Visiting Undergraduate Research Program

Summer 2021 Available Positions

• 5G Security

  Research Center/ Lab:	Cyber Security and Privacy Lab
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Christina Pöpper
  Research Project Description:
  As part of a larger-scale, multi-year research project, the CSP (Cyber Security and Privacy) Lab is exploring cross-layer approaches for 5G security. The goal of this project is to profoundly understand the achieved security levels and security problems of current and emerging cellular network generations and to develop mechanisms to secure existing and emerging generations in view of powerful, large-scale attackers. If successful, billions of mobile network users can profit from our research investigations. The work performed during the project duration takes offensive and defensive approaches to investigate and improve the security of 5G networks on the following layers: (1) Protocol-layer security (with a focus on integrity protection), (2) Cross-layer (combined protocol-layer and physical-layer) security (with a focus on identity mapping, securing pre-authentication traffic, and detecting and preventing fake base stations), (3) Physical-layer security (with a focus on location-related security), and (4) Application-layer security for 5G use cases. The successful student will be assigned to one of those focus areas and collaborative with a researcher of the CSP-lab as well as the PI Christina Pöpper; exact details to be determined shortly before the start of the research visit.
  Timeline:
  Week 1: Find, read, systematize related academic work. Week 2: Understanding 5G specification documents Week 3-9: Work on selected aspects of the chosen focus, e.g., experimental work with a virtual 5G setup, NLP to machine code translation from specification documents, analysis of handover procedures, modeling and security analysis. Week 10: Report writing
  Responsibilities:
  Self-responsibility; structured work independence (Supervision and collaboration will be provided in conducting work.)
  Skills Needed:
  Strong programming skills (C, Python or alike), familiar with key security concepts, basic understanding of networking systems and tools
  Class Level:	Junior or senior
  Major:	Computer science, computer engineering
  Other Requirements:
• Ajnabi: An Existential Reckoning in South Asia

  Research Center/ Lab:	Literature and Creative Writing
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Toral Gajarawala
  Research Project Description:
  This project requires the translation of materials — fiction, drama, paratext, notes — from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Burma.
  Timeline:
  May 23–July 29 Hours per week: 15
  Responsibilities:
  Depending on the language skills available: translation of letters or a play or literary criticism; research on primary and secondary materials of certain authors that may not be available in Euroamerican databases and will require some persistence; cataloging of materials.
  Skills Needed:
  Native fluency in Bengali or Burmese or Hindi, or Urdu Detail-oriented, research in the humanities, and familiar with databases in the humanities a plus
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Humanities
• CITIES – Visiting Undergraduate Summer Researcher

  Research Center/ Lab:	Center For Interacting Urban Networks (CITIES)
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Federico Benardini
  Research Project Description:
  The Center for Interacting Urban Networks (CITIES) at NYUAD promotes excellence in urban science research that leads to real improvements in terms of economic opportunity and growth, safety and security, health and wellness, and the overall quality and sustainability of everyday life in urban areas. It is fundamental research that can ultimately be translated into pragmatic ideas for increasing the livability of our cities, with a special emphasis in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. The selected candidate will work in a unique interdisciplinary environment, where faculty from across the four NYUAD divisions (Engineering, Science, Social Sciences, and Arts and Humanities) synergistically work on cutting-edge urban science-related studies. The fine details of the research project will depend on the candidate-specific interests and should focus on the main research areas to which CITIES efforts are targeted, namely the interactions among three of the main layers that compose each city: (i) the physical layer, which includes physical infrastructure, instrumentation, and networks of devices; (ii) the digital layer, which includes data produced by human, devices, and sensors; and (iii) the social layer, which includes humans, their interactions, and the social networks that transpire. Applicants can apply for a broad range of urban science opportunities including, but not limited to, multimodal mobility systems, traffic flow dynamics, supply chain management, AI (development of AI based decision support tools), Urban Dynamics (use of social media data to develop methods for monitoring urban activity), Smart Urban Infrastructure (design of innovative building materials). If you have interest in any of these fields, please explain in your cover letter. The candidate may apply to work with any of the faculty currently affiliated with CITIES, namely Monica Menendez, Azza Abouzied, Saif Jabari, Kinga Makovi, Ali Diabat, Kemal Celik, Pablo Hernández-Lagos, Surabhi Sharma.  Tutoring by any faculty at NYUAD is possible, provided that the research project aligns with CITIES main research objectives.
  Timeline:
  The project could consist of two main phases: data acquisition and data modeling and analysis, possibly followed by writing the results in a scientific paper to be published or in a report.
  Responsibilities:
  Possible responsibilities may vary according to the specific interests of the candidate, the research project, the faculty supervisor within CITIES, and the research project that is ultimately selected. Responsibilities may include: analyzing data sets and running computer models, data acquisition, contributing to writing a scientific paper, produce a report at the end of the project.
  Skills Needed:
  Required skills may vary depending on the selected project and may include: computational skills; ability to work with others; excellent writing skills; mathematics, etc.
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Any
  Additional Information	The candidate may apply to work with any of the faculty currently affiliated with CITIES, namely Monica Menendez, Azza Abouzied, Saif Jabari, Kinga Makovi, Ali Diabat, Kemal Celik, Pablo Hernández-Lagos, and Surabhi Sharma.
• Climate Change over UAE as Assessed from CMIP6 Models

  Research Center/ Lab:	Center for Prototype Climate Modeling
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Ajaya Ravindran
  Research Project Description:
  The impact of Climate Change in semi-arid regions like the UAE will be assessed in this project. A set of regional model simulations were carried out. The student will analyze the outputs from the regional climate model simulations. In particular, the student will investigate how climate change would affect temperature extremes and heatwaves in this region, how these are connected with global climate patterns.
  Timeline:
  May 23 until the end of June The RA will conduct research on topics related to the project’s subject, working with Dr. Ajaya Ravindran (Senior Scientist, NYU Abu Dhabi) and other researchers as part of the Center for Prototype Climate Modeling.
  Responsibilities:
  Collect and analyze the data from atmospheric simulations; Review the existing literature on the impacts of climate change on extreme temperature on the Gulf Region; Assess the extent to which the new simulations confirm or differ from the previous studies; Work and communicate with professors and researchers; Write a research report. The project can be extended over the summer or fall depending on the progress.
  Skills Needed:
  Good programming skills, knowledge of scientific languages like PYTHON, Fortran, C, etc.
  Class Level:	Junior or sophomore
  Major:	Physical, mathematical, computational, or earth sciences
• Computational Bioprinting

  Research Center/ Lab:	The Vijay Lab
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Vijayavenkataraman Sanjairaj
  Research Project Description:
  Bioprinting is increasingly being considered as an ideal tool for engineered tissues and organs. Of all the bioprinting methods, extrusion bioprinting is most commonly used because of the ease of use and scalability. Nozzles play an important role in determining the printability of bioinks. Nozzle design becomes critical and should consider various aspects including the viscosity of the bioink, shear-thinning property, and shear stress induced during the printing process. This project will involve studying different nozzle diameters and its effect on the printability, taking into account the viscosity and rheological properties of the bioink.
  Timeline:
  Week 1: Literature review Week 2: Determine the most commonly used nozzle gauges; design, design using SolidWorks Week 3: Setting-up the parameters in a CFD software — Abaqus, COMSOL, ANSYS Week 4 and 5: Simulating the effect of nozzle size on the printability; wall shear stress at a particular bioink viscosity and rheological property Week 6 and 7: Simulating the effect of nozzle size on the printability; wall shear stress at a range of bioink viscosities and rheological properties Week 8: Report writing
  Responsibilities:
  Literature survey on the effect of nozzle size and design on the printability of bioinks. Learn and use SolidWorks and CFD software. Weekly updates during the lab meeting. Submit a report by the end of the project.
  Skills Needed:
  Knowledge of bioprinting, SolidWorks, and CFD basics preferred
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Mechanical, biomedical, chemical, and biomolecular engineering
• Computational Modeling of Gas and Liquid Separations

  Research Center/ Lab:	Kirmizialtin Lab
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Serdal Kirmizialtin
  Research Project Description:
  Gas and liquid separation is one of the biggest challenges in energy industry and environmental sciences. Our goal is to develop a program that allows predicting the transport properties of gas and liquid mixtures across membranes.
  Timeline:
  Learn the basics of Molecular dynamics simulation (2 weeks). Write codes to distribute MD simulation data to HPC clusters (week 2-6). Analyze the data using Machine Learning tools (weeks 4-6). Write technical reports (week 4-6)
  Responsibilities:
  Write codes to distribute and analyze MD simulation data. Develop, test algorithms to study diffusion kinetics. Analyze data. Write reports. Attend group meetings.
  Skills Needed:
  Basic level of programming preferably in python. Basic level of background in chemical engineering or chemistry.
  Class Level:	Junior or senior
  Major:	Chemistry, chemical engineering, petroleum engineering, computer science, physics
• Cross-national Database on Violence

  Research Center/ Lab:	Politics
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Kanchan Chandra
  Research Project Description:
  Coding assistance for cross-national dataset on violence.
  Timeline:
  35 hours per week for 8 weeks
  Responsibilities:
  Primary responsibilities include: Participating in mandatory training session(s) Completing assigned coding tasks on a weekly basis. Participating in weekly meetings (on Zoom)
  Skills Needed:
  Strong interest in doing original research on subjects related to Politics At least one course in the social sciences Strong time management skills, attention to detail, well organized Knowledge of Excel required.
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Any
  Other Requirements:	Applicants must submit a cover letter, CV, transcript, and the email addresses of two faculty references.
• Design of a Microfluidic Cell Trapping System

  Research Center/ Lab:	Micro- and Nanoscale Bioengineering Lab
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Rafael Song
  Research Project Description:
  We are currently working on a microfluidic chip that can be used to trap and culture stem cells to differentiate to brain organoids that can be used for high-throughput screening. For the platform layout, we apply the standard multi-well format to a miniaturized microfluidic chip to maximize throughput. The key element of the device is the PDMS membrane that has an array of 3D microwells where a single or multiple cell can be trapped and continuously perfused with nutrient in a shear flow, either directly from the upper channel or the lower channel through a porous membrane. The goal of the research project is to find the optimal geometry of the microwells for trapping of cells in flow using a computational simulation software, COMSOL. The targeted trapping efficiency is > 90 percent.
  Timeline:
  May 23–June 14: Skill development with SolidWorks and COMSOL June 15–June 30: Design of the cell trapping soft gripper July 1-July 15: Simulation of the cell trapping using COMSOL July 16-July 23: Optimization of the cell trapping system and documentation
  Responsibilities:
  Design of a microfluidic cell trapping system and its optimization using a computational software
  Skills Needed:
  3D CAD modeling
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Mechanical or chemical engineering
  Other Requirements:	SolidWorks skills
• Eyes@Home: Book-sharing Styles of Chinese Mothers and Grandmothers of Young Children

  Research Center/ Lab:	Teaching, Learning, and Development Lab
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Antje von Suchodoletz
  Research Project Description:
  Caregivers vary in their book-sharing styles and these styles relate to children’s language and literacy abilities, including vocabulary, narrative skills, phonological awareness, and emergent literacy concepts. Developmental niche theories posit that the conditions of daily life (e.g., opportunities for interaction), childcare customs (e.g., everyday routines), and the psychology of the caretaker (e.g., childrearing beliefs and goals) shape children’s experiences (Super & Harkness, 1986). Thus, the way that caregivers mediate the gap or distance between the book’s content and children’s current knowledge and skills depends on the sociocultural practices and socialization goals that are valued in their community, as well as family preferences and individual needs. What is less studied though is how caregivers from different generations, i.e., parents and grandparents, share books with young children. One way of studying the nature and quality of caregiver-child interactions during book activities is to focus on the caregiver’s metacognitive thoughts during such activities and how metacognition is reflected in their behaviors. One broad theme that permeates many if not most interaction formats is that of child-centeredness vs. adult-centeredness (Keller, 2007; Rogoff, 2003). Child-centered interactions are interactions that center around children’s interests and that follow the ideal of the child leading the interaction and the adult(s) being responsive to children’s initiatives. Adult-centered interactions put adults at the center while children are expected to adapt and follow. Since the 1980s, the emphasis has shifted in most cultures from adult-centered interactions to more child-centered interactions. It is, therefore, reasonable to assume that adult-centered interactions dominate interactions of the older generation, i.e., grandparents, whereas interactions of the younger generation, i.e., parents, should be more child-centered. However, in relational cultures, such as China, that emphasize proper demeanor and obedience as socialization goals it is possible that such a shift is less obvious. To test this question, we have observed Chinese mother-toddler- and grandmother-toddler interactions during a book-sharing activity. Following the activity, mothers and grandmothers were interviewed about their socialization goals and metacognitive thoughts relevant to book-sharing. Caregivers’ and toddlers’ behavior during book-sharing has already been coded; what is lacking thus far is the coding of the transcribed interviews that tapped into caregivers’ metacognition.
  Timeline:
  Week 1: introduction to the research project and the available data (recording of caregiver interviews following caregiver-toddler interaction during book activities from Mainland China [language spoken: Mandarin]; intensive training in (a) the coding manual and coding procedure for the analyses of interview data, and (b) using MAXQDA, the software used for coding (MAXQDA is a common software used for qualitative data coding in psychological research). Week 2-3: accomplish reliability in the coding of mother/grandmother interviews to ensure the quality of the data. Week 3-10: coding for use to identify child-centered versus adult-centered interactions. Week 6-10: prepare the data for analyses; get practice in basic (descriptive) analysis of the data; become involved in dissemination of findings (research brief for website)
  Responsibilities:
  Responsibilities include active involvement in all stages of the data processing, in particular: coding of interview transcripts following standardized procedures and manuals; prepare data for analyses; participate in basic descriptive analyses and visualization of findings.
  Skills Needed:
  Strong interpersonal and communication skills; The ability to handle tasks requiring high levels of attention to detail, to carry complex research tasks to completion, and to efficiently manage work in the time required.
  Class Level:	Sophomore or junior
  Major:	Psychology; social science; education; human development
  Other Requirements:	Basic knowledge in research methods in psychological/social science research would be beneficial but not required.
• Historical Data Storytelling

  Research Center/ Lab:	OpenGulf
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	David Wrisley
  Research Project Description:
  OpenGulf (opengulf.github.io), a transdisciplinary digital humanities research group working on historical materials about the Arabian Gulf region, is looking for a visiting student researcher. The data for this project include a searchable text version of Lorimer's Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia (600K words) and a dataset of annotated places found in the gazetteer (+/- 40K data points). The student researcher will use data analysis and visualization techniques to explore and create data stories about this material for publication on the project site.
  Timeline:
  Week 1: Meeting with project team and affiliated researchers to become acquainted with the datasets. Exploration of data and ideating with project lead about possible avenues for analysis. Week 2: Designing workflow for normalizing and enriching datasets Week 3: Data sub-setting and exploratory visualization Week 4: More visualization Week 5-8: Additional work
  Responsibilities:
  (1) Automate a data normalization process using Open Refine or the programming language of their choice. (2) Carry out data analysis based on those historical materials. (3) Create web-based visualization. (4) Documentation of the code and results. (5) Communicate regularly with team members. The exact techniques will be decided on in consultation with the project team, but will involve creating subsets of the larger data and matching them with visualization methods. It could also include descriptive/diagnostic analytics, document clustering and classification methods, topic modeling, spatial analysis, etc., according to student interest.
  Skills Needed:
  Experience with D3 (or other Javascript libraries) and data visualization are a must, as well as the ability to document one's work and to work both independently and in a team.
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Data science or computer science preferred
  Other Requirements:	Interest in history and the Arabian Gulf region are a plus. All work will be remote. Along with your application, please include links to projects on which you have worked and samples of your analysis/visuals.
• Humanities Research Fellowship for the Study of the Arab World

  Research Center/ Lab:	Humanities Research Fellowship for the Study of the Arab World
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Alexandra Sandu
  Research Project Description:
  The Humanities Research Fellowship for the Study of the Arab World is a program that aims to build a platform of outstanding research relevant for the study of the Arab World from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds.
  Timeline:
  May 23–July 29
  Responsibilities:
  Conduct research for various humanities research projects.
  Skills Needed:
  Collect and organize historical data.
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Humanities discipline
• Imaging Near-surface Flows in the Sun Using Machine Learning

  Research Center/ Lab:	Center for Space Science
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Katepalli R Sreenivasan
  Research Project Description:
  For the last twenty years we have been able to image the solar surface using both space- and ground-based observations. Using these observations, we can extract information on the near-surface flows using seismology. This process incurs a significant computational burden. Alshehhi et al. 2019 showed that simple machine learning techniques can significantly decrease this burden. Their work has only be applied to eight years of HMI (space-based) observations and needs to be extended for full 19 years of GONG (ground-based) data. In this project, the student(s) will be familiarized with the basics of helioseismology (the seismology of the Sun), use ground and space based observations and develop machine learning models to solve the problem.
  Timeline:
  May 23–June 6: The students will be introduced to helioseismology and machine learning techniques through literature, lessons and exercises. June 6–20: The students will prepare the data using python libraries. June 20–July 4: Students will perform experiments to optimize their machine learning models. July4–11: Students will conclude their work and prepare short presentations.
  Responsibilities:
  Access solar observations. Prepare observations for machine learning models. Train and optimize the model for future predictions. Compare predictions with true observations. Develop a pipeline such that the model can be used in the future by anyone. Present work in a short scientific presentation.
  Skills Needed:
  Experience with python, matlab, or computer science is required. Background in physics is helpful but not required.
  Class Level:	Junior
  Major:	Math, physics, computer science, geophysics, astrophysics
• Implementation of a Graphical User Interface to Visualize the Impacts of Sea-level Rise for Coastal Planning

  Research Center/ Lab:	Center for Global Sea Level Change
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	David Holland
  Research Project Description:
  Sea-level rise (SLR) is a major threat to natural and built environments around the world and understanding SLR-induced hazards is essential for coastal planning purposes. Our project, in collaboration with the Inception Institute of Artificial intelligence (IIAI), aims to identify the coastal response to SLR, to guide coastal resource management decisions regarding future SLR impacts and uncertainty against ecological targets and economic constraints. Projecting the impacts of rising seas is a complex and inherently uncertain problem but, in order to make sustainable management plans, decision-makers need to be presented with accurate and easy to utilize and visualize tools to allow them to assess sea-level rise scenarios and risks. We are developing a model, based on machine learning techniques, that evaluates the likelihood that an area will inundate (flood) or dynamically respond (adapt) to SLR. A graphical user interface will allow users to analyze and compare scenarios of sea-level change in order to make planning and protection decisions. In this project, we use the UAE coast as a study case, however, the ultimate goal will be to extrapolate to global coastlines.
  Timeline:
  Phase One — Work with CSLC researchers to develop the machine learning technique that will be used as a prediction tool in the graphical interface. Phase Two — Integrate the machine learning model with a user-friendly interface. Phase Three — Develop a test case to determine that model is working properly. Phase Four — Fix possible problems. Phase Five — Integrate the model with IIAI’s multi-platform, where users can implement their own data/region.
  Responsibilities:
  The student will meet regularly with CSLC researchers via Zoom in both one-to-one and group meetings. Under guidance from the team, they will develop the Machine Learning probabilistic model. They will integrate the model with a user-friendly graphical interface using Java and CSS techniques. Finally, they will be involved with testing and integrating with the IIAI platform. The student will produce a short report to summarize the work completed.
  Skills Needed:
  Proficiency in at least one of the following: Python, Matlab, R, CSS, Java (python/Matlab/R is a requirement — two of these would be an advantage). Some basic knowledge of Machine learning techniques or probabilistic networks would be an advantage.
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Computer science, mathematics, statistics
• Mars Research Group at the NYUAD Center for Space Science

  Research Center/ Lab:	Center for Space Science
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Dimitra Atri
  Research Project Description:
  We invite students to work in our research group. The group is interested in the atmosphere of Mars, its surface and subsurface chemistry, and exploring its present and past habitability. The main research areas are: 1. Mars atmosphere: Investigating how space weather impacts the Martian atmosphere. Using a combination of numerical modeling and data from space missions, the goal is to understand space weather-induced changes in atmospheric chemistry and escape rates. Data from the UAE’s Hope mission will be used to complement ongoing research with NASA’s MAVEN and Curiosity missions. AI-based techniques for data analysis are being developed from multiple missions to take advantage of large datasets and obtain a comprehensive picture of the planet. 2. Martian surface and subsurface: an experimental facility to simulate Martian conditions and study the chemistry of the planet based on data from Mars rovers is being established. The Martian subsurface environment will be simulated, the target of ESA/Roscosmos’s ExoMars 2022 mission. The goal is to investigate the present and past habitability of the planet. 3. Crewed missions to Mars: All major spacefaring nations, including the UAE (Mars 2117) are seriously thinking about crewed missions to the planet in future. The group is investigating the impact of radiation on astronaut health using a combination of numerical modeling and medical data. The group will also work toward developing sustainable exploration strategies for such missions. 4. Mars-analog environments: The goal is to gain insights into potential life on Mars by studying Mars-like environments on Earth by (1) exploring Mars-analog sites, and (2) studying the microbial response in Mars simulation chambers in the laboratory. The group will investigate the effect of multiple extreme conditions of salinity, temperature, desiccation and irradiation on microbial communities in the Arabian gulf.
  Timeline:
  Depending on the skill level and interest, students will be given a computational assignment, literature review, or asked to work on a research problem.
  Responsibilities:
  Assist the scientists of the research group in performing research by either of the following (1) data analysis, (2) simulations, (3) literature review, (4) write a research paper.
  Skills Needed:
  Our projects are interdisciplinary and students from various backgrounds can apply, which include physics, computer science, engineering, biology, chemistry, and political science (other disciplines are welcome too).
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Any
• The Monsoon Tradition

  Research Center/ Lab:	Social Science Division
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Melanie Meng Xue
  Research Project Description:
  The project examines the main characteristics of a monsoon tradition. Monsoon in East and South Asia is key to agricultural production. The timing of monsoon each year is closely related to whether there’ll be a harvest. How does monsoon affect culture? The project combines geographic and historical data to unpack the monsoon tradition.
  Timeline:
  This is part of a larger project exploring environment history in Asia. The student will be expected to analyze East/South Asian monsoon throughout May 23–July 29.
  Responsibilities:
  Analyzing geospatial data and interpreting results.
  Skills Needed:
  Good coding skills. ArcGIS is a must.
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Economics, engineering, or computer science
• Neurohaptics of Affective Touch

  Research Center/ Lab:	Applied Interactive Multimedia Lab
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Mohamad Eid
  Research Project Description:
  The project aims to study brain activities associated with emotional/interpersonal touch. The project involves developing emotional vibrotactile stimulation and use EEG to record relevant brain activities.
  Timeline:
  Designing and building an experimental setup. Developing emotional vibrotactile cues for the study. Conduct an experiment with human participants and collect data. Analyze EEG data and prepare a report about the results.
  Responsibilities:
  Designing and building an experimental setup. Developing emotional vibrotactile cues for the study. Conduct an experiment with human participants and collect data. Analyze EEG data and prepare a report about the results.
  Skills Needed:
  Basic knowledge of machine learning, C++ programming, basic hardware skills (Arduino, actuators, etc.)
  Class Level:	Junior or senior
  Major:	Engineering, computer science, neuroscience
• Prototyping a Historical Environmental Atlas of the Gulf Region

  Research Center/ Lab:	OpenGulf
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	David Wrisley
  Research Project Description:
  OpenGulf (opengulf.github.io), a transdisciplinary digital humanities research group working on historical materials about the Arabian Gulf region, is looking for a visiting student researcher. The data for this project include a searchable text version of Lorimer's Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia and a large dataset of annotated places found in it. The student researcher will extract entities and quantities from this historical corpus (animals, plants, temperature ranges, objects, water terminology, construction materials, rainfall amounts) to build a geocoded dataset and to prototype a web-based environment atlas of the early 20th century Arabian Gulf.
  Timeline:
  Week 1: Initial review of the data. Identification of entities for extraction. Week 2: Environmental scan of open multi-layered mapping projects and matching with researcher's skill set. Extraction of entities and quantities and building a structured dataset. Week 3: Extraction of entities and quantities and building a structured dataset. Joining this dataset with our dataset of annotated places. Verification of geocoding. Week 4: Verification of geocoding. Publishing the data. Exploratory visualization. Weeks 5-8: Exploratory visualization. Building and publishing interactive map prototypes.
  Responsibilities:
  Creating dataset Verification of data Documenting work Communicating with project team Designing and implementing the web maps Publishing the finalized data View a sample workflow for extraction and structuring of the data and a sample workflow for creating a multi-layered web map.
  Skills Needed:
  Experience with GIS/web mapping and data cleaning, preparation and verification are a must, as well as the ability to document one's work, to work both independently and in a team. Some knowledge of Arabic or Wikidata and interest in the Arabian Gulf region and climate/environmental history are a plus, but not required.
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Data science, humanities, history, interactive media arts, Middle Eastern studies, global liberal studies
  Other Requirements:	All work will be remote and the student will receive training and guidance on necessary platforms. Along with your application, please include links to data-centered projects that you have worked on and to any digital maps that you may have created, specifying which tasks in the project you did specifically. Feel free to comment on the proposed workflows linked to above.
• Smart Materials for Electronics and Robotics Applications

  Research Center/ Lab:	Smart Materials Lab
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Pance Naumov
  Research Project Description:
  Smart dynamic materials constitute an emerging class of materials that are capable of controllable response to external stimuli such as mechanical pressure, light or heat. By tactful modification of the assembling components and molecular manipulation techniques, we are able to achieve the soft actuators with multiple responses so as to realize multidirectional control over the motility. Such soft actuators are useful for controlling energy conversion from light or heat to mechanical work that could be further conveniently transferred to electricity or motion. In this project, the student will work closely with the members of the Smart Materials Lab (Naumov Research Group) to prepare, analyze and assess the performance of new smart molecular materials.
  Timeline:
  The student will be trained in all aspects of laboratory safety practices. He/she will become a part of a dedicated team of researchers that work in the rapidly growing field of material science.
  Responsibilities:
  Successful applicants will have to quickly understand various concepts and functions of soft actuators through widely reading relevant references. They will be working closely with their supervisor to learn how to synthesize organic materials, how to assemble them into a soft actuator, and how to carry out measurements and analyze obtained data. In the meantime, successful applicants should be always able to strictly abide by security rules in the lab.
  Skills Needed:
  Basic chemistry-theoretical knowledge, Sample experimental operation, and excellent writing ability in English.
  Class Level:	Sophomore or above
  Major:	Chemistry, physics, mechanical engineering
• Transcriptome Landscape of Dendritic Cells in 3D

  Research Center/ Lab:	Laboratory for Immuno Bioengineering Research and Applications
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Jeremy Teo
  Research Project Description:
  Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen presenting cells that play a crucial role in foreign body presentation to the adaptive immune system. We have experimentally demonstrated that DC potency is affected by external biophysical influence, namely dimensionality and topography (Sapudom et al., Biomaterial Science, 2020, DOI: 10.1039/D0BM01141J). We are now interested to determine the key influencers of these observed differences using RNA-sequencing. We have repeated the experiments and through sequencing, have collected a wealth of data that can be mined, potentially to reveal key proteins that further the research of immune mechanobiology.
  Timeline:
  Week 1: Introduction to the project (background reading), RNA-seq, and tools to analyze sequencing data. Week 2: Background reading and learning how to converge upon a research question. Narrow down three research questions of interest to the lab. Week 3: Practical on analyzing RNA-seq data using relevant datasets already available.  Week 3–7: Using analyzed data to answer chosen research question pertaining to immune mechanobiology. Week 8: Presentation of project.
  Responsibilities:
  Setup remote meetings with supervisor and researchers involved in project. Be able to use computer language of choice and keep up to date with latest relevant research. Document thoroughly — approach and methods, results and progress. Formulate a final presentation.
  Skills Needed:
  Candidates should be comfortable in learning new computer-based methods. Candidates must be comfortable in the time difference (if any) between supervisor and research team. Candidates must be well-disciplined to report progress in a timely fashion.
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Biology, bioengineering, engineers who are biologically inclined
  Other Requirements:	Background in analyzing seq data will be an added advantage.
• TrustChip Start-up Company Market Analysis Assistance

  Research Center/ Lab:	Center for Cyber Security
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Ozgur Sinanoglu
  Research Project Description:
  To assist with the research mentioned and complete the responsibilities listed below:. Analyze Electronic Design Automation Market and Semiconductor – Circuit Manufacturing Market in the US with focus on Logic Synthesis tools. Provide a professional report with the findings. Communicating and reporting professionally to other team members. Join the Center for Cyber Security-AD team to carry out a professional industry and market analysis on Electronic Design Automation Market. The findings of this research will be assisting on the establishment of a start-up company. The company is going to sell the license of a software platform, aiming to enable fabless design companies to implement Logic Locking techniques at the design phase of an Integrated Circuit. This is a unique ground-floor opportunity for self-motivated individuals.
  Timeline:
  To be determined
  Responsibilities:
  Analyze Electronic Design Automation Market and Semiconductor — Circuit Manufacturing Market in the US with focus on Logic Synthesis tools. Provide a professional report with the findings. Communicating and reporting professionally to other team members.
  Skills Needed:
  Accuracy Strong attention to detail and a strong analytical mind Ability to notice patterns within statistics An interest in psychology and behavior Good organizational skills Excellent communication skills (spoken and written) Confident presentation skills Commercial awareness A methodical approach to work Familiarity or training in statistics
  Class Level:	Junior or senior
  Major:	Business or economics
• UAE Healthy Future Study

  Research Center/ Lab:	Public Health Research Center
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Raghib Ali
  Research Project Description:
  The UAE Healthy Future Study — a collaborative prospective observational cohort study among UAE nationals. It has long been known that the UAE has some of the highest rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease in the world but the reasons for this are unclear. Until now there have been no studies done in the UAE or the region which can give us reliable answers as to why these diseases are so common. Now, for the first time, investigators from the leading universities and hospitals in the UAE have come together to find out why by setting up the UAE Healthy Future Study. The UAE Healthy Future Study seeks to determine how the health of 20,000 UAE national men and women, currently aged 18 to 40 is affected by their lifestyle, environment and genes, specifically looking at risk factors for obesity, diabetes and heart disease. This study will help us to find out: Why are obesity, diabetes and heart disease so common in the UAE? What is the relative importance of our genes, lifestyle (including diet, physical activity and tobacco use) and the environment in causing these diseases? What can be done to prevent these diseases in the future? To answer these questions reliably, long-term studies are needed which follow thousands of people over many years to see how their lifestyle and environment affects the risk of developing these diseases — these are called cohort studies. Previous cohort studies showed that smoking causes lung cancer; high blood pressure and cholesterol cause heart attacks and strokes, etc. The study is being led by investigators from NYUAD working in collaboration with the leading universities and hospitals in the UAE including UAE University, Zayed Military Hospital SEHA (Abu Dhabi Blood Bank), Zayed University, Khalifa University, Healthpoint Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and Higher Colleges of Technology. This level of collaboration is unprecedented in the UAE and is helping to build capacity for population health research throughout the UAE and is one of the major accomplishments of the PHRC. The results of this study will provide a key evidence base for implementing the most effective health interventions and policies. It will be a national resource for the UAE, enabling researchers and policy makers to help build a healthier society for generations to come.
  Timeline:
  May 23–July 29
  Responsibilities:
  To assist in the epidemiological analysis and interpretation of data from the UAEHFS, including literature reviews and statistical analysis.
  Skills Needed:
  Nothing specific other than enthusiasm and willingness to work hard.
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Any
  Other Requirements:
• Understanding How Fish Might Cope with Climate Change: Computer-based Image Analysis of Heart and Gills

  Research Center/ Lab:	Marine Biology Lab
  Faculty Supervisor's Name:	Grace Vaughan
  Research Project Description:
  Reef fish within the Arabian Gulf survive the hottest sea temperatures on earth each and every summer, far exceeding the thermotolerance of reef fish species on all other coral reefs around the world. The mechanisms underpinning their survival have have not yet been studied, despite their economic importance within the regional fisheries sector, and their ecological importance on coral reefs. This project follows on from eco-physiological lab experiments that tested metabolic rates of several reef fish species from Arabian Gulf, and neighboring Gulf of Oman across five temperatures in order to assess their performance. The final piece of the puzzle is to assess whether changes we saw in lab experiments can be explained by remodeling of the heart and or gills of these fishes. Remodeling has previously been documented in gills and hearts of temperate water species, but not yet in tropical reef species, making this study novel within the marine biology field. Data will be collected by analyzing histology images of the organs in order to explore and identify plastic responses present.
  Timeline:
  This forms part of a larger multi-disciplinary project which is ongoing. The student will be expected to complete several sets of images including quality control within the full period May 23–July 29.
  Responsibilities:
  Working as part of a small team to ensure consistency of image analysis. Data collection, quality control, and data storage. Initial data exploration of the results and possible statistical analysis.
  Skills Needed:
  Good IT and computer skills, well organized. Can use their own initiative but will ask for help when needed.
  Class Level:	Any
  Major:	Biology