Faheem Al-Hamid

Saudi Gazette/Okaz

JEDDAH - The establishment of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in 2009 was a long-cherished dream of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. Realization of this dream to set up a House of Wisdom in the form of KAUST in Thuwal on the Red Sea coast was not an easy task. However, with determination and hard work, some eminent academic personalities accomplished what they had promised King Abdullah and made this world-class university a reality.



As an international graduate research university, KAUST is a beacon of modern knowledge and advanced technology which plays a pivotal role as a center of innovation and economic development.



In an exclusive interview with Saudi Gazette, Jean-Lou Chameau, who took over as President of KAUST in July 2013, says that members of the KAUST community are risk-takers and miracle makers.



Chameau, a French-born American citizen, stepped down as president of California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to take over the affairs of KAUST.



He says that the creation of KAUST was the realization of the strategic vision of King Abdullah to have a House of Wisdom in the Kingdom in order to serve the people of Saudi Arabia and the world by promoting economic development, social prosperity and advanced scientific research, especially in nanotechnology.



Excerpts from the interview:

What attracted you to a new university in Saudi Arabia, especially since you were the president at one of the top scientific institutions in the world?

I have had 35 years of experience working in major research universities in the United States, among them Georgia Tech in Atlanta and at Caltech in California, both leading world science and technology institutions. While I was President of Caltech, the university was twice named the number one university in the world in the Times Higher Education Global Ranking. My decision to come to Saudi Arabia was largely based on recognizing some of the traits of the best science and technology institutions with which I have been associated in KAUST.



KAUST is a worthy endeavor with a historic potential for Saudi Arabia and the world. And it is built on characteristics very close to my heart: commitment to excellence, curiosity, passion, and inspiring a new age of scientific discovery. King Abdullah’s vision is quite compelling – the creation of KAUST was his gift to the Kingdom and the world. It was his intention for KAUST to be a “model for advanced education and scientific research” and to “promote the economic development and social prosperity of the people of the Kingdom and the world.” His desire to establish KAUST as a “House of Wisdom” attracts faculty, students and personnel. It brought me here. I feel privileged to be a part of this great endeavor.



Although young, KAUST’s unparalleled resources and infrastructure provide the context for a new center of discovery and innovation; its collaborative and international culture will be the foundation of its success.

Now that you are KAUST President, how are you finding the university so far?



My first impressions have been that KAUST is a unique gem in this world. It’s a place where the impossible is attainable. We have an opportunity to contribute our best to advancing knowledge and discovery that is grounded in fundamental science but enhanced with an entrepreneurial spirit. We are a community of risk takers and miracle workers. Being involved with KAUST is a chance to celebrate a new academic institution and begin a journey together that hopefully inspires, challenges, and motivates us all to give our best in everything we do.



Also, KAUST is a truly international community. There are many organizations, many university campuses, that are international because they have students from all over the world. But here it is much more than that.  US universities are international, but the organization is driven by the US culture. At KAUST people come from Saudi Arabia, Europe, the US, Asia, Australia, and Africa–you name it, they come here with different customs and different approaches to a task or challenge, different ways of thinking.



It is a challenge to leverage the talent of these cultures, all the different ways of thinking and approaching research problems, but I think it is an exciting challenge and one that will result in “out of the box” thinking and innovations.



What have been your first impressions of Saudi Arabia?

While I am only at the very beginning stages of my orientation to Saudi Arabia, it is evident that the people of Saudi Arabia enjoy a very rich culture and heritage. I look forward to learning more. And I am pleasantly surprised by the advantages provided by living close to the Red Sea, like more temperate beautiful weather than I expected and delicious seafood.

In your opinion, what do you think it takes to be one of the leading universities in the world?



The best global research universities will think and act globally, but deliver both locally and globally. I’ve said elsewhere that the key element for success is a relentless commitment to excellence in education and research.

This implies encouraging and enabling highly talented people to address important questions with passion. At highly innovative universities, there is a synergy between the drive for discovery and the desire to address important societal problems.



Such characteristics may be inherent in the people you recruit. It is hard to say. Science and technology universities that impact the world the most do not try to predetermine the outcome of research. It does not mean that the research cannot be goal-oriented. However, the goal will be attained if you let people dream with focus and freedom. The leading institutions build a collaborative research environment supported by an agile operational structure that welcomes interaction with diverse stakeholders. Under these conditions, success breeds success and over time reinforces a leading institution’s culture.



Institutions such as Caltech and MIT are well-established and have a long history. Is KAUST on track to rank among those establishments?

Although I am new to KAUST, my early assessment is that, based on my experience at other similar universities like Georgia Tech and Caltech, the KAUST vision, infrastructure, research focus and culture are such that it is and will be a great asset for innovation and economic development to the Kingdom and the world. Among other aspects, it is an asset because of its enterprising faculty, students and graduates who dream new things and create value, and of its knowledge creation, management and transfer capabilities. Over time, it has the potential to be at the heart of an influential and impactful innovation network. If we educate students and engage them in an environment that stresses excellence, curiosity, invention, integrity and a passion for doing things that matter, we serve society well.



King Abdullah established KAUST to play a role in catalyzing Saudi Arabia into a knowledge-based economy. How is KAUST contributing to this vision?

KAUST contributes to this vision through its enterprising graduates who dream new things and create value. KAUST fosters a culture that supports transfer of knowledge and technology to society, and in particular, our graduates are well-suited for the in-Kingdom job market. In fact, many of them have gone on to begin successful careers with Dow, SABIC and Saudi Aramco.



How is KAUST collaborating with other universities and research centers within Saudi Arabia and globally?



Thanks to the vision of King Abdullah, KAUST was created with an international DNA and culture for collaboration. KAUST leverages the ever increasing globalization of knowledge. It has made it a strategy and policy from day one to encourage and support international partnerships. We expect our faculty to aim high in setting their research agenda and to actively partner with the best researchers at other universities.



Through several initiatives under the umbrella of Global Collaborative Research, we enable our faculty to draw upon the expertise of colleagues at universities across the world and invest in these partnerships. Ultimately, we believe it will advance our bold agenda locally and worldwide.



Locally, we have dedicated partnerships with Saudi Aramco, SABIC, KACST and Dow Chemical, among others. We also have collaborative research initiatives with the government, such as the Ministry of Agriculture. Presently we collaborate with over 30 industry partners, both within Saudi Arabia and around the globe.



Our academic and research partnerships span over 50 of global institutions and universities. An example of one of our collaborative research efforts is a multiple-institution research program, supported by KACST and led by KAUST, to develop a high efficiency smart white light semiconductor laser chip to further advance the solid-state lighting technology. It involves both in-Kingdom and out-of-Kingdom universities and corporations, such as UCSB (University of California, Santa Barbara, US), Effat University, KFUPM, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Aramco, SABIC and Advanced Electronics Company. In fact, we have a good network of established relationships with other Saudi universities. We have scientific research partnerships with them and many of KAUST’s students come from local Saudi universities.



How is KAUST attempting to ensure that academics are of the highest quality?



First of all, to have a leading academic institution, you need an outstanding faculty. KAUST has been recruiting the best. We look for faculty who are impressive researchers, original thinkers, risk takers and have the ability to lead others to excellence and creative thinking. Secondly, we look for students who have outstanding characteristics and qualities, who are not just bright but who have the passion to excel and create and are adventurous in their thinking. So far we have built a quality faculty and student body and will strive to continue to do so.