NYUAD Institute
Education & Explainer
About
The NYUAD Institute is a center of advanced research, scholarly and creative activity, and public workshops. Institute programs facilitate discussion between academics, students, professionals, and leaders from the UAE and from around the world.
Episodes
- Life’s 24 Hour Clock
Part of "Luminaries of Science" series The talk describes how research using the fruit fly Drosophila revealed the make-up of the circadian clock. The first clock gene to be detected in any organism, named “period”, was physically isolated…
- Theater, Politics and Pedagogy in a Global Context
This conversation between Abhishek Majumdar and Ruben Polendo examines the making and teaching of theater in a global context. The talk centers around two of Majumdar's recently published books, “Theatre across borders” and “Collected Play…
- The Power of Us: How Shared Identities Shape Conflict and Cooperation
What does it mean to belong — and how does our sense of identity unite or divide us? Group cooperation is one of the most remarkable features of human nature, enabling people to build teams, communities, and nations. Yet the same psycholog…
- Apples at the Crossroads: Domestication, Genomics, and Climate Resilience
This event is related to 19 Washington Square North's Faculty Fellows Program. The apple tree (Malus domestica) is one of the world’s most iconic fruit crops, with profound cultural, economic, and ecological significance. Yet many question…
- Who Has The Right to the City?
Since the 2008-2009 financial crisis and the Occupy movements around the globe, artists have increasingly turned to new models of artistic production and community engagement, expanding their work beyond the walls of theaters and museums a…
- Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, Lost and Found
This presentation briefly recaps the emergence of the painting, the critical reception and ongoing controversy, and eventual purchase by Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. The history and condition, the restoration, the…
- When Cities Get Hotter: From New York to Abu Dhabi
Cities like New York often feel hotter than their surroundings, especially on summer nights. This is the “urban heat island” effect, caused by the replacement of natural land covers with heat-absorbing materials, reduced vegetation and eva…
- “Side Effects May Include…”: How We Can Make Medicine Better
All cutting-edge medical treatments come with side effects that can limit their benefit. In this talk, Prof. Ramadi explores how we can make medicine better—by moving beyond today’s one-size-fits-all approaches toward smarter, personalized…
- Stem Cells: From Basic Science to Clinical Advances
Stem cells hold promise for understanding human disease, screening for novel therapeutics, and regenerating damaged tissues. However, the mechanisms underlying how these cells form and are activated are still being uncovered, and the devel…
- Ibrahim Al Koni and the World of the Tuareg (Arabic)
This talk features a conversation with Ibrahim al-Koni, a prominent contemporary author in Arabic literature. Raised as a Tuareg in the Libyan desert, al-Koni's storytelling is informed by his educational background and extensive travels.…
- Will the UAE Be the Capital of Arab Pop Culture Over the Next Decade?
This talk discusses whether the UAE is on track to become the epicenter of Arab pop culture over the next decade or if its influence will remain tied to amplifying trends from elsewhere. While the country has established itself as a global…
- Cybersecurity & Ethics: Navigating Digital Dangers
Explore the intersection of cybersecurity, technology ethics, and disinformation with leading experts. This panel examines the human-centered aspects of cybertechnology, the global threats posed by state actors, and the ethical dilemmas at…
- A Short Journey Into Prehistoric Arabia
Explore the prehistoric landscapes of Arabia, tracing the movements of early humans who migrated from Africa over the past two million years. The talk examines how these groups adapted to diverse environments, from lush greenery to areas i…
- Decoding Hindustani Music: Art and Science
This talk explores the profound artistry and scientific intricacies of Indian art music, with a focus on the Hindustani repertoire. Dr. Kaustuv Kanti Ganguli delves into the psychoacoustic and emotional dimensions of ragas, illustrating ho…
- Climate Justice and the Constitution: Reflections from the Global South
The Climate Crisis has created novel challenges for public policy in the Global South. Developing nations need to discover ways of continuing to grow without undermining the goals of the Paris Agreement, transitioning to green energy at th…
- Creative Convergence: The Role of Artists in Expanding Scientific Inquiry and UAE’s Vision for Innovation
This panel explores how integrating art, science and engineering fosters innovation, broadens perspectives, and drives societal contributions. In the UAE’s cultural and scientific landscape, interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial to en…
- The Restless Universe: From the Big Bang to the Periodic Table
This talk explores the Universe’s journey from its homogeneous beginnings after the Big Bang to the formation of stars from primordial hydrogen and helium. Through nuclear fusion, stars produced light elements, and their dramatic deaths as…
- A Prophecy Continuous? Jewish and Muslim Views on Divine Revelation
This talk explores the concept of prophecy and prophethood from a multi-faith perspective. Prophets existed before the Bible, as seen in ancient texts describing the Mesopotamian nabū, muhhum, and assinnu. Biblical prophets came in many fo…
- Soviet Power and the Politics of the East
This talk examines Soviet power through a transregional and global lens, focusing on its cultural and political exchanges with the Middle East. Drawing from a recently published book, The Eastern International: Arabs, Central Asians, and J…
- Supporting Your Child’s Digital Play
This talk explores how parents can support their young children's digital play, learning, and curiosity in today's digital world. The speaker will discuss practical strategies for keeping children safe online while fostering meaningful eng…
- The Future of AI Ethics: A Cross-Disciplinary Discussion
This panel discussion will consider how ethical decisions will be influenced in the future by the many applications of Artificial Intelligence. An ethicist and philosopher, an engineer who will design intelligent robots, and a computer sci…
- Our Quest to Understand the Universe
This talk will take students on a journey through humanity's ongoing quest to uncover the fundamental laws that shape our universe. The speaker will reflect on the progress made so far and highlight the challenges that lie ahead. Students…
- Chaos, Black Holes, and Quantum Mechanics
This talk will explore the role of chaos in nature, highlighting how even well-understood rules can make predicting the future challenging—weather forecasting being a prime example. The speaker will discuss recent discoveries showing that…
- Legacy of Dedication: The Inaugural Dhikhr ذخر Award
Join us for the inaugural ذخر (Dhikhr) Award presentation, inspired by the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who said, "The book is the vessel of knowledge, civilization, culture, learning, literature, and the arts. Nat…
- The End of Global Population Growth: Boon or Doom?
This talk explores the potential consequences of the end of global population growth, examining various scenarios for a world with no growth. With global population growth likely to cease within the next 60 years, some view this shift as a…
- Environmental Toxins and Everyday Life
This talk explores the role of environmental toxins in shaping health and well-being, examining their presence in everyday life and their impact on fertility, birth weight, and children’s academic and developmental outcomes. The discussion…
- Can Justice Be Achieved in the Devastation of Modern Wars?
Have the great ambitions for the role of international criminal justice in the world been misplaced? Can international courts deliver meaningful justice for the victims of extreme crimes in conflict? This conversation will explore the chal…
- Cricket in Pakistan: Nation, Identity, and Politics
Ali Khan, author of Cricket in Pakistan: Nation, Identity, and Politics, examines the profound connection between cricket and Pakistan's socio-political landscape. The talk explores how the sport has shaped national identity, influenced po…
- Wisdom of the Swarm: Bugs, Bots and Beyond?
Super-organisms, such as insect societies, solve complex problems collectively without centralized planning, achieving outcomes on scales far larger than the individual. This talk examines how social insects regulate their environments by…
- AI for Social Good
This talk showcases several groundbreaking AI projects that Dr. Ruopeng An's team has developed to address pressing societal challenges. These projects include using AI to combat COVID-19 disinformation on social media, improving precision…
- Making Memories in The Brain
Our memories are not facts found on cards in a neural rolodex. They are recreations of reality. And, almost always, they are incredibly accurate and vivid. Yet our memories are vulnerable. They can be distorted, they can be manipulated, an…
- Lost in the U.A.E.
Join us for a presentation on Lost in the U.A.E., a photographic project by Professor Mark Jenkinson. Professor Jenkinson traveled over 10,000 kilometers across the country, capturing its diverse landscapes, architecture, and culture. His…
- Running Out of Time
This talk explores themes on creative and technical projects investigating time, memory, and cultural identity, using techniques from engineering, computing, and data science to get perspective on our cultural and civilizational moment. Pr…
- Structured Luck: Downstream Effects of the U.S. Diversity Visa Program
How do immigration policies from economically advantaged countries affect people in less advantaged countries and the immigrants who come in with these policies? "Structured Luck" takes us on a transnational journey to explore the societal…
- How Science Is Crafting Our Future Foods
Everyone eats. This simple fact makes food a fascinating topic of human creativity and scientific inquiry throughout the world. Culinary innovations are a source of new sensations and pleasures. Increasingly, however, necessity is driving…
- Resonating Worlds: Art, Science, and the Soundscapes of Discovery
By introducing artists to science and research institutions, sci-art collaborations are establishing new perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches, and artistic work is contributing to scientific inquiry. In this talk, musician and sou…
- De/Colonial Botany
Can we reimagine the complex relationships among nature, culture, and homeland through the lens of a decolonial botany? In this conversation, Robert Zhao Renhui and Tuấn Mami explore plants as contemporary symbols of resilience and adaptat…
- Resilient Futures: Innovating Water and Environmental Security
This talk will showcase how innovative solutions recognized by the Prize are successfully bridging economic growth, social equity, and environmental sustainability. The speakers will explore how AI and cutting-edge technology in environmen…
- Crafting Tomorrow: Riken Yamamoto’s Architectural Journey
In this talk, Riken Yamamoto, 2024 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate, will explore the transformative power of architecture in shaping communities. He will discuss key themes such as sustainability, intergenerational living, human-cente…
- Music From Space: Where Science Meets Art
This talk explores the intersection of science and art, transcending cultural barriers to bring people closer to the marvels of space. Dr. Leonardo Barilaro, a pianist and aerospace engineer known as 'The Space Pianist,' will showcase his…
- The Islamic Tradition of the Art-Mathematics Connection, Quantum Gravity
There is a strong tradition in Islamic culture to intertwine art and mathematics. This talk is about how this tradition has influenced the speaker's work on how physics reveals the structure of the universe, mathematics is the language for…
- Rethinking Antibiotics
The specter of widespread drug-resistant bacterial infections is a looming public health crisis and especially pronounced for so-called “Gram-negative” pathogens. In addition, all approved antibiotics also kill the “good” bacteria in our g…
- Structured Luck: How U.S. Immigration Policy Affects Immigrants
This talk explores the impact of immigration policies from economically advantaged countries on both the people in less advantaged nations, particularly in the Global South, and the immigrants who enter under these policies. The speaker wi…
- The Role of Science in the Islamic World
This talk examines the role of science in the Islamic world, tracing how modern science has roots in Islamic civilization. It explores whether we have lost key aspects of the scientific process that was established during this era. Beginni…
- Globalization and Multinational Investment in an Institutionally Risky World
Dean Salomon will introduce the principal risks that multinational corporations (MNCs) face in the global marketplace. He will discuss the critical institutional investment challenges that underpin globalization and the tools that multinat…
- Inside the Body’s Future: How Bio-NanoThings Will Change Disease Detection
Imagine a future where tiny devices inside your body can detect diseases and send the information directly to your doctor. This is the vision behind the Internet of Bio-NanoThings (IoBNT), which connects biological cells to the internet. I…
- Wisdom From the Ages: Ibn Khaldun and Lessons for a Poly-Crisis World
This talk explores the enduring relevance of medieval Arab philosopher Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), often regarded as the father of sociology and historiography. His magnum opus, the Muqaddimah (1377), written nearly 650 years ago, has signifi…
- Ibrahim Al Koni and the World of the Tuareg (English)
This talk features a conversation with Ibrahim al-Koni, a prominent contemporary author in Arabic literature. Raised as a Tuareg in the Libyan desert, al-Koni's storytelling is informed by his educational background and extensive travels.…
- Global Shifts: U.S. Elections and the Future of Power
As the U.S. elections draw near, this panel will examine how leadership changes could influence global power structures, with a particular focus on the Middle East. The discussion will explore what impacts leadership changes might have on…
- Experiencing Maqam: An Introduction to Arabic Music
This presentation explores the Arabic Maqam system of melodic modes, a pillar of traditional Arabic music, focusing on its distinctive structures and sounds. Using examples and guided listening exercises, the session offers a clear and eng…