SABIC presents 2nd Post-Doctoral Fellowship Awards for talented researchers

Source：SABIC Release Date：2012-10-22 375

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The second SABIC Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards for researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) were presented at a function held at the university campus in Thuwal on October 17.

During the ceremony, which was held in the presence of Mohamed Al-Mady, SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO, and Prof. Choon Fong Shih, KAUST President, 13 fellows received the award and the funding to pursue their proposed research. The topics were selectively chosen to address SABIC-KAUST long-term research strategies. They include solar energy, feedstock and catalysis, separations, biorenewables, computation and environmental sciences.

Speaking at the function, Al-Mady said, “SABIC is committed to encouraging new ideas and the building of effective solutions. We believe in the power of human ingenuity – which is why we are committed to encouraging scientists and promoting cutting-edge research at higher education institutes in Saudi Arabia.”

He said that KAUST’s dedication to develop knowledge and technologies has made it one of the most important centers of teaching and research in the region.

Prof Shih said that new ideas and approaches are needed to tackle critical challenges facing humanity today – water, food, energy and the environment. “To deliver novel and transformative solutions to these challenges it is essential to nurture talents – scientists and engineers, innovators and entrepreneurs – with drive and creativity. SABIC and KAUST are investing together in ambitious and enterprising talents for the Kingdom and the world, supporting postdoctoral research of the highest quality,” he said.

Ernesto Occhiello, SABIC Technology and Innovation Executive Vice President, pointed out that besides the postdoctoral fellowship awards SABIC was committed to support the KAUST mission via several key avenues. “Establishing SABIC Corporate Research and Innovation Center on the university campus, funding of projects in areas with direct impact on SABIC businesses, sponsorship of employees’ higher education at the university and hiring top KAUST talent are only a few examples of the methods of engagement,” he said

Last year awardees patented their research findings, while some patents are awaiting approval. SABIC values the opportunity to reward research excellence as it is of significance not only to SABIC, but also to the university, the researchers, their supervisors, the region, and the scientific community at large.

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