King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is a private research university located in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. KAUST was founded in 2009 and focuses on graduate education and research, using English as the official language of instruction. It offers programs in Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering; Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering; and Physical Science and Engineering. It was announced in 2013 that KAUST had one of the fastest growing research and citation records in the world.
Attempting to tame plasmas in fusion
Nuclear fusion, the release of energy when light atomic nuclei merge, is touted as a carbon-free solution to global energy requirements. One potential route to nuclear fusion is inertial confinement. Now a KAUST-led team ...
Cryptic coral reef creatures show cross-shelf biodiversity patterns
Cryptic fauna—small organisms that inhabit the hidden spaces within a reef structure—represent a substantial proportion of the diversity within coral reefs but are typically neglected in traditional visual surveys, which ...
Smart mud to smooth the way for drilling wells
A model that simulates how drilling fluids, or muds, behave and influence the stability of oil wells has been developed by KAUST researchers. Their findings could inform new safety protocols and the design of novel drilling ...
Solving real-world problems
Tools developed by Håvard Rue have transformed data analysis, interpretation and communication, and are applied broadly: from modeling the spread of infectious diseases to mapping fish stocks.
Novel carbon source sustains deep-sea microorganism communities
The first in-depth analyses of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) cycling in the Red Sea highlights the important role of migrating shoals of fish in sustaining deep-ocean microorganisms and potentially the global carbon cycle.
Nanoparticles with a shell structure improve the performance of zinc-oxide photodetectors
Improving the sensitivity of light sensors or the efficiency of solar cells requires fine-tuning of light capturing. KAUST researchers have used complex geometry to develop tiny shell-shaped coverings that can increase the ...
Bio-inspired materials decrease drag for liquids
An eco-friendly, coating-free strategy has been developed to make solid surfaces liquid-repellent, which is crucial for the transportation of large quantities of liquids through pipes. Researchers from KAUST's Water Desalination ...
Quantifying Red Sea plastics from coasts to fish
While drones scan beaches to assess plastic litter, microplastics are found in the digestive tracts of one in every six Red Sea fish.
New research reveals corals could be trained to survive environmental stress
Scientists have discovered the first molecular evidence that corals and anemones can optimize their gene expression when exposed to environmental stress, enabling them to acclimatize to extreme conditions such as those experienced ...
Renewables could drastically cut tailpipe emissions
Switching to renewable fuels could significantly lower exhaust emissions of toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx) as well as curbing global greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers at KAUST have combined computer analysis with laser-based ...