UT will expand its geological science research capabilities through a partnership with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.
As part of the partnership, hosted by the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, UT will help the new university find and nominate faculty members, develop an academic curriculum and collaborate on research projects that are important to UT and Saudi Arabia.
The five-year agreement is valued at $27 million, which will help UT fund research projects with the Saudi Arabian university.
The projects will focus on geological science problems, such as global climate change, water sustainability and natural disasters, Omar Ghattas, director of the partnership, said.
"The theme of the university is to transition from a petroleum-based economy to a knowledge-based economy," Ghattas said. "It's part of a new way of thinking in Saudi Arabia. They feel strongly that they have to position themselves to compete in a global economy and think about the post-petroleum world."
J. Tinsley Oden, director of the institute, said the research projects are still in the proposal stage, but UT has complete discretion on how to use a significant portion of the funding.
Ghattas said research projects in the geological sciences span across multiple disciplines, making it hard for UT to get sustained funding. The partnership with the new university will give UT researchers a reliable source of funding over the period of the collaboration.
"King Abdullah University is taking a long-term vision, and they are targeting these longer-term, bigger societal problems, so we have assured long-term support over five years," Ghattas said. "It is a big boost for people doing research on those kinds of problems here at UT."
Oden said benefits from the collaborative research will extend beyond UT.
"There are many problems connected with the geological sciences that are important to the world and of growing importance to Saudi Arabia," Oden said. "I think it's a good direction that Saudi Arabia is taking with realization it can build a new and modern university."
Be the first to comment on this article!