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KAUST Launches Pioneering Centers of Excellence to Address Key National, International Priorities

Officials are seen at the launch of the Centers of Excellence (CoEs). (SPA)
Officials are seen at the launch of the Centers of Excellence (CoEs). (SPA)
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KAUST Launches Pioneering Centers of Excellence to Address Key National, International Priorities

Officials are seen at the launch of the Centers of Excellence (CoEs). (SPA)
Officials are seen at the launch of the Centers of Excellence (CoEs). (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) announced on Sunday the launch of four pioneering Centers of Excellence (CoEs) to drive research and development in priority national and international fields.

The move brings KAUST further in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and is fundamental to its Accelerating Impact strategy that strengthens its position as a "global leader in applied science", said KAUST in a statement.

The newly established CoEs, each led by renowned experts, will tackle issues concerning health and wellness, sustainable environment and essential needs, energy and industrial leadership, and economies of the future. They are crucial to KAUST’s goal of providing impactful solutions that support national economic objectives.

The Center of Excellence for Generative AI, led by professors Bernard Ghanem and Juergen Schmidhuber, will spearhead the development of general-purpose AI models that can be tailored to meet the unique demands of the Kingdom’s research, development, and innovation (RDI) priorities.

The center aims to become a leading force in Generative AI research, driving advancements in various sectors.

Prof. Husam Al Shareef, an expert in battery technologies and material science, along with chemistry professor Zhiping Lai, will lead the Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Storage Technologies, which focuses on cutting-edge renewable energy and storage technology development and deployment.

It will play a critical role in Saudi Arabia's shift to sustainable energy by “prototyping and commercializing innovations that enhance the Kingdom’s industrial competitiveness”.

The Center of Excellence for Sustainable Food Security, led by Prof. Mark Tester, an expert in plant science and agriculture in arid environments, and co-chaired by professors Brande Wulff, a leader in crop genetics, and Peiying Hong, an expert in environmental microbiology and wastewater treatment, will focus on advancing technology-driven agricultural solutions.

It will address resource efficiency, crop improvement and sustainable biosystems, to boost food security in Saudi Arabia and beyond, with minimum negative impact.

Prof. Imed Gallouzi, an expert in RNA biology and mRNA processing, along with Professor Xin Gao, an expert in computational biology and AI, will lead the Center of Excellence for Smart Health, which focuses on developing and deploying digital and AI-driven technologies with the goal of transforming healthcare in Saudi Arabia through precision medicine, promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and education to revolutionize the Kingdom’s healthcare system.

Commenting on the launch, KAUST President Prof. Edward Byrne AC stated: “The establishment of these new Centers of Excellence exemplifies our commitment to pioneering scientific leadership and discovery.”

“By Focusing on AI, renewable energy, sustainable food security, and smart health, we are not only addressing the Kingdom’s most pressing challenges but also positioning KAUST as a global leader in these critical fields,” he added.

“I am excited to collaborate with our exceptional teams to turn ideas into solutions that enhance the quality of life and create a sustainable future for the Kingdom and beyond.”

These CoEs were launched because they strongly align with national priorities, are interdisciplinary in nature and have the potential to create tangible economic and social impacts.

“They will play a vital role in leading pioneering research, in line with KAUST’s Accelerating Impact strategy, and will be integrated with KAUST’s National Transformation Institute to drive research excellence and innovation,” said the statement.

“KAUST’s Accelerating Impact strategy was launched by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of KAUST Board of Trustees. This strategy focuses on aligning research with national priorities and supporting the Kingdom’s economic diversification through impactful RDI projects,” it added.

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Varieties

How Haze from Indonesian Fires Impacts Southeast Asia

This aerial photo taken from a commercial plane shows haze from Indonesian forest fires blanketing a residential district in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak state on the island of Borneo on September 5, 2026. (AFP)
This aerial photo taken from a commercial plane shows haze from Indonesian forest fires blanketing a residential district in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak state on the island of Borneo on September 5, 2026. (AFP)
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How Haze from Indonesian Fires Impacts Southeast Asia

This aerial photo taken from a commercial plane shows haze from Indonesian forest fires blanketing a residential district in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak state on the island of Borneo on September 5, 2026. (AFP)
This aerial photo taken from a commercial plane shows haze from Indonesian forest fires blanketing a residential district in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak state on the island of Borneo on September 5, 2026. (AFP)

Thick smog has blanketed parts of Indonesia as the vast archipelago for weeks battles to contain fires that have burned large swathes of Borneo and Sumatra.

The hazardous smoke has led to an increase in respiratory problems, forced schools to close, and has been drifting to neighbouring countries including -- Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.

Here's what to know:

- Where are the fires? -

Most of the fires are concentrated on Borneo island, home to vast tropical jungle that Indonesia shares with Brunei and Malaysia, as well as Sumatra.

So far this year, nearly 300,000 hectares of land have burned in Indonesia, according to an independent estimate from the Nusantara Atlas portal.

Indonesia saw an uptick in carbon emissions since late July, and by the end of last month the levels were comparable to previous El Nino years of 2015 and 2019, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) senior scientist Mark Parrington told AFP.

"We're seeing already now... really extreme fire emissions comparable to those previous strong El Nino years, and also the extent of the smoke and the haze and the air quality impacts," Parrington said.

Fires in the archipelago have released more than 23 million metric tons of carbon emissions between August 28 and September 3, according to CAMS' Fire Emission Watch portal.

It was higher than 20.7 million metric tons of emissions from fires over the same period in 2015, which was a strong El Nino year.

- What causes the fires? -

Analysts said that the El Nino weather phenomenon, which the United Nations said this week could turn out to be the strongest in four decades, has contributed to creating drier conditions in Indonesia and made it easier for fires to spread.

But slash-and-burn land-clearing practices also contributed to the damage, said David Gaveau, founder of the Nusantara Atlas.

"El Nino does not ignite fires. It creates the dry conditions that allow human-started fires to escape and become very large," he told AFP.

The fires are difficult to extinguish because many occurred on peatlands, a wetland ecosystem with layers of partially decomposed organic materials that become flammable when dry.

Between January and August this year, more than 210,000 hotspots were detected in peatland areas across the country, according to NGO Pantau Gambut.

"Peat is a naturally wet ecosystem and stores large amounts of organic material. When peat is drained, this organic material is converted into fuel," Pantau Gambut spokesman Wahyu Perdana said.

- What is the impact? -

More than five million people across Borneo and Sumatra are directly exposed to the health risks from haze, deputy health minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono said last month.

Over 1.4 million students were attending classes remotely, with many schools closed due to worsening air quality, an education ministry official said this week.

In Malaysia, soaring pollution levels prompted the government on Friday to declare an emergency in a region of the Sarawak state in Borneo, with nearly 650 schools closed next week.

In the Philippines, air quality was slowly returning to normal after a week of reaching "very unhealthy" and "severely unhealthy" PM 2.5 levels that saw officials shutter schools in cities and provinces citing the drifting haze.

The haze also drove air quality in Singapore's central region to an "unhealthy" level on Friday, the country's National Environment Agency data showed.

Varieties

Jordan’s Government Launches AI-Powered Digital Spokesperson ‘Farah’

Farah's account on the Instagram platform
Farah's account on the Instagram platform
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Jordan’s Government Launches AI-Powered Digital Spokesperson ‘Farah’

Farah's account on the Instagram platform
Farah's account on the Instagram platform

The account of the Jordanian government’s digital spokesperson, "Farah," has been launched on Instagram as a new digital platform for communicating with the public and providing citizens with information in a simple and direct manner.

In its announcement on X introducing “Farah,” the Jordanian Ministry of Government Communications included a video clip of the character, who introduced herself in a colloquial dialect as a digital spokesperson.

“This is considered the first experience of its kind in the region and the world.”

"Farah" is a virtual character developed using artificial intelligence technologies. She has begun appearing on social media platforms as part of efforts to harness modern technology to enhance communication with citizens, Jordan News Agency (Petra) reported Friday.

The launch aims to address questions and inquiries concerning issues of public interest through digital content tailored to social media users, Petra said.

Speaking in a simple and accessible style, "Farah" is intended to complement traditional communication channels in an innovative experience designed to keep pace with the rapid digital transformation and changing ways in which the public receives official information and news.

The launch of the digital spokesperson is seen as a pioneering step in the use of artificial intelligence in institutional work and public communication, as government institutions seek to strengthen their presence on digital platforms and reach broader segments of society.

Varieties

Malaysia Declares Emergency in Serian District in Sarawak State Due to Haze

Kuching riverside in the city center is shrouded in thick haze in Kuching, Sarawak state, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP)
Kuching riverside in the city center is shrouded in thick haze in Kuching, Sarawak state, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP)
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Malaysia Declares Emergency in Serian District in Sarawak State Due to Haze

Kuching riverside in the city center is shrouded in thick haze in Kuching, Sarawak state, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP)
Kuching riverside in the city center is shrouded in thick haze in Kuching, Sarawak state, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP)

Malaysia declared an emergency in the district of Serian, in Sarawak state, after thick haze caused by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia pushed air pollution up to hazardous levels on Friday.

Sarawak, on Borneo, has been heavily affected by fires on the Indonesian side of the island, with haze forcing school closures in some parts of the state.

Malaysian authorities categorize Air Pollution Index (API) readings ‌above 300 as ‌hazardous, with a measurement of ‌500 serving ⁠as the threshold ⁠for declaring an emergency. The API reached 519 in Serian on Friday, government data showed.

The emergency declaration was issued by Malaysia's king, Sultan Ibrahim, after advice from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg, Anwar's office said in a statement.

"Sultan ⁠Ibrahim has consented to the declaration of ‌a state of emergency throughout ‌the Serian district, Sarawak, following haze conditions that have reached ‌a level of air pollution hazardous to public ‌health and safety," the statement said.

Sarawak disaster management committee chairman Douglas Uggah Embas had earlier told a news conference the state had requested an emergency declaration after API ‌readings breached 500.

The emergency would be confined to the Serian district, covering an area ⁠of ⁠about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) radius, with essential services such as supermarkets, petrol stations, and banks expected to continue operating, Douglas said.

Cloud-seeding operations were also being carried out, he added.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy in which the king has a largely ceremonial role, carrying out his duties with advice from the prime minister and cabinet. But the monarch has the power to decide if an emergency should be declared based on grave threats to national security, the economy, or public order.