Societal Engagement and Impact

OSAKA EXPO 2025 featured a strong NYU Abu Dhabi presence, with students engaging global audiences through demonstrations that highlighted the University’s innovation across technology, health, and the creative arts. As part of the showcase, Fares Abu Dakka (Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering) introduced Cognitive Robotics and its applications in education, healthcare, accessibility, and handwriting rehabilitation, while Wael Othman (Postdoctoral Associate) presented new medical devices from the Center for Translational Medical Devices, including flexible endoscopic tools and AI-powered wearable sensors for metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurological conditions. Merritt Moore (Adjunct Professor of Practice) performed Dancing with Robots, illustrating how emerging technologies shape creativity and human potential, and Domna Banakou (Visiting Assistant Professor of Practice) shared her work using virtual reality to shift behavior and reduce implicit bias, with applications in stroke rehabilitation and enhancing police support for victims.

The University’s presence at Expo 2025 Osaka also showcased the broader impact of our global community through the success of our alumnae. Mahra Al Dhaheri (NYUAD Class of 2024) served as a youth ambassador at the UAE Pavilion, engaging with visitors and sharing the Emirates’ story. She was joined by fellow Class of 2024 alumnae Roudhah Al Mazrouei and Shayma Al Harthi, who represented NYUAD and the UAE as global ambassadors through the Building Bridges: Voices of the Future initiative, fostering cultural exchange.

The Center for Genomics and Systems Biology (CGSB) team played an active role in several major national events this year. At Young ADIPEC, which brought together more than 47 schools and 1,100 students, the Center served as the Community Engagement Partner, showcasing a VR game that demonstrates how biocontrol methods combat the red palm weevil, a destructive pest threatening date palms across the region, and contributing to youth-focused talks. During Global Food Week UAE 2025, CGSB researchers presented key advancements in date palm genomics, pest control, and sustainable agriculture, highlighting the Center’s growing impact on national food security and environmental resilience initiatives. Henry Tan (Artist in Residence) showcased his Open Organoid Interface at the Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity exhibition, where it was selected from more than 3,000 entries. The low-cost, open-source device records electrical activity from lab-grown mini brains through a sixty-channel, real-time system designed to broaden access to neuroscience research.

NYUAD’s student chapter of the American Chemical Society successfully hosted a STEM Hackathon on campus, welcoming participants from multiple UAE universities. Fully organized by NYUAD students, the event featured a range of collaborative science and problem-solving activities. Their strong leadership and execution highlight the growing impact of student-led STEM initiatives at the University.

The Interactive Media program, expanded its presence at the Ars Electronica Festival, an influential global platform for art, technology, and society held from September 3–7 in Linz, Austria. This year’s showcase featured student capstone projects alongside work from NYUAD-affiliated initiatives including Digital Matter: Parametric Design Lab, Desert Media Art, and Communication and Technology, highlighting the breadth and innovation of the program. Participation in the festival continues to offer students meaningful global exposure and reinforces NYUAD’s growing role in the international media arts community.

The Interactive Media program also participated in Dubai Design Week from November 4–9, presenting student work from two of its key initiatives: Digital Matter: Parametric Design Lab and Future Punk. Digital Matter, led by Aya Riad (Associate Program Head, Interactive Media), showcased Body Architecture, a series of computationally scripted and 3D-printed wearable projects exploring form, data, and material behavior. Future Punk, taught by Nimrah Syed (Visiting Assistant Professor of Interactive Media), featured speculative, non-Western design prototypes imagining alternative futures rooted in the UAE’s evolving context. In addition, Jack B. Du (Visiting Assistant Professor of Interactive Media) led both a Paper Cutting Workshop and a Creative Coding Workshop on November 8, further extending the program’s engagement with the festival’s public programming.

More than 100 NYU Abu Dhabi alumni returned to campus in November for an unforgettable Alumni Reunion Weekend. This year marked milestone reunions for the Classes of 2015 and 2020, bringing together alumni, faculty, staff, students, and contracted colleagues. The four-day program featured standout moments including engaging “Back to School” lectures with Sohail Karmani (Senior Lecturer, Arts & Humanities) and Melina Platas (Associate Professor of Political Science), a reflective “memory walk” with the NYUAD Archives team, and a lively welcome dinner at the Marketplace. Alumni also faced off against current students in the “Defend the Nest” basketball game, organized in collaboration with the NYUAD Athletics team. Additional highlights included thought-provoking Senior Leadership and Student Panels, along with a range of networking and celebratory gatherings on and off campus.

NYU Abu Dhabi and e& UAE achieved a regional first by reaching 145 Gbps in a 6G Terahertz (THz) trial, setting a new benchmark for ultra-high-capacity, ultra-low-latency wireless links that enable applications such as holographic telepresence, XR, and digital twins. Sehamuddin Galadari (Managing Director of the Research Institute, NYUAD) highlighted the pilot as a major regional milestone that positions the UAE as a co-creator of the 6G era. The demonstration was supported by a joint white paper, “Building the Fabric of 6G: Spectrum Frontiers and Enabling Technologies,” co-authored by experts from e& UAE and the Research Institute NYUAD Wireless Center. Murat Uysal (Professor of Electrical Engineering) noted that the collaboration is building local expertise and testbed infrastructure to address THz-band challenges and contribute to global 6G standardization.

NYU Abu Dhabi showcased its research at the 2025 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), one of the world’s leading gatherings for energy, technology, and industrial innovation. From November 3–6, Research Translation and Entrepreneurship (RTE) coordinated NYUAD’s presence, bringing together the Center for AI and Robotics, Sand Hazards and Opportunities for Resilience, Energy and Sustainability (SHORES), the S.M.A.R.T. Construction Research Group, and the AMBER Lab to present pioneering, industry-focused solutions. The event offered a key platform to engage global industry leaders and policymakers, underscoring how NYUAD’s research and innovation contribute to the UAE’s vision for a technologically advanced and sustainable future.

The NYU Abu Dhabi Water Research Center has been selected as a Qualified Team in the prestigious XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition, one of the world’s largest initiatives addressing global freshwater availability. Led by Nidal Hilal (Professor of Engineering and Director of the Water Research Center), the NYUAD team is the only one from the UAE qualified under Track B – Novel Materials and Methods, focusing on next-generation solutions for desalination. Their selection recognizes pioneering work on surface-patterned membranes that integrate built-in spacers, an innovation that increases energy efficiency by up to 20 percent and has the potential to enhance existing desalination systems, which are vital to water security in arid regions. Professor Hilal was also recently named to Clarivate Analytics’ Highly Cited Researchers 2024 list.

The Office of Research Translation and Entrepreneurship (RTE) hosted a workshop with M42 researchers and senior leaders to showcase NYU Abu Dhabi innovations in life sciences and environmental research. The session highlighted projects with strong potential to address regional and global challenges and enabled direct dialogue on scientific alignment and collaboration. RTE will continue discussions with M42 on co-development, pilot deployment, and commercialization, supporting deeper partnership and the UAE’s life sciences and environmental innovation ecosystem.

Additionally, the RTE, together with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, the Abu Dhabi Registration Authority, and Hub71, held a workshop on September 30, 2025, to strengthen NYU Abu Dhabi’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. The session outlined Abu Dhabi’s innovation landscape, from intellectual property protection to commercialization. ADRA experts — Rawya AlJneibi, Chief Analyst for Regulating Partner Relations, Innovation and Knowledge, and Suhail Al Shaibani, Chief Officer of the Customer Services Department — covered patentability, IP registration, and support programs, while Hajar AlAnsari, Value Creation Partner at Hub71, presented acceleration pathways for research-driven startups.

In yet another initiative, the RTE, together with NYU Technology Opportunities and Ventures, led NYU Abu Dhabi in hosting the second edition of the Innovators’ Reception on November 13, 2025, celebrating NYUAD researchers, faculty, and inventors contributing to the UAE’s knowledge economy. Over the past two years, RTE has deepened engagement with local industry and government, driving a 15 percent increase in innovation disclosures and a 10 percent rise in patent filings, now largely processed through the UAE Patent Office. Fabio Piano, (Vice Chancellor) and John Tate (Tamkeen CEO) delivered remarks before recognizing 28 first-time innovation disclosers, five FY25 patent recipients, and 19 all-time patent awardees.

NYU Abu Dhabi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC) to advance cybersecurity research, education, and innovation. The partnership will support joint research initiatives, co-hosted workshops and conferences, and educational visits for students, faculty, and researchers. Through CYBER E71, participants will also gain hands-on experience working with industry specialists and learning how to build and operate cybersecurity-focused startups. Led by RTE in collaboration with Ozgur Sinanoglu (Director of the Center for Cyber Security, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering), the partnership aims to strengthen national cyber resilience, inform policy development, and cultivate a skilled pipeline of cybersecurity professionals.

The NYUAD Institute hosted a series of public talks spanning technology, sustainability, diplomacy, and economics. Soulful Innovation on October 27 featured Naoki Hamanaka (Founder of FabLab Shinagawa; Representative, Hamanaka Design Studio) on purpose-driven design and 3D-printed assistive devices. Pressure Cooker on October 29, curated by Azza Aboualam (Assistant Professor, College of Arts & Creative Enterprises, Zayed University) with the NYUAD Art Gallery and National Pavilion UAE, examined architecture’s role in food security and ecological resilience for an audience of 85. Women and Leadership in Diplomacy on November 3 gathered senior officials and scholars to discuss gender gaps in diplomacy. Folding the World on November 12 featured Anders Levermann (Professor, Climate Dynamics, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) discussing economic growth and planetary constraints. The series closed with A Conversation with Abhijit Banerjee on November 24, where Abhijit Banerjee (Professor of Economics, MIT; Nobel Laureate) reflected on fifteen years of research shaping global poverty and development policy.

The NYUAD Institute also hosted several major scholarly gatherings this fall, connecting international experts across science, technology, and the social sciences. The Drug Discovery, Delivery and Therapeutics Workshop III (October 28–29) brought over 100 researchers from institutions including Harvard, Oxford, KAUST, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to discuss AI-driven drug discovery, delivery systems, and emerging therapeutics. The 1st MENA Conference on Living Therapeutics (November 5–7) drew more than 100 participants from global universities and industry, including AstraZeneca, Insilico Medicine, and Promega Corporation, with sponsorship from Easylabs and Scifiniti Publishing. The season concluded with Theorizing Transience: Temporary Migrations in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific (November 19–21), convening over 20 scholars from RMIT, Korea University, NYU New York, Sciences Po Paris, and the Australian National University to explore temporary migration regimes and intersectional, non-Western policy perspectives.

In partnership with the Al Qasimi Foundation and UAE University, NYU Abu Dhabi co-sponsored the Gulf Comparative Education Society Symposium (GCES) 2025, hosted in Ras Al Khaimah from November 12–14. The symposium explored key themes in education policy, praxis, and pedagogy across the Gulf. The Office of Global Access and Engagement contributed to a panel discussion on Cultivating Flourishing, discussing accessibility, conflict transformation, and the role of a global liberal arts institution in the UAE. Additional contributions came from Michael Martinez (Assistant Vice Provost, Student Success), Antje Von Suchodoletz (Associate Professor of Psychology), and Sara Musaifer (Visiting Lecturer of Social Research and Public Policy). The symposium offered NYUAD students and staff a valuable chance to engage regional and global education policy networks.

The Center for Writing hosted the 9th Biennial Middle East–North Africa Writing Centers Alliance (MENAWCA) Conference from October 10–12, 2025, under the theme “Co-Creation with AI: Navigating New Horizons in Writing and Learning.” The gathering brought together instructors, tutors, directors, and researchers from across the region to explore the intersection of writing support and generative AI. Featuring keynote talks by Annette Vee (University of Pittsburgh), Maria Eleftheriou (American University of Sharjah), and Michael Pazinas (Zayed University), the program explored AI awareness, ethics, agency, and approaches to fostering productive struggle in writing. Participants examined how generative AI is reshaping composition, pedagogy, and academic integrity. They reflected on how writing centers can strike a balance between technological innovation and human creativity, as well as authentic learning, in an evolving digital landscape.

The NYUAD Library hosted the online conference “Transforming Information: Libraries in the Age of AI” from November 17–18, welcoming more than 430 attendees. Organized by Amani Magid (Academic Librarian for Engineering) and Grace Adeneye (Assistant Academic Librarian for the Arts), the event brought together panelists from around the world who led sessions on emerging AI literacy strategies, metadata automation, innovations in cataloguing, and new approaches to enhancing library services and outreach through AI tools.

NYU Abu Dhabi has joined Hub71+ Life Sciences as its Talent Partner, supporting a specialist ecosystem that helps global founders enter Abu Dhabi’s growing life sciences sector. As part of the partnership, NYUAD will connect startups with researchers, emerging scientific talent, and a vibrant academic community, strengthening the pipeline for BioTech, MedTech, and digital health ventures. Facilitated by RTE, the collaboration aims to accelerate clinical validation, improve market access, and support the development of scalable health solutions, reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s role as a global hub for life sciences innovation.

startAD, the Abu Dhabi–based startup accelerator powered by Tamkeen and anchored at NYU Abu Dhabi, concluded the AI for Good Sandbox Pitch Day at 42 Abu Dhabi, bringing together regional and international partners to advance responsible, community-centered AI across the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Supported by Google.org and aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 and the UAE’s Year of Community 2025, the startAD-led initiative guided 15 finalist teams from across the MENA region in developing AI solutions for youth mental health, digital safety, nutrition, rehabilitation, and inclusive education. Following evaluation by an expert jury, four projects were awarded a total of USD 41,000 in funding, enabling the strongest ideas to move toward real-world application and measurable social impact.