Hundreds of graduate students present research at GSRC held at AUS

More than 350 graduate students from across the United Arab Emirates presented their research papers at the Fourth Graduate Students Research Conference (GSRC) held at American University of Sharjah (AUS) yesterday, April 21. Students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees in a wide range of topics gathered at the event to share their research and experience with colleagues and academics.

The opening ceremony was attended by Dr. Mohammed Al Mualla, Undersecretary for Higher Education Academic Affairs; along with Dr. Arif Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President of Khalifa University and Steering Committee Chair for the conference; Dr. Ghassan Aouad, keynote speaker and President of the Applied Science University, Bahrain; Professor Kevin Mitchell, Acting Provost and Chief Academic Officer; along with senior officials from AUS and other universities.

The conference is an exciting interdisciplinary annual academic event organized to share the research being conducted at universities across the UAE and their international partners. The main aim of the conference is to provide opportunities for graduate students to share their research work amongst themselves, receive scholarly feedback, and network professionally. The event also enables graduate students to showcase their innovative ideas and projects to various sectors of industry and government, and receive feedback on practical aspects that may enhance the value of their research. 

The conference also provides an excellent opportunity for prospective graduate students to learn about the various research opportunities available at the participating academic institutions.

Speaking about the conference, Dr. Mohamed El-Tarhuni, Vice Provost of Graduate Studies at AUS, Professor of Electrical Engineering, and the Conference General Chair, said:

“AUS is pleased to organize and host this event to provide graduate students in the UAE with a platform for sharing their master’s and doctoral research results and get feedback from their peers. We hope this conference will allow them to form professional networks to collaborate in producing innovative ideas and solution of relevance to the needs of the UAE and the region.

“It was great to witness such great participation in the conference, with about 350 papers being presented. This reflects the increased emphasis of universities on research and graduate studies, enabling the UAE to assume a leadership position in higher education in the region,” he added. 

The conference comes at a very exciting time for AUS, with the university well on its way to becoming a research-focused institution, as envisaged by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Sharjah and President of AUS. Graduate programs are a core component of any research institution and AUS’s presence and role at GSRC highlights the university’s impressive and substantial presence in the graduate studies domain.

Graduate studies and graduate students are an essential ingredient in transforming the UAE into a research hub that competes both regionally and globally. Conferences such as this one, therefore, provide an important platform for young researchers to showcase their work and network.  In addition to the outreach aspect of the event, the conference also allows promising young professionals to work on their oral and written communication skills.

The conference themes, covering a wide range of topics, were organized in five tracks: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Business and Management, Clinical, Pre-Clinical, Health, Life Sciences, and Engineering, Information Technology and Physical Sciences. The papers presented by the graduate students during the conference were reviewed by faculty members from different universities in the UAE before being accepted for presentation.