Looking to be part of the technology of the future? Abu Dhabi may be the place for you. The emirate is trying to establish itself as a major educational and research center for the 21st century through two initiatives: the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and the Masdar Research Network.
The institute is being established with the help of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and plans to open its doors to students in September 2009. It will offer MS and PhD programs in engineering systems and management, information technology, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, and water and environment.
The Masdar Research Network, for its part, is collaborating with six leading institutions around the world to research and develop commercial operations in photovoltaics (crystalline, thin-film and low-cost polysilicon); water management (desalination, membrane technologies); solar thermal; and carbon management (carbon capture and storage), according to the Masdar Initiative.
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| The network is a collaboration
of universities around the world.
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Network collaborators include Columbia University, Imperial College London, RWTH (Aachen, Germany), University of Waterloo, Ontario, Tokyo Institute of Technology and the German Aerospace Center. All bring advanced technologies and strong ties to industry, allowing the network to develop, validate and finance a broad spectrum of research projects. Projects are jointly financed by Masdar and industrial partners selected by the host institution, with the parties sharing resulting intellectual-property rights.
Scientists and postdoctoral researchers are actively being recruited from the UAE and the region to work alongside established international researchers on current and future projects.
-- Bruce Rayner
