KAUST BESE

Eid Mubarak from all of us at the BESE Division 🌙 Wishing you a peaceful and joyful Eid celebration.

🪸 We’re still discovering how little we know about coral reefs. A KAUST study shows that what was thought to be a single coral species (organ pipe coral) is actually at least 15 distinct genetic lineages across the Indo-Pacific. Two of these exist only in the Red Sea. It’s a quiet but important reminder: reef biodiversity is far more complex than it looks, even for species we’ve known for a long time. Understanding that hidden diversity matters—because conservation only works well when we know what we’re actually trying to protect. 🔗 kaust.edu.sa/en/news/hidden… #CoralReefs #KAUST #MarineScience #Biodiversity #OceanScience #Conservation @BenzoniFran

🐢 Today is #WorldTurtleDay Sea turtles are vital to healthy marine ecosystems, yet many species face growing threats from habitat loss, pollution, and climate change. Protecting marine biodiversity starts with science, conservation, and collective action. #SeaTurtles #OceanConservation #MarineScience #KAUST #BESE

🌱 Biodiversity is the foundation of life. This International Day for Biological Diversity, we recognize the importance of protecting the ecosystems and species that keep our planet healthy, resilient, and thriving. From scientific discovery to sustainable innovation, advancing knowledge today helps preserve life for generations to come. #BiodiversityDay #BiologicalDiversity #Sustainability #Science #Research #Environment

Coral reefs are changing faster than they can adapt. A new study co-authored by KAUST researchers highlights the urgent need to go beyond traditional conservation. Alongside cutting emissions, we’ll likely need tools like assisted evolution, selective breeding, and microbiome-based approaches to help reefs cope with warming oceans. The bigger challenge is speed - moving promising science from the lab into real reef restoration, much faster than we do today. KAUST researchers also point to the Red Sea as a key natural system for understanding and strengthening coral resilience. Read more: bese.kaust.edu.sa/news/detail/20… #KAUST #CoralReefs #ClimateChange #OceanScience #Sustainability @carlosduartephd @peixotors @DavidJSuggett Photo credit: Tane Sinclair-Taylor

We’re moving from machines that simply see to machines that begin to understand. At KAUST, researchers from our Division are developing an intelligent vision chip inspired by the human retina—bringing sensing, processing, and memory closer together in hardware that mirrors aspects of biological intelligence. This shift points toward a future where computation happens at the edge of perception, enabling faster, more efficient, and more adaptive AI systems in the real world. Read more: discovery.kaust.edu.sa/en/article/269… #KAUST #AI #MachineLearning #ComputerVision #EdgeAI #Neurotechnology #Semiconductors #Innovation @InalSahika

Congratulations to BESE faculty member Professor Salim Al-Babili on receiving the prestigious Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation. This recognition highlights impactful research advancing crop resilience, sustainable agriculture, and food security in arid environments — areas that are increasingly critical for the region and the world. Read more: kaust.news/vkN9 #BESE #KAUST #FoodSecurity #Agriculture #Sustainability

Proud to see groundbreaking research from our division advancing the future of precision medicine. Congratulations to Niveen Khashab, Raik Grünberg, and Stefan Arold on this world-first achievement in nanoscale drug delivery and bioengineering. #KAUST #Nanotechnology #Bioengineering #HealthTech @raikgruenberg

Congratulations to Professor Sahika Inal @InalSahika on being awarded the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Professorship — a recognition of her pioneering contributions to bioelectronic materials and next-generation health technologies. Her work is advancing intelligent, biocompatible systems capable of sensing biological signals, interpreting them, and responding in real time — opening new possibilities for continuous health monitoring, smart diagnostics, and future therapeutic applications. We are proud to see research from our division contributing to the future of bioelectronics and translational healthcare innovation. #KAUST #Bioelectronics #Innovation #HealthTech

Exciting news from our BESE community. The BioHtoO team, led by KAUST Research Scientist Maria Di Vincenzo, has been selected as a semifinalist in the @XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition — one of only 17 teams worldwide and currently one of only two teams representing Saudi Arabia. The multidisciplinary team brings together expertise from KAUST, Imperial College London, and Politecnico di Torino @PoliTOnews, including Prof. Suzana Nunes, Prof. Alberto Tiraferri, and Dr. Xiang Li. The project is conducted in collaboration with BIOHTOO Ltd., BIOHTOO (Beijing) Nanotechnology Co., Ltd., the Specialty Polymers Research Center (Y-Lab), and the Green Separation Technology Lab. The team is developing next-generation bioinspired desalination membranes designed to make seawater desalination more energy efficient, sustainable and cost-effective. A key milestone of the project has been the successful upscale of the technology toward scalable membrane manufacturing and spiral-wound module production for testing under realistic desalination conditions. This wonderful recognition highlights the impactful research happening across our division and its potential to help address global water challenges. Congratulations to everyone involved. #KAUST #BESE #XPRIZEWaterScarcity #Desalination #MembraneTechnology #WaterInnovation #Sustainability #CleanWater #Nanotechnology #DeepTech #ClimateTech #Innovation biohtoo.com

KAUST researchers have uncovered how plants protect photosynthesis during extreme heat, a discovery that could inform the development of more heat-resilient crops as global temperatures rise. Learn more: kaust.news/vWL5

Always great to see the amazing work coming from our division being highlighted. This research is a wonderful example of the exciting discoveries happening within our community and the impact our scientists are making in the field of cell biology. Congratulations to everyone involved — proud to see this work getting the recognition it deserves. #KAUST #BESE #Research #CellBiology @Mo_Li_KAUST

Today is International Day of Plant Health 🌱 2026 theme: “Plant biosecurity for food security” Plants = 80% of our food, yet up to 40% of crops are lost to pests & diseases each year. Protecting plant health protects food systems, ecosystems & livelihoods. #PlantHealth🌱 #FoodSecurity #IDPH2026 #CPM20

Great to see Saudi Environment Week highlighting the importance of sustainability, restoration, and environmental research across the Kingdom. Proud to see Professor Fernando T. Maestre @Maestrelab featured in the conversation, sharing insights on dryland ecology and land restoration — research that is especially important for the future of arid environments and sustainable development. Read the article here: arabnews.com/node/2642301/s…

Proud to have Professor Mark Tester @MARKTES31730462 in our division. His work on sustainable agriculture and food security continues to make a real impact, especially in regions facing water and climate challenges. Great to see his insights featured in Arab News. #Sustainability #FoodSecurity #Innovation #KAUST #Research Source: arabnews.com/node/2642866/b…

Microbes may be tiny, but their potential is enormous. Researchers at KAUST are using advanced molecular and metagenomic tools to better understand microbial diversity and uncover new possibilities in biotechnology, sustainability, and environmental science. By identifying previously unknown organisms, genes, and functions, these approaches are expanding what we know about life at the microscopic level — and how it can be applied to real-world challenges. 🔬 Read more: discovery.kaust.edu.sa/en/article/269… #KAUST #MicrobialDiversity #Metagenomics #Biotech #Science @Rosado_AS @Jimenez_ADJ

Celebrating 100 years of David Attenborough — a voice that has shaped how the world understands life on Earth. Through groundbreaking series with the BBC such as Life on Earth, The Blue Planet, and Planet Earth, he brought the complexity and beauty of ecosystems into homes across the globe—helping turn public awareness into scientific curiosity and conservation action. Beyond storytelling, his work has supported biological research by spotlighting biodiversity, documenting species and habitats at unprecedented scale, and inspiring generations of scientists to study and protect our planet. At 100, his message remains clear: understanding nature is the first step to preserving it. #DavidAttenborough #Biodiversity #Conservation #Science

How does a human embryo organize itself in its earliest days? KAUST researchers built a simplified model using a single molecule — and uncovered how cellular pumps drive structure formation. From molecules → mechanics → life. 🔗 discovery.kaust.edu.sa/en/article/268… #Biology #StemCells #ReproductiveHealth #KAUST @Mo_Li_KAUST

Biology has a data problem — not a shortage, but fragmentation. A new “super transformer” concept from KAUST aims to unify genomics, imaging & cellular data into one AI model. From silos → systems thinking. 🔗 discovery.kaust.edu.sa/en/article/268… #AI #BioTech #Bioinformatics @JesperTegner