The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has opened its doors to the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry of the University of Pisa. KAUST is one of the most technologically advanced universities in Saudi Arabia, which hosts state-of-the-art research centers housing excellent equipment and infrastructures. At the beginning of October a delegation from Pisa paid a visit to KAUST with the aim of setting in motion a program of scientific collaboration and student exchanges with the Saudi Arabian university. In spite of being a new institution (it was founded in 2009), the university is rapidly gaining an excellent position in the panorama of world universities through its top class researchers from some of the highest-ranking international institutes.
The delegation from the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, composed of the Director Roger Fuoco, Lorenzo Di Bari, coordinator of the Doctoral School of Chemical and Material Sciences, and Tarita Biver, coordinator for Internationalization in the area of Chemistry, was welcomed by the Dean of the Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Yves Gnanou and his closest collaborators.
“Our visit was extremely profitable as we were able to identify policies and interests in common with KAUST,” commented Professor Roger Fuoco on his return. “In particular the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between our Universities is under consideration. To this end, in the next few months we shall receive a visit of a number of teaching staff and the Vice President for Academic Affairs at KAUST, Professor James Calvin. In parallel with this procedure, the agreement between the parties envisages that a number of worthy, interested students be chosen for an internship scholarship offered by Kaust for 3-6 months in order to pursue part of their Master’s thesis at the KAUST centers.”
The various scientific meetings organized during the three-day visit allowed the delegation from Pisa to become familiar with the structures at KAUST, with particular focus on the area of Chemical and Material Sciences. Meetings were arranged with the directors of the research centers within the university and with members of the various research groups.
At the end of the meetings, the delegation was given a detailed tour of the laboratories at the Catalysis Research Center (Director, Professor Jean- Marie Basset), the Solar and Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center (Director, Professor Jean-Luc Bredas), the Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research Center (Director, Professor Ingo Pinnau & Associate Director, Professor Mohamed Eddaoudi), the Desert Agricultural Center (Director, Professor Heribert Hirt & Associate Director, Professor Mark Tester), the Desalination and Reuse Center (Director, Professor TorOve Leiknes) and Instrumental Facilities Laboratory (Core Lab).