This summer KAUST is hosting 43 top male and female 11th graders from schools throughout the Kingdom as part of its Saudi Research Science Institute (SRSI) program.  Over six weeks the Saudi high school students conduct university research on campus under the mentorship of KAUST faculty.

The participating candidates are chosen not only on their academic ability, but also on their leadership potential, and this year's selection was made by an international panel comprising members from the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University, as well as KAUST faculty.

The aim of SRSI is to inspire the 11th graders to pursue further education and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and inspires them to pursue further education and careers in these fields. SRSI is a gateway to future studies at KAUST, and is aimed at developing the next generation of scientists, researchers and leaders for Saudi Arabia.

With education for the benefit of society at the core of its mission, the KAUST Solar Center is once again hosting an SRSI student, Abdullah Al Ajmi, who will be conducting research in Prof. Frederic Laqaui’s Ultrafast Dynamics (UFD) group within the Center.

Abdullah has just completed the 11th grade at Alhussan school in Dammam. Abdullah is already highly interested in science, particulary physics, and would like to peruse a scientific career, possibly in the field of cosmology. Abdullah has already demonstrated his love of science by participating in the Saudi Junior Science Olympiad Team, qualifying for the International Junior Science Olympiad in Bali, Indonesia in 2016 where he won a bronze medal with his team.

For the last two years Abdullah’s been a member of the Saudi Physics Olympiad Team from which he hopes to go on and participate in the International Physics Olympiads.

Abdullah had previously had the opportunity to visit KAUST when attending Olympiad training camps so was keen to join the KAUST SRSI program to gain hands-on experience working in research.

KSC wishes Abdullah a challenging but enjoyable summer of discovery in Prof. Laquai’s laboratories where he will be working on a project entitled “Simulation of the Current-Voltage Characteristics of Photovoltaic Devices” in which he will study organic photovoltaic systems, evaluating JV-curves to try to understand the physics involved and to evaluate the efficiencies.