Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs

Devjoy Dev (fourth-year NYUAD Global PhD student in Biomedical Engineering) won the People’s Choice Award at PhD Live! 2025, a university-wide event that challenges PhD and JSD students to present complex research in clear, engaging ways. Out of 56 applicants from across NYU’s global campuses, only eight were selected for the live finals held on April 9 at the African Grove Theatre in New York. Rather than being judged solely on academic merit, participants were evaluated on their storytelling and communication skills, utilizing visuals to make their research more accessible. Dev's compelling presentation on how gut health affects astronauts' sleep earned him the audience’s vote.

NYUAD’s PhD Pathways Program, the first of its kind in the UAE, aims to address the underrepresentation of Emirati PhD students and professors in higher education through enhanced and early access to research experience, mentorship, skill acquisition, exploration of research careers, and graduate school preparation. As the inaugural cohort prepares to graduate, this slide highlights some of their remarkable achievements and the prestigious universities they have been accepted at to continue their academic journeys.

Three NYUAD Global PhD Fellows are this year’s recipients of the University-wide Outstanding Dissertation Awards under the Science and Technology category. Each spring, NYU schools are invited to submit nominations and may submit up to three nominations across any combination of award categories. The awardees are: Yazan Ibrahim (NYUAD Global PhD Fellow in Engineering), Design and Fabrication of Surface-Patterned Membranes with Integrated Porous Feed Spacers for Improved Filtration Performance; Wegood Awad (NYUAD Global PhD Fellow in Chemistry), Investigating the Use of Photosalient Nanocrystals for UV-Triggered Cell Death and Nouran Elmesalami (NYUAD Global PhD Student in Civil Engineering), Reactive Magnesium Oxide Cements: Advanced Investigations of Reaction Pathways and Development of Engineered Magnesia Composites.