KAUST Ranked 1st in Times Higher Education Arab University Rankings 2023

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) logo
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) logo
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KAUST Ranked 1st in Times Higher Education Arab University Rankings 2023

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) logo
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) logo

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) ranked first in the Times Higher Education (THE) Arab University Rankings 2023, a move up from KAUST's ranking as second in the previous year.

"KAUST also scored a perfect 100 for research environment, one of only two universities to do so, in the society pillar (measuring industry income, as well as participation and performance in the impact rankings) and the international outlook pillar (measuring the share of international students, staff and co-authorship, as well as research collaboration within the Arab world),” the university said in a statement on Thursday.

"This is a testament to the world-class research environment we have cultivated here at KAUST. Our new strategy is already delivering, with new key deepening strategic partnerships across China, the US, Europe and locally in Saudi Arabia with the giga-projects,” said KAUST President Tony Chan.

Furthermore, the Top500 Committee has ranked the KAUST supercomputer 'Shaheen III' the most powerful in the Middle East and 20th in the world. Chan believes it will take KAUST further up the global rankings.

"We are super powering our research across all disciplines, which is going to significantly address key global and local issues, such as climate and sustainability, renewable energy, AI and future economy and smart health."

Saudi Arabian and UAE universities dominate the top 10 in the Arab University Rankings 2023. The ascension of KAUST and other Saudi universities in the Rankings reflects the Kingdom's unwavering focus and investment in research, development and innovation, the statement said.



Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.