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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


Genetic modeling and a career through Academia and Industry

Abstract:
I spent 19 years in academia generating genome sequence maps of major crops such as soybean, peanut, common bean and many others and their wild relatives. After generating insights into genome dynamics, including transposable elements, polyploidy, and DNA methylation, I moved to industry for the opportunity to integrate all the genome information we had generated into improving crops. Five years in industry were spent building a team of geneticists, modelers and mathematicians that could improve how breeding decisions are made and the time to produce a new variety by better use of genome information and to ultimately be more design driven making the next generation of crops. I have come full circle and am in the process of building a team at the University of Georgia to use advanced modeling (AI/ML) tools to improve agricultural productivity, ranging from plant/animal improvement to production systems. I will provide an overview of the career arc that led me to this topic and some thoughts on where we are going.

Bio:
Scott Jackson is the Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Synthetic Biology. His research focuses on the application of genomic tools to describe and understand the structure and function of plant genomes for crop improvement. He is a member of the Institute of Bioinformatics and an adjunct professor for the Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics.

Speakers

Professor Scott Jackson

​LIFE AT KAUST