THUWAL — KAUST recognized the graduating class of 2021 as part of its 12th Commencement ceremony on December 17.

This year’s ceremony honored 148 master’s degree graduates (95 male/ 53 female) and 86 Ph.D. graduates (59 male/ 27 female) from KAUST's three divisions and various programs.

Among the 234 graduates, 93 are from Saudi Arabia (57 male/36 female). The following represents the number of graduates from each academic division:

• Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division— 63

• Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division— 76

• Physical Science and Engineering Division— 95

President Tony Chan welcomed the combined graduating classes of 2020 and 2021 with words of congratulations by saying “As President of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and on behalf of the entire KAUST family, I congratulate you, the class of 2021 and the class of 2020 present here today, for the singular honor of becoming KAUST graduates."

“You became scientists and engineers because you recognized that the real world is full of wonder and complexity; and you chose KAUST because you also understood that we focus here on the world’s hardest problems.”

Dr. Antonia Sugar delivered the student address. Sugar joined KAUST and the Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Center (ANPERC) in 2018, earning her Ph.D. in petroleum engineering within three years.

“This year’s commencement not only celebrates the hard work of my graduating class, but also the resilience and power we showed during this pandemic,” said Sugar. “We continued our mission in what brought us together: the passion for science and innovation. Working on unsolved problems with cutting-edge technology and exceptional mentorships made us push our limits every day. KAUST turned us into super humans!”

KAUST was honored to host our distinguished Commencement speaker: Kahlid A. Al-Falih, Saudi Minister of Investment. He offered words of encouragement to the graduates as well as words of wisdom.

President Chan offered closing remarks to the new graduates saying: “My sincere congratulations again to each of you, your mentors, your parents, your families and loved ones. We are all certainly very proud of you today, but in the future, we know that we will be prouder still.” — SG