The KAUST Photonics Lab wins HSE Laboratory Safety Recognition Award

Tien Khee Ng, Principal Research Scientist from Photonics Laboratory, receiving Safety Culture Award from HSE Director Erik Talley.

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.

The fifth Laboratory Safety Recognition Awards winners were announced and presented with their awards by HSE Director Erik Talley during a ceremony held on Thursday, April 22, 2021. Dr. Tien Khee Ng accepted the Safety Culture Award on behalf of the Photonics Laboratory. The Safety Culture Award was created for the first time aiming at celebrating the unique and collaborative safety culture of a laboratory.

The annual HSE Laboratory Safety Recognition Award is divided into two categories: the Individual Lab Safety Award and the Team Lab Safety Award. The awards aim to promote a culture that values research safety and promotes safe behavior in the University’s laboratories.

Please join us in congratulating this year’s winners for continuing to create a safe research work environment at KAUST.

Below is a list of this year’s Laboratory Safety Recognition Awards winners:

Team Award Winner: 
Laboratory for Carbon Nanostructures

Faculty: Pedro Da Costa
Lab safety representative: Bashir Hasanov

Individual Award Winners:

First Place

Zeyad Al-Talla, Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Center (ANPERC)

Runner-ups:

Rawad Hallani, Organic Electronic Synthesis Lab (KAUST Solar Center)
Alla Dikhtiarenko, Advanced Catalytic Materials Lab (KAUST Catalysis Center)

In addition to the above awards, two additional awards were presented to laboratories this year. They were the Safety Culture and Pandemic Preparedness Awards.

Safety Culture Award
Photonics Laboratory

Faculty: Boon Ooi
Lab safety representative: Tien Khee Ng

Pandemic Preparedness Award
KAUST Catalysis Center

Center Director: Jorge Gascon
Pandemic Preparedness team lead: Lieven Gevers

The Pandemic Preparedness Award was presented to the lab that was prepared and could execute COVID-19 related procedures and policies during KAUST’s hibernation and awakening phases for laboratories.