Visiting researchers from all over the world aim to collaborate with us. And when visiting the campus, they will, without fail, marvel at the wealth of equipment and facilities the University provides. Yet the buildings that dot the shores of the Red Sea today were mostly desert and imagination on September 5, 2009. Current staff who have been with the University since its founding admit that on that day, optimism was high, but doubt followed.

However, this May, as KAUST celebrated its 5000th day since the University opened the door to its first class, those same staff see an institute where optimism remains high but doubt has been replaced by accomplishment.

One reason for KAUST’s success has been the academic output, which was almost immediate, according to Associate Professor Jasmeen Merzaban.

"Publications from KAUST in notable scientific journals were prevalent from the start. This has had a significant impact on the image of Saudi Arabia as a research center in the Middle East. One that has attracted talent to the region and retained it," she said.

Indeed, Professor David Keyes remarked that KAUST dominates in national academic publications at a rate seen nowhere else in the world.

"About 80% of the entire Saudi national contribution to Nature-indexed publications has at least one KAUST author. In a country like the U.S., probably no single university has as much as a 5% share," he noted.

One major reason for the high rate of quality publications is that KAUST has always encouraged collaboration across fields. The University is physically designed to encourage interactions with colleagues independent of specialty and incentivizes its researchers to work together.

"KAUST is very modern when it comes to its research directions and provides unique opportunities for multidisciplinary research," said Professor Gilles Lubineau.

Read more at KAUST News.