This year’s World Water Day theme is “Water for Peace.” As climate change impacts increase and populations grow, there is an urgent need — within and between countries — to unite around protecting and conserving our most precious resource.

KAUST researchers highlight the importance of tailoring urban greening initiatives for specific contexts, with a focus on challenges and solutions for the Middle East.

Learn more about how Professor Qiaoqiang Gan's team developed a superabsorbent film that promises eco-friendly cooling solutions against heat stress and global warming.

KAUST is proud to announce that Pascal Saikaly, Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering in the Water Desalination and Reuse Center, has been named the 2024 International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES).

The KAUST team, led by Kyle Lauersen and including environmental scientist Professor Peiying Hong, has innovatively used engineered algae, specifically Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, to treat wastewater and produce valuable co-products.

We are delighted to announce the successful Ph.D. dissertation defense of Kees Theo Huisman, who did his Ph.D. studies under the supervision of Professor Hans Vrouwenvelder.

We are delighted to announce the successful Ph.D. dissertation defense of Lamya Al Fuhaid, who did her Ph.D. studies under the supervision of Professor Geert-Jan Witkamp.

We are delighted to announce the successful Ph.D. dissertation defense of Sarah Almahfoodh, who did her Ph.D. studies under the supervision of Professor Noreddine Ghaffour.

Professor Peiying Hong and Ph.D. student Bothayna Algashgari have discovered that a complex interplay of factors influences the spread of superbug genes during wastewater treatment and reuse.

KAUST Professor Hans Vrouwenvelder delivered an engaging and highly informative presentation titled "Impact-Focused Desalination Research" during the Global Water, Energy, and Climate Change Congress (GWECCC) Technical session in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

We are thrilled to announce that Sankara Arunachalam has successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation titled "Bio-Inspired Gas-Entrapping Microtextured Surfaces (GEMS): Fundamentals and Applications" on August 30th. Arunachalam conducted his research under the guidance of Prof. Himanshu Mishra.

When nanomaterials researcher Qiaoqiang Gan sat with his daughter in 2017 to watch Life of Pi, his attention and imagination were captured by the floating solar still that the shipwrecked boy uses to generate drinking water from seawater.

Working with KAUST Innovation and the National Water Company, researchers Pascal Saikaly from KAUST and Muhammad Ali, KAUST alumni now at Trinity College Dublin, have deployed the first full-scale demonstration of the technology at National Water Company’s wastewater treatment site in Rabigh.

This summer, Prof. Noreddine Ghaffour's SustainableDesalTech Lab hosted four talented 11th and 12th-grade students from The KAUST School (TKS) and The World Academy (TWA), KAEC, as part of the four-week WISER Internship Program at KAUST.

The Al Miyah Solutions Pilot Plant, a novel decentralized wastewater treatment technology developed at KAUST has been successfully inaugurated at the National Water Company (NWC) facility in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia.

Congratulations to Professor Peiying Hong for being named as one of the four finalists for the prestigious 2023 Letten Prize Award.

Terraxy, a KAUST start-up focusing on low-cost and eco-friendly solutions for desert agriculture, has been recognized as a Top Innovator in the Food Ecosystems in Arid Climates by the World Economic Forum's Uplink Program.

The WDRC celebrated World Water Day on March 21st by preparing activities that promoted awareness of the importance of water, its source, consumption, and management and guided the community in making sustainable drinking water choices.

Ting Li, a Ph.D. successfully defended her thesis "Remote sensing and agroinformatics insights in Saudi Arabia using machine learning" under Professor Matthew McCabe's supervision.

WDRC students Nayara Huve Musskopf and Aishah Alsamdani were awarded first place at ITAS Arab Youth Competition 2023 for their presentation on SandX and CarboSoil.