Computational Bioscience Research Center
The research portfolio of KAUST’s Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC) encompasses computational biology and bioinformatics with applications in life sciences. The CBRC mission is the design of novel high-performance computational biology/bioinformatics methods, tools, resources and models that will lead to and speed up development of applications in synthetic biology and biotechnology and validating these applications in engineered cells.

 

CBRC aims to develop: (i) An infrastructure for bioinformatics and computational/mathematical modeling of microbial systems to generate deeper insights into the functioning of microorganisms. (ii) An infrastructure for a rational design of synthetic biology constructs (parts and their compositions) to enable informed engineering of microorganisms for industrial applications feasible and relevant within the Saudi Arabian context. (iii) Engineered microorganisms capable of carbon capture and conversion to targeted industrially important chemicals, enzymes or biomass.

Visual Computing Center

The Visual Computing Center ensures that KAUST is at the forefront of Petascale Computing, Modeling, Visualization & immersive environments. The Center possesses top expertise and performs Fundamental & Application-oriented Research in a variety of areas of Visual Computing, such as Geometric Modeling, Geometry Processing, Scientific Visualization, Virtual Reality, Rendering, Simulation, Computational Geometry & Topology, Computer Vision, and Imaging Science. There is a strong focus on novel applications with high potential for the advancement of science and technology. In particular, the Center provides a unique interactive environment that cultivates multidisciplinary collaborations among KAUST Researchers and Students as well as Industry Researchers and Collaborators interested in exploring the Mathematical properties of Systems in Pure Sciences and Engineering.

 

 

Center for Desert Agriculture
Developing an agriculture to feed a still-growing human population on a warming Earth demands the development of an approach to agriculture that simultaneously optimizes biological productivity and minimizes water and energy consumption, nutrient inputs, environmental impact, and cost. We call this a “systems” approach to agriculture, recognizing that it is about the design of different kinds of food production systems, both indoor (greenhouse) and outdoor (field), each with its own biological constraints, water, and energy requirements that need to be optimized for local climatic conditions.

 

At the core is KAUST’s Center for Desert Agriculture (CDA), which brings together biologists with interests ranging from the basic physiology, genetics/genomics and epigenetics of plants and their interactions with microbes to applied research in crop improvement, insect control, and aquaculture.

 
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division
The Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division provides a unique opportunity to unite technology with the life sciences, to promote engineering-inspired biology. BESE’s missions are to create an enabling platform and intellectual space for knowledge and advanced technologies through research that is aligned with KAUST’s four thrusts (food, energy, water and the environment). Two strategic research themes that allow for a natural alignment with these thrusts are Adaptive Biology and Environmental Systems.
 
 
Physical Sciences and Engineering Division
The science produced in PSE is about understanding, modeling, and manipulating matter at all scales: nano, meso and macroscopic levels; in all forms: bulk, thin films, divided colloids, fluid flows, earth as system etc.; and in interaction with external stimuli: light, heat, fluids, etc.; or stresses. The knowledge created serves to design and engineer materials, technologies, and systems that will address issues related to KAUST’s four thrusts: water, food, energy, and the environment.
 
 
Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division
With facilities such as Shaheen (one of the world’s fastest supercomputers) and the CORNEA Visualization Center, the Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division is one of the best-equipped places in the world to carry out cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research.

An initiative by a world-leading institution for the development and usage of smart health technologies and knowledge to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and training programs that transform the healthcare delivery system of Saudi Arabia and the world from traditional medicine to precision medicine. Central to this initiative is the collaboration between KAUST scientists with clinicians in the best In-Kingdom medical centers.

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Bioscience Core Lab
The Bioscience Core Lab supports and initiates scientific research and technology transfer by providing technologically advanced research methodologies to resolve questions facing the KAUST Bioscience Research Community and their Collaborators from Academia and Industry.

 

 
Imaging and Characterization Core Lab
The Advanced Nanofabrication, Imaging, and Characterization Core Facilities are dedicated to providing the instrumentation, technical expertise, and team-teaching environment to stimulate collaborative research in nanoscale technology. The facility is a multidisciplinary laboratory that supports research across many different departments within KAUST.

The Nanofabrication Core Lab providing expertise in the fabrication and characterization of micro- and nano-scale devices. To maintain the level of cleanliness required by the cleanroom operations related to fabrication of such a small-scale structures, the requirements of specific standard ISO 14644 are strictly observed and enforced, special attention being directed toward actions to avoid/minimize contamination.

 

 

Visualization Core Lab
The Visualization Laboratory at KAUST is a state-of-the-art facility that offers students, faculty, researchers and university collaborators a unique opportunity to utilize one-of-a-kind visualization, interaction and computational resources for the exploration and presentation of scientific data. 2D and 3D display environments, highly spatialized and immersive audio, monoscopic and stereoscopic displays, wireless interaction devices, and fully integrated and portable desktop applications are some of the services the laboratory offers. 

 

 

Analytical Core Lab
The Analytical Core Lab has specialized laboratories for spectroscopy, chromatography and mass spectrometry, trace metals analysis, wet chemistry, and surface analysis. The state-of-the-art instrumentations and operations of ACL are controlled by a LabWare LIMS system. The Lab offers analytical services in the fields of environmental science (air, water, marine organisms, sea water, nutrients, pollutants, etc.), industrial hygiene, geochemistry, bio/pharmaceutical, material science, health and safety, polymer and catalysis.

 
 

Supercomputing Laboratory
The Supercomputing Laboratory aims to inspire and enable scientific, economic and social advances through the development and application of high-performance computing solutions, through collaboration with KAUST researchers and partners, and through the provision of world-class computational systems and services.

 

 
Coastal and Marine Resources Core Lab
The Coastal & Marine Resources Core Lab (CMOR) is dedicated to providing technical support and project assistance for scientific research in maritime disciplines, environmental monitoring, coastal/terrestrial surveys, and infrastructure development projects. CMOR is committed to providing safe and effective transport and technical platforms for all KAUST marine research activities.
 

 

 

The Radiation Labeling Core Laboratory

The Radiation Labeling Core Laboratory (RLCL) is KAUST’s sole facility to support scientific experiments involving unsealed nuclear substances. It conforms to radiation protection regulations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and observes IAEA guidelines, adhering to international standards of radiation safety. In addition, RLCL is Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) compliant. The RLCL is designed as a general bioscience/chemistry lab with some specialized equipment, including a radioisotope fume hood, cold storage units (-80 C, -20 C, and +5 C), liquid scintillation counters (LSC), and radiation survey instruments. It implements all necessary administrative and engineering control measures, such as proper shielding and work procedures, to ensure safety with respect to radiation hazards. In addition, radiation survey, dosimetry, and monitoring are performed in accordance to KAUST HSE requirements. The facility manages radioactive waste streams, receiving of radioactive materials, storage, and security of radioactive chemical inventories.

 

The Prototyping and Product Development Core Lab

The Prototyping and Product Development Core Lab (PCL) provides well-equipped spaces to support fabrication projects ranging from micro sized to complex product development. We offer mentorship, apprenticeship, training and full service expertise in computer aided design and reverse engineering, rapid prototyping, electronics, machining, CNC computer aided programming, scientific glassblowing, welding, woodworking and more.

 

 

The Lab Equipment Maintenance Core Lab

The Lab Equipment Maintenance Core Lab (LEM) partners with the research community at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology to deliver expert technical support and maintenance of critical research instrumentation. LEM works in strategic collaboration with the Deans of the Divisions, Directors of the Research Centers and Core Labs, and individual faculty members to ensure that all research-related equipment is continuously serviced and maintained, allowing students, researchers and principal investigators to focus on their science and to advance innovations. LEM’s mission is to play a significant strategic role in supporting research and graduate education at KAUST by maintaining a world-class inventory of research-critical instrumentation at the highest possible instrument up-time and the lowest cost. 

 

 

The Plant Growth Core Lab

The Plant Growth Core Lab is a research-driven facility operating at the forefront of agricultural innovation, dedicated to plant and agricultural based studies, including transgenic research. Our mission is to support food and water research in KAUST and in the Kingdom.

 

 

Central Workshops
The main objectives of the Central Workshops are to assist researchers and students in their work by producing the required parts at the highest quality and to produce equipment that is required for research facilities.

 

Life Time Initiative 

Life Time is a pan-European research initiative whose aim is to revolutionize healthcare by tracking, understanding, and treating human cells during diseases.

 

 

Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism University California Irvine
The Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism (CEM) brings together researchers at UCI interested in epigenetics, chromatin remodeling, and cellular metabolism by fostering research interactions, developing novel strategies, and informing the UCI community of the remarkable developments in the field. KAUST & UCI collaboration

 

 
FP7 European Epigenetics and Systems Biology Network of Excellence
As an FP7 European Community-funded Network of Excellence, EpiGeneSys’s goals go further than simply funding a research project. Our extensive training program is helping to build a bridge between the fields of epigenetics and systems biology and our public education mission will communicate the science in an accessible and interesting fashion while awakening young pupils’ interest in research.
 
 
OMICS Science Center Yokohama, Japan
Omics Science Center is aiming to develop a comprehensive system called “Life Science Accelerator”(LSA) for the advancement of omics research. The LSA is a comprehensive system consisting of biological resources, human resources, technologies, know-how, and essential administrative ability. The ultimate goal of LSA is to support and accelerate the advancement in life science research.
 
 
Epigen
The goal of the EPIGEN project is to understand how epigenetic mechanisms regulate biological processes, determine phenotypic variation and contribute to the onset and progression of diseases. The EPIGEN project is highly multidisciplinary and involves 70 Italian research teams working in close collaboration. Our laboratories employ different experimental models, approaches, and technologies. We aim to establish a multidisciplinary national network to keep these synergies beyond the lifetime of the project.
 
Unlocking the secrets of life itself is the driving force behind the Salk Institute. Our team of world-class, award-winning scientists pushes the boundaries of knowledge in areas such as neuroscience, cancer research, aging, immunobiology, plant biology, computational biology, and more. Founded by Jonas Salk, developer of the first safe and effective polio vaccine, the Institute is an independent, nonprofit research organization and architectural landmark: small by choice, intimate by nature, and fearless in the face of any challenge. Read more.
FANTOM (Functional Amnotation of the Mammalian Genome)  is an international research consortium established by Dr. Hayashizaki and his colleagues in 2000 to assign functional annotations to the full-length cDNAs that were collected during the Mouse Encyclopedia Project at RIKEN. FANTOM has since developed and expanded over time to encompass the fields of transcriptome analysis. The object of the project is moving steadily up the layers in the system of life, progressing thus from an understanding of the ‘elements’ - the transcripts - to an understanding of the ‘system’ - the transcriptional regulatory network, in other words the ‘system’ of an individual life form. Read more.