hoteit have been awarded the 2020 Kuwait prize

  1 min read · Thu, May 27 2021

  News

  Dr Hoteit is recognized for his pioneering research in ocean modelling, remote sensing, Red Sea eddy dynamics, and the development of new techniques in data assimilation and modelling that have environmental applications of global significance. In the Field of Applied Sciences (area of Engineering Sciences), the Prize is awarded to Dr. Mohamed-Slim Alouini, Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at King Abdulla University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, for his groundbreaking research in the area of wireless , optical and vehicular communications, including low-power communications for the internet of things, as well as his valuable contribution to the development of the 3G, 4G and satellite systems.
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  Dr. Ivan Viola has been promoted to the rank of Professor

  1 min read · Tue, May 25 2021

  News

  We are proudly announcing that Dr. Ivan Viola has been promoted to the rank of Professor.
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  The KAUST Photonics Lab wins HSE Laboratory Safety Recognition Award

  1 min read · Sun, May 23 2021

  News

  The KAUST Photonics Laboratory, led by Professor Boon Ooi, has been awarded the KAUST Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Department’s Safety Culture Award in recognition of the Lab's tremendous growth in terms of safety throughout the year with a focus on collaboration, working as a team, caring for others and motivating others to be safe.
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  KAUST Ph.D. Student receives 2020 Ilya Segalovich Scientific Prize for Young Researchers

  1 min read · Mon, May 10 2021

  News

  KAUST Ph.D. student Dmitry Kovalev has been named one of nine recipients of the 2020 Ilya Segalovich Scientific Prize for Young Researchers. Awarded by the Russian multinational corporation Yandex, Dmitry received the accolade for his “significant advances in computer science.”
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  Making the shift from blue to red for better LEDs

  1 min read · Sun, May 9 2021

  News

  materials science semiconductors electrical engineering

  Pure red-light micrometer-scale emitting devices made from a nitride semiconductor reaches excellent efficiency.
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  Forging a career through interdisciplinarity

  1 min read · Tue, May 4 2021

  News

  The foundation of building a successful academic career is generally thought to be the pursuit of excellence through specialization. Of course, the cross-disciplinary quest has its important place, but it's often thought of primarily as the fruitful collaboration between specialized entities or experts in particular fields.
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  NASA’s helicopter Ingenuity flies on Mars: the challenges behind the exploration of other planets

  1 min read · Mon, May 3 2021

  News

  On April 19, 2021, NASA flew the first helicopter in history on Mars. Ingenuity – the small, unmanned solar helicopter - rose 3 m over the ground and hovered in the thin Martian air for about 40 seconds. Ingenuity landed on Mars attached to the underside of the Perseverance rover on February 18, 2021. Before Ingenuity, the first flight on a planet beyond Earth was an unpowered balloon carried on Venus by the Soviet probe Vega 1, in 1985.

April 2021

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  KAUST Ph.D. candidate wins first place at IEEE SSD’21 PhD Students Contest

  1 min read · Sun, Apr 25 2021

  News

  electrical engineering Information Technology

  KAUST Ph.D. candidate Mohamed Abdelwaheb Bahloul recently won first place at the IEEE International Multi-Conference on Systems, Signals and Devices 2021 (SSD’21) PhD Students Contest. The contest provided a showcase for students’ original work related to electrical engineering and information technology.
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  Star light, star bright…as explained by math

  1 min read · Sun, Apr 25 2021

  News

  extreme statistics big data statistics

  The evolving periodicity of the brightness of certain types of stars can now be described mathematically.
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  Brain-on-a-chip would need little training

  1 min read · Tue, Apr 20 2021

  News

  machine learning artificial intelligence computation electrical engineering

  A neural network that mimics the biology of the brain can be loaded onto a microchip for faster and more efficient artificial intelligence.
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  Introducing "THE FANTASTATISTICS 4"

  1 min read · Thu, Apr 15 2021

  News

  Introducing KAUST’s very own "THE FANTASTATISTICS 4." Gaurav Agarwal, Jian Cao, Wanfang Chen, and Yuxiao Li are four Ph.D. alumni from the Statistics program at KAUST. The four students obtained their Ph.D.s last year under the supervision of Professor Ying Sun, Agarwal and Li, and Distinguished Professor Marc Genton, Cao and Chen, respectively.
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  KAUST-led research set to revolutionize communications privacy

  1 min read · Wed, Apr 14 2021

  News

  CMOS-compatible silicon chip communications privacy

  In our modern information-saturated society, data protection is a significant and ongoing challenge for both individuals and organizations. Every day we share public and business data over unsecured information channels, computer systems, and networks, be it through video calls, emails and text messaging. At any moment, the transmission of this sensitive, private communication can be intercepted and hacked to commit fraudulent acts such as stealing passwords, identity theft, and gaining access to bank accounts.
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  A brainwave from social networks

  1 min read · Wed, Apr 14 2021

  News

  neuroscience extreme computing statistics

  The statistics used to understand social networks reveal the diversity of functional connections in the brain.
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  Meet New KAUST Student: Juan C. Pérez

  1 min read · Tue, Apr 13 2021

  News

  Juan C. Pérez is a biomedical engineering graduate from Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia, who joined KAUST in January 2021. Juan first came to KAUST as an intern and was amazed by its excellent research atmosphere, environment, and resources. These factors served as an impetus in choosing KAUST as the destination to further his academic career.
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  Machine learning at speed

  1 min read · Mon, Apr 12 2021

  News

  machine learning artificial intelligence big data Computer science

  Optimizing network communication accelerates training in large-scale machine-learning models.
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  Predicting future hotspots in the Red Sea

  1 min read · Thu, Apr 8 2021

  News

  big data Red Sea climate science statistics

  Predicting areas of the Red Sea most susceptible to overheating by the end of the century could help conservation efforts to protect its precious coral reefs.
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  Meet KAUST New Student: Ruibo Wang

  1 min read · Wed, Apr 7 2021

  News

  Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

  Ruibo Wang is a communication engineering graduate from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China, who joined KAUST in January 2021. Wang first came to KAUST as a visiting student and was instantly impressed by the University's excellent research atmosphere and high academic standards. This combination of factors piqued his interest in choosing KAUST to further his academic career.