News

October 2021

• 

  Meet KAUST new student: Qilong Pan

  1 min read · Wed, Oct 13 2021

  News

  spatio-temporal statistics Deep learning

  Qilong Pan is a statistics graduate who joined KAUST in June 2021 from the Wuhan University of Technology, China. Pan is a M.S./Ph.D. student and member of the Environmental Statistics research group under the supervision of Professor Ying Sun.
• 

  KAUST paper wins 2020 Computational Optimization and Applications Best Paper Award

  1 min read · Tue, Oct 12 2021

  News

  stochastic gradient descent machine learning

  KAUST Professor of Computer Science Peter Richtárik and his former student Nicolas Loizou, currently a postdoctoral researcher at Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute and soon to take up an assistant professorship position at Johns Hopkins University, recently received the 2020 Computational Optimization and Applications (COAP) Best Paper Award.

September 2021

• 

  Shaping a 6G future

  1 min read · Sun, Sep 26 2021

  News

  wireless networks 6G Wireless Communications global connectivity

  This coming decade promises to be yet another revolutionary one in how we communicate. In a world that is only beginning to embrace 5G technology, several scientific institutions, governments, telecom companies, and phone manufacturers worldwide are beginning to research the development possibilities of its successor—6G technology.
• 

  Heatwave model shows it is hotter in more places, more often

  1 min read · Sun, Sep 12 2021

  News

  extreme weather climate change statistics

  New modeling shows that heatwaves across Europe have increased in both frequency and spatial extent over the past century.
• 

  Meet KAUST new student: Daniel Osorio Barreto

  1 min read · Wed, Sep 1 2021

  News

  Biostatistics macroeconomics

  Daniel Osorio Barreto, is an economics graduate who joined KAUST this fall from Universidad Autónoma de Manizales, Colombia. He is as a Ph.D. student and member of the KAUST Biostatistics Group under the supervision of Professor Hernando Ombao.

August 2021

• 

  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
• 

  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.
• 

  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.

July 2021

• 

  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.

June 2021

• 

  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.
• 

  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.

May 2021

• 

  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.
• 

  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.

April 2021

• 

  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.
• 

  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.
• 

  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.
• 

  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.

March 2021

• 

  Getting the inside track on street design

  1 min read · Tue, Mar 30 2021

  News

  big data statistics

  Large-scale analysis of pedestrian data from three European cities examines how building density and street design influence pedestrian behavior.
• 

  Rue honored by Royal Statistical Society

  1 min read · Wed, Mar 3 2021

  Spotlight News

  ​KAUST Professor of Statistics Håvard Rue has been honored by the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) for his "substantial and significant contributions in the area of efficient and scalable computational techniques for the data analysts' toolbox."

February 2021

• 

  KAUST Ph.D. Student Gaurav Agarwal wins ASA SCSG and ENAR Student Paper Awards

  1 min read · Sun, Feb 14 2021

  Awards News Spotlight

  Gaurav Agarwal, a Ph.D. candidate in statistics and member of KAUST Associate Professor Ying Sun's Environmental Statistics (ES) research group, recently won an American Statistical Association (ASA) Student Paper Award sponsored by the Sections on Computing and Graphics (SCSG). In addition to his ASA SCSG award, Agarwal has also been selected a Distinguished Student Paper Award winner by the Eastern North American Region (ENAR) of the International Biometric Society for his paper titled "Flexible Quantile Contour Estimation for Multivariate Functional Data: Beyond Convexity."

January 2021

• 

  CEMSE Student Research Excellence Awards and Student Academic Accomplishment Awards winners announced

  1 min read · Tue, Jan 5 2021

  News Spotlight

  student research excellence awards

  The annual CEMSE Student Research Excellence Awards and Student Academic Accomplishment Awards celebrate the talent and achievements of the Division's students. Awarded around the KAUST Commencement ceremony, the awards are presented in recognition of the academic accomplishments and research impact created by our leading students in the fields of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science (AMCS), Computer Science (CS), Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), and Statistics (STAT).

December 2020

• 

  KAUST researchers rank in top 1% of cited work worldwide

  1 min read · Wed, Dec 23 2020

  News

  Fifteen KAUST faculty members and one postdoctoral researcher rank among the 2020 Highly Cited Researchers from around the world, according to Clarivate Web of Science Group, a global leader of academic research analytics. The list names individuals whose work accounts for the top 1% of research cited worldwide.
• 

  Modeling rainfall drop by drop

  1 min read · Sun, Dec 20 2020

  News

  water security Environmental Statistics statistics

  A high-frequency model developed using data from new high-precision rain gauges gives fresh insight into the dynamics of rain and runoff events.
• 

  Modeling the neighborhood boosts landslide prediction

  1 min read · Sun, Dec 13 2020

  News

  statistics extreme statistics

  A prediction model that considers multiple landslides over time in a given region may improve the accuracy of early warning systems.
• 

  KAUST STAT students come together for second ASA chapter meeting

  1 min read · Thu, Dec 3 2020

  News

  statistics data science

  Members of the KAUST American Statistical Association (ASA) student chapter recently came together for the group’s second online meeting held on Tuesday, November 10, 2020. The meeting served as an orientation exercise for new KAUST Statistics (STAT) Program students while also highlighting the shared experience of STAT Ph.D. candidates: Jian Cao, Wanfang Chen, Yuxiao Li, and Gaurav Agarwal.
• 

  Professor Ghanem wins 2020 Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Arab Researchers

  1 min read · Wed, Dec 2 2020

  Awards Spotlight News

  machine learning big data

  Bernard Ghanem, KAUST associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science, recently received the 2020 Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Arab Researchers for ''Machine Learning and Big Data.''
• 

  KAUST Distinguished Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini honored with IEEE accolades

  1 min read · Tue, Dec 1 2020

  News

  Wireless Communications IEEE award

  Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini has been awarded both the 2019 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Communication Society Communication Theory Technical Committee (CCTC) Technical Achievement Award, and the 2020 IEEE Vehicular Technology Society James Evans Avant Garde Award. The CEMSE Division founding faculty member received the awards for his contributions in the modeling, design, performance evaluation, and optimization of wireless communication systems and networks.
• 

  Mohamed-Slim Alouini elected as 2021 OSA Fellow

  1 min read · Tue, Dec 1 2020

  Spotlight News

  ​KAUST Distinguished Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini was recently elected as a 2021 Fellow of the Optical Society (OSA). The prestigious recognition highlights members who have served with distinction in the advancement of optics and photonics. This year's cohort comprises 118 newly elected members from 24 countries. The new Fellows will be honored at OSA conferences and meetings throughout 2021.

November 2020

• 

  Deep learning in the emergency department

  1 min read · Sun, Nov 22 2020

  News

  machine learning artificial intelligence statistics human health

  Harnessing the power of deep learning leads to better predictions of patient admissions and flow in emergency departments.
• 

  Connecting the Unconnected at the KAUST 6G Summit

  1 min read · Sun, Nov 1 2020

  News

  6G Wireless Communications communication technology

  The inaugural 6G Summit on "Connecting the Unconnected" took place on Tuesday, October 27, and featured a host of international researchers and experts in the areas of Internet and Communication Technology (ICT) and Wireless Communications System (WCS).

October 2020

• 

  KAUST Environmental Statistics group publishes book exploring multivariate statistical analysis

  1 min read · Tue, Oct 20 2020

  News

  Deep learning statistics machine learning

  The KAUST Environmental Statistic (ES) research group has recently published a book titled "Statistical Process Monitoring Using Advanced Data-Driven and Deep Learning Approaches." The book is the outcome of the Core Research Grant (GRG) project led by KAUST Professor Ying Sun, Associate Professor of Statistics.

September 2020

• 

  Wind forecasts power up for reliable energy production

  1 min read · Sun, Sep 27 2020

  News

  climate science statistics

  Prediction of wind speed and direction for up to several hours in advance improves Saudi Arabia’s wind energy potential.
• 

  Meet KAUST prospective student: Pratik Nag

  1 min read · Tue, Sep 15 2020

  News

  machine learning artificial intelligence

  Pratik Nag will join KAUST this fall as a Ph.D. candidate and member of the KAUST Environmental Statistics research group under the supervision of Professor Ying Sun. Pratik holds a master's degree in statistical quality control and operation research, and a bachelor's degree in statistics, from the Indian Statistical Institute and the University of Calcutta, India.
• 

  Professor Knio named Interim Dean of the KAUST CEMSE Division

  1 min read · Mon, Sep 14 2020

  News

  Omar Knio, KAUST professor of applied mathematics and computational science, has assumed the role of Interim Dean of the Computer, Electrical, Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) Division. Professor Knio succeeds former CEMSE Dean Professor Mootaz Elnozahy, who will now assume the role of Special Advisor to the KAUST President in the areas of open online learning and cybersecurity.
• 

  Turning your desktop to a Supercomputer with ExaGeoStatR

  1 min read · Mon, Sep 7 2020

  News

  Maximum Likelihood HPC Environmental Statistics

  Turning your desktop to a Supercomputer with ExaGeoStatR Download at https://github.com/ecrc/exageostatR. Remember the old times where you had to leave your R simulations running for the whole night on your desktop due to a large climate/weather dataset? ExaGeoStatR combines the user productivity of R with high performance computing linear algebra software libraries to deliver supercomputing-style environment right below your desk. ExaGeoStatR enables computing the maximum likelihood using large environmental datasets on R, while extracting performance from the underlying hardware resources
• 

  Meet KAUST prospective student: Xiaotian Jin

  1 min read · Thu, Sep 3 2020

  News

  Statistical Modeling spatio-temporal statistics

  Xiaotian Jin is a graduate of Wenzhou-Kean University in China (a campus of Kean University in the USA). Xiaotian will join KAUST this fall as a M.S./Ph.D. candidate in the KAUST Stochastic Processes and Applied Statistics research group under the supervision of Professor David Bolin.

August 2020

• 

  Computers excel in chemistry class

  1 min read · Mon, Aug 24 2020

  News

  Computer science combustion machine learning

  Machine learning models can rapidly and accurately estimate key chemical parameters related to molecular reactivity.
• 

  Meet KAUST prospective student: Cristian Felipe Jiménez Varón

  1 min read · Sun, Aug 16 2020

  News

  Statistical Modeling Environmental Statistics

  Cristian Felipe Jiménez Varón is an applied mathematics graduate who will join KAUST from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Manizales (UNAL), Colombia. He also holds dual bachelor's degrees in industrial engineering and chemical engineering fromUNAL .

July 2020

• 

  How AI helps improve COVID-19 testing

  1 min read · Tue, Jul 28 2020

  News

  COVID-19 artificial intelligence

  Following a call by President Tony Chan for KAUST PIs to contribute through their research capabilities to alleviate the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts coordinated by Donal Bradley, KAUST vice president for research, and Pierre Magistretti, KAUST dean of the Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering division, mobilized a group of faculty to form the Rapid Research Response Team (R3T).
• 

  To Boldly Go Where No Sensor Has Gone Before: The Movement to Place IoT in Radical New Spaces

  1 min read · Mon, Jul 27 2020

  News

  IoT electrical engineering

  The rapid growth of the world’s population demands more natural resources, food, and space. World renowned physicist Stephan Hawking has argued that soon we will require another world to live on because we are running out of space and natural resources. This ever-increasing demand for resources and space needs novel technologies to explore natural resources, produce more crops, and explore outer space. Internet of X-things (X-IoT) is an enabling technology to overcome all of the above issues. The framework of X-IoT consists of three major categories as shown in Figure 1. The first one is the
• 

  Blueprint may power up KSA's wind energy future

  1 min read · Thu, Jul 23 2020

  News

  energy security climate science statistics

  High-resolution analysis of wind speed across Saudi Arabia can help fast track the expansion of the Kingdom’s emerging world-class wind energy industry.
• 

  A shock to the system

  1 min read · Wed, Jul 22 2020

  News

  Spectral Analysis numerical analysis COVID-19 research

  The global, multifarious challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic has scientists tapping their wide-ranging fields of expertise to attack the problem on many fronts. Answering the call from KAUST President Tony Chan, and coordinated by the University's leadership team, KAUST researchers making up the Rapid Research Response Team (R3T) are turning this crisis into an opportunity to innovate.
• 

  New research aims to bridge the digital divide

  1 min read · Thu, Jul 16 2020

  News

  6G atmospheric turbulence pointing errors

  By the end of 2018, there were nearly 4 billion people without Internet connectivity in the world. Almost 75% of this unconnected population is located in 20 countries and is concentrated in rural, low-income, and low-literacy areas.
• 

  Unleashing the potential of tethered drones

  1 min read · Tue, Jul 14 2020

  News

  electrical engineering applied mathematics

  Wire-connected drones may complement or replace the fixed base stations of cellular communications networks.
• 

  KAUST Prospective Student: Damilya Saduakhas

  1 min read · Sun, Jul 12 2020

  News

  machine learning Deep learning Natural Language Processing

  Damilya Saduakhas, 21 years old, from Kazakhstan, obtained a B.Sc. degree in mathematics from the Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan. Damilya has been selected as a young scientist to participate in the summer Data Lab from Yessenov Foundation and will join KAUST in the fall of 2020 as an M.S./Ph.D. candidate in the KAUST Stochastic Processes and Applied Statistics Research group under the supervision of Professor David Bolin.
• 

  Meet KAUST Prospective Student: Amin Wu

  1 min read · Sun, Jul 5 2020

  News

  Gaussian processes spatio-temporal statistics

  Amin Wu is a 24-year-old graduate who will join KAUST from the Communication University of China. Wu will join the University in the fall of 2020 as an M.S./Ph.D. candidate in the KAUST Environmental Statistics Research Group under the supervision of Professor Ying Sun. Wu wants to be a teacher or researcher and use her expertise and knowledge to make the world a better place.

June 2020

• 

  A clique away from more efficient networks

  1 min read · Sun, Jun 14 2020

  News

  networks connectivity applied mathematics electrical engineering

  An old branch of mathematics finds a fertile new field of application.
• 

  Angling for underwater WiFi

  1 min read · Wed, Jun 10 2020

  News

  communications Computer science

  Scuba divers could send sea life shots in real time using an aquatic internet service.
• 

  AI that's built to save lives

  1 min read · Tue, Jun 9 2020

  Spotlight News

  artificial intelligence COVID-19

  Associate Professor Xin Gao and his group have developed an artificial-intelligence (AI) based solution to help increase COVID-19 testing accuracy. Identifying cases of early stage infection has been particularly challenging for frontline clinicians. Gao's AI-based model, which aims to increase accuracy, has been put to immediate use at King Faisal Specialist Hospital (KFSH) in Riyadh.
• 

  A sharper view of flood risk

  1 min read · Sun, Jun 7 2020

  News

  extreme events climate science statistics

  Extreme weather patterns and regions at risk of flooding could be easier to spot using a new statistical model for large spatial datasets.