CURRENT STUDENTS
STUDENT RESOURCES
CURRENT STUDENTS FAQs
For M.S. students, your advisor when you are admitted to KAUST is the Program Chair. For Ph.D. students, your advisor is your PI (supervisor) whose lab you have been accepted in to.
Yes, you can change your advisor. M.S. students are advised to do so if/when they begin their thesis or directed research. Ph.D. students do have the ability to change advisors, but the overall impact to the Ph.D. project, as well as the time left to finish the Ph.D., could be significant. This will have to be taken into account before approval.
M.S. students need 36 credits (combination of courses and research is specific to your program).
Ph.D. students need 6 credits of 300-level coursework and will earn dissertation research credit each semester until they defend (no minimum credits established, although there is a minimum residency requirement of 2.5 years).
M.S. students get all university holidays (Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha, Spring break).
Ph.D. students get university holidays and three weeks of annual/vacation leave per calendar year to be taken in agreement with your PI.
Yes. Drop and Add deadlines are on the academic calendar.
Your GPC can help you request these from the Registrar’s Office, or you can contact them directly at RegistrarHelpDesk@KAUST.EDU.SA
Latest Events
Abstract:
The increasing demand for drinking water has prompted the development of efficient seawater desalination processes, notably reverse osmosis (RO). Antiscalants are suggested as a cost–effective solution to control membrane scaling in RO, despite the potential drawbacks related to bacterial growth due to antiscalants. This study explored the microbial growth potential of 16 commonly used antiscalants in desalination plants. The antiscalants were tested with Red Sea water containing native microbial communities. We employed various analytical methods to characterize the antiscalants chemically and found a correlation between their chemical composition, and biofouling. This approach was then implemented in a large–scale desalination plant, to identify the antiscalant with the lowest bacterial growth potential among five commercial options. Our results revealed that phosphonates–based antiscalants displayed variability in their impact on bacterial growth potential, Diethylentriamine–pentamethylene phosphonic acid (DTPMP) consistently inhibited bacterial growth. However, Hexamethylenediaminetetra (methylene phosphonic) (HDTMP), and Polyamino Polyether Methylene Phosphonic Acid (PAPEMP) consistently promote bacterial growth. Further analysis of HDTMP and PAPEMP revealed a significative peak on the 31P NMR spectra, associated with the presence of phosphates. The measured phosphate concentration was 418 μgPO43–/L for HDTMP and 1038 μgPO43–/L for PAPEMP. This study contributes to a growing database of antiscalants, enabling their appropriate selection.
Bio:
Maria Camila Albarracin Ruiz, originally from Colombia, obtained her Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad Industrial de Santander. Currently, she is pursuing her Master's in Environmental Science and Engineering at KAUST under the supervision of Professor Johannes Vrouwenvelder.
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