CURRENT STUDENTS

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CURRENT STUDENTS FAQs


How do I know who my advisor is? Can I change my advisor?

​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).

​During your final M.S. semester at KAUST, you will be eligible to submit a “rollover” application.  You will be contacted by the Admissions Office for this.  You must have a confirmed supervisor in order for the application to be approved.

​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.

​Mandatory, core and elective courses are listed in the program guide. The program guides for all BESE programs can be found here 
​“Time Extension to Complete M.S. Thesis” application request can be submitted by the 9th week of your final Fall semester.  See application for required approvals here .
​No.  Only once during your time here at KAUST.  If “WE Courses” appears on your KAUST transcript, that means you have met this requirement.​
​Yes, both M.S. and Ph.D. in all BESE programs must register, attend, and receive an S grade for the graduate seminar each semester (Spring and Fall, NOT summer).

​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


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Building next generation label-free biosensing platforms to probe complex biological systems

Abstract:
Single molecule sensing platforms utilizing label-free optical methodologies represent a powerful approach to identifying and mapping biopolymers and protein dynamics. I survey current gaps in the field and highlights my contributions to the development of single molecule sensors through three short stories. First, I present efforts in developing and improving scalable and accessible fabrication protocols for single molecule sensors. Specifically, I demonstrate a reactive etching technique for scalable production of nanopores down to 15 nm on various substrates, including silicon nitride and graphene membranes. Second, I explore how these nanopore sensors can be employed alongside the CRISPR-dCas9 protein for DNA typing and sensing experiments. We achieve facile identification of targeted sequences and demonstrate a nanopore-based CRISPR-dCas9 biosensing approach for DNA-typing diagnostics. Third, I demonstrate a new type of single molecule platform: 2D slits which are capable of probing DNA confinement down to an ultimate resolution of 0.3 nm. Remarkably, we show that the DNA topology in bulk solution is captured and ‘frozen’ as the DNA translocates through the slit. This new class of 2D-nanoslit devices will provide unique ways to study polymer physics and enable lab-on-a-chip biotechnology.
Building on these experiences, enabled by recent funding, I show ongoing and future ambitions to develop new strategies to explore complex biological system such as biomolecular condensates, which are fundamental to healthy cell functioning and implicated in the pathology of several neurodegenerative diseases.

Bio:
Dr Wayne Yang obtained a BSc and MSc in Physics from McGill University, Canada (2015). He completed his PhD in the lab of Prof Cees Dekker at the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience in TU Delft (2021). Subsequently he joined the lab of Prof Aleksandra Radenovic at EPFL, Switzerland for Postdoc. He is currently a SNSF Ambizione group leader (non-tenure track) where his group explores new single molecule methods to probe biomolecular condensate. He is the author of over 15 papers and his research spans many interdisciplinary topics ranging from single molecule sensors, 2D materials and biomolecular condensates.

Speakers

Dr. Wayne Yang

​LIFE AT KAUST