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Professor Sir Edward Byrne to Lead KAUST as President

Professor Sir Edward Byrne AC. SPA
Professor Sir Edward Byrne AC. SPA
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Professor Sir Edward Byrne to Lead KAUST as President

Professor Sir Edward Byrne AC. SPA
Professor Sir Edward Byrne AC. SPA

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) announced on Wednesday the appointment of Professor Sir Edward Byrne AC as its new president, effective September 1.

Byrne's appointment marks a significant milestone for KAUST as the university continues its transformative journey through the implementation of its Accelerating Impact Strategy. His extensive background in academia and industry uniquely positions him to propel KAUST in supporting the goals of Vision 2030 and solidifying its standing as a leading research technology university.

A statement said that by translating research advancements into practical innovations, fostering robust collaborations with public and private sectors, and enhancing KAUST's role in economic development, Byrne will guide the institution into a new era of growth and impact.

His previous roles include President and Principal of King’s College London and President of Monash University, where he led significant expansions and research initiatives. Byrne brings a wealth of experience, expertise and academic excellence across various sectors, said the statement.

“As the University embarks on a new era delivering its Accelerating Impact Strategy, it is an honor to join an academic community at the forefront of translating research into economically productive innovations for the benefit of society across the Kingdom and the world,” the statement quoted Byrne as saying.

"Drawing on my extensive career leading top-ranked global universities and visionary approaches to scientific discovery, I welcome the opportunity to lead an Institution that is paving the way for future progress and is committed to making the discoveries that will power tomorrow.”

Aligned with Vision 2030, KAUST’s focus on research, development and innovation is central to driving economic diversification and technological advancement in the Kingdom. The University's efforts in these areas support the Kingdom's ambitions.

Byrne succeeds Professor Tony Chan, who significantly enhanced KAUST's alignment with Vision 2030, expanding its global research and academic influence.

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Varieties

Fossils Suggest Even Smaller ‘Hobbits’ Roamed an Indonesian Island 700,000 Years Ago

A fragment (left) of the upper arm bone called the humerus - belonging to a diminutive extinct human species called Homo floresiensis, that dates to about 700,000 years ago and was discovered at the Mata Menge site on the Indonesian island of Flores - is shown at the same scale as the humerus of a later Homo floresiensis fossil dating to 60,000 years ago from the Liang Bua cave site in Flores, in this handout image released on August 6, 2024. (Yousuke Kaifu/Handout via Reuters)
A fragment (left) of the upper arm bone called the humerus - belonging to a diminutive extinct human species called Homo floresiensis, that dates to about 700,000 years ago and was discovered at the Mata Menge site on the Indonesian island of Flores - is shown at the same scale as the humerus of a later Homo floresiensis fossil dating to 60,000 years ago from the Liang Bua cave site in Flores, in this handout image released on August 6, 2024. (Yousuke Kaifu/Handout via Reuters)
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Fossils Suggest Even Smaller ‘Hobbits’ Roamed an Indonesian Island 700,000 Years Ago

A fragment (left) of the upper arm bone called the humerus - belonging to a diminutive extinct human species called Homo floresiensis, that dates to about 700,000 years ago and was discovered at the Mata Menge site on the Indonesian island of Flores - is shown at the same scale as the humerus of a later Homo floresiensis fossil dating to 60,000 years ago from the Liang Bua cave site in Flores, in this handout image released on August 6, 2024. (Yousuke Kaifu/Handout via Reuters)
A fragment (left) of the upper arm bone called the humerus - belonging to a diminutive extinct human species called Homo floresiensis, that dates to about 700,000 years ago and was discovered at the Mata Menge site on the Indonesian island of Flores - is shown at the same scale as the humerus of a later Homo floresiensis fossil dating to 60,000 years ago from the Liang Bua cave site in Flores, in this handout image released on August 6, 2024. (Yousuke Kaifu/Handout via Reuters)

Twenty years ago on an Indonesian island, scientists discovered fossils of an early human species that stood at about 3 1/2 feet (1.07 meters) tall — earning them the nickname “hobbits.”

Now a new study suggests ancestors of the hobbits were even slightly shorter.

“We did not expect that we would find smaller individuals from such an old site,” study co-author Yousuke Kaifu of the University of Tokyo said in an email.

The original hobbit fossils — named by the discoverers after characters in “The Lord of the Rings” — date back to between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago. The new fossils were excavated at a site called Mata Menge, about 45 miles from the cave where the first hobbit remains were uncovered.

In 2016, researchers suspected the earlier relatives could be shorter than the hobbits after studying a jawbone and teeth collected from the new site. Further analysis of a tiny arm bone fragment and teeth suggests the ancestors were a mere 2.4 inches (6 centimeters) shorter and existed 700,000 years ago.

“They’ve convincingly shown that these were very small individuals,” said Dean Falk, an evolutionary anthropologist at Florida State University who was not involved with the research.

The findings were published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

Researchers have debated how the hobbits – named Homo floresiensis after the remote Indonesian island of Flores – evolved to be so small and where they fall in the human evolutionary story. They're thought to be among the last early human species to go extinct.

Scientists don't yet know whether the hobbits shrank from an earlier, taller human species called Homo erectus that lived in the area, or from an even more primitive human predecessor. More research – and fossils – are needed to pin down the hobbits’ place in human evolution, said Matt Tocheri, an anthropologist at Canada's Lakehead University.

“This question remains unanswered and will continue to be a focus of research for some time to come,” Tocheri, who was not involved with the research, said in an email.