PSE Hero Bar Orientation April-May 2025 (765 x 475 px)

Welcome to the Physical Science and Engineering Division of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

 

The mission of the Physical Science and Engineering Division is to advance science and technology through education, interdisciplinary research, and innovation. Our goal is to contribute to the preservation of the planet and accelerate the impact on the Saudi economy.

 

Our educational programs and research initiatives are aligned with Saudi national RDI priorities and Vision 2030. We aim to provide the Kingdom with the next generations of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs capable of understanding and devising innovative solutions to global challenges. These challenges are encapsulated in the four RDI Pillars: Sustainable Environment & Essential Needs, Health and Wellness, Energy and Industrial Leadership, and Economies of the Future.

 

PSE research areas contributing to the Kingdom RDI Pillars and Vision 2030

 

PSE Research Aligning with Vision 20230's RDI pillars

 

Within this strategic framework, PSE fundamental and applied research addresses environmental protection, climate change, energy, and smart cities. We strive to achieve this by developing green fuels and renewable energies, creating novel materials and health applications, and providing solutions for better utilization and protection of our natural resources.

 

Chak Chan
Dean, Physical Science and Engineering Division


The new PSE Report 2024 is out!

Solvent selection tool boosts thermoelectric devices

17 July, 2025

By choosing the best chemical to dissolve polymer components, researchers can squeeze more electricity from leftover heat.

Organic thermoelectric devices (OTEs) convert waste heat into useful electric power, but they are not yet efficient enough for practical use. KAUST researchers have now developed a tool that predicts the best solvent to use when processing the devices’ polymer films, significantly improving their power output.

“Waste heat is present everywhere: industrial processes, car engines, air conditioners, and even in your cup of coffee, so it would be useful to recover a portion of this energy into electricity,” says Derya Baran, who led the team. “We want to use this to improve the energy autonomy of electronic devices, for example to recharge a battery without plugging it into a wall outlet.”

Conventional thermoelectric devices rely on inorganic semiconductors, such as bismuth telluride, but their high cost restricts them to niche applications. In contrast, OTEs rely on a polymer film that can be easily processed from solution to make potentially cheaper devices. These polymers form crystalline regions in the film and devices achieve the best performance when the regions line up edge-on because charge can move more easily from the hot end to the cold end of the device to generate a current.

But controlling polymer orientation has previously required costly or energy-intensive techniques. To further complicate the challenge, the device also requires additives known as dopants that add vital electrical charges to the polymer but also affect its crystallinity.

This led the KAUST team to select a solvent that helps the polymers to align while the film is being formed.

To avoid a lot of time-consuming experiments with different solvents, the researchers created a model to predict which solvent would produce the best film from a particular polymer. The model includes a series of parameters that describe how well a solvent would dissolve polymers and dopants, as well as the solvent’s boiling point. This approach depends on a concept called molecular-force-driven anisotropy (MFDA), which exploits the forces between solvent molecules, dopants and polymers to ensure these components pack together in the ideal way.

“This tool is very useful for predicting which solvent will render the polymer orientation that you need, while screening large databases of solvents. This saves a lot of time and resources on optimization through trial and error,” says team member Diego Rosas Villalva, currently based at the University of Bern in Switzerland.

Read more at KAUST Discovery.

Upcoming Events

PSE Post-graduate Programs

Welcome to the PSE post-graduate studies area!

At PSE, students embark on a journey of discovery as they pursue careers in science, industry, and academia. Surrounded by cutting-edge facilities and supported by our international team of faculty and staff, KAUST is today's best destination for students to explore the leading edge of science and earn a post-graduate diploma recognized worldwide.

Our division currently offers seven programs at the post-graduate level, including both Master's and Ph.D. options. Under expert advisors' guidance, students can design personalized course paths and research projects tailored to their career goals. Each program combines lectures, seminars, and laboratory classes, empowering students to transform their ideas into research projects independently.

Beyond academic pursuits, PSE students at KAUST enjoy a LEED-certified campus situated on the shores of the Red Sea, enveloped in pristine surroundings. The campus hosts a rich program of scientific and business events organized by KAUST and its top-tier industrial partners like ARAMCO, Sabic, Dow, Boeing, Bruker, Hewlett Packard, and more. This lively atmosphere provides students with ample networking avenues and the opportunity to engage in extracurricular activities, while maintaining a well-balanced personal life. 

KAUST is an exceptional place to study, work and thrive.

If you aspire to a career in science and technology, our programs provide an excellent starting point. Both Master's and Ph.D. programs are fully funded by the university, covering tuition fees and providing a monthly stipend for  the duration of the degree. Please explore the links below to learn more about our programs and begin your journey toward a fulfilling career in your chosen field of expertise.