Grad Slam is NYU Abu Dhabi's 3-minute thesis competition for our graduate and postdoctoral community. Participants will be presenting their research in a short and engaging format, covering a variety of research topics highlighting ongoing NYUAD research. The final competition will be judged by members of university leadership, with prizes awarded for first and second place, as well as a People's Choice award determined by the audience.

 

Judges

Renee Dugan

Interim Director, Executive Education; Senior Advisor, Professional and Executive Programs

Matthew Karau

Director of the Engineering Design Studio

Martin Mbugua

Associate Vice Chancellor for External Relations

Zaid Khan 
PhD Candidate, Transportation Planning and Engineering
SLAM Bus: A Stop-Less Autonomous Modular Bus Service

Wael Abdrabou
Postdoctoral Associate in Biology
Malaria: an Old Foe Thriving on Steroids

Wegood Awad
PhD Candidate in Chemistry
Bioinspired Materials from the Australian Marri Nut

Rafat Mahmood
Postdoctoral Associate in Economics
Poverty and Terrorism

Issac Sarnoff
PhD Candidate in Physics
Blazar Boosted Dark Matter Detection

Marieh Handawi
Postdoctoral Associate in Chemistry 
Physicochemical Aspects of Survival Mechanisms of Desert Flora

Haneen Alsuradi 
Postdoctoral Associate in Electrical Engineering
The Language of Touch

Christopher Holder
Postdoctoral Associate in Computer Engineering
Where Am I? Teaching Robots To Build Mental Maps

Ayoub Glia 
Postdoctoral Associate in Mechanical Engineering
Cell Banking at a Paper Cut

Alam Saj
PhD Candidate in Physics
Improving PCR Testing

 

 

Eligible participants have to be currently enrolled in a NYUAD graduate program, a Dissertation Writing Fellowship, or are hired as a NYUAD Postdoctoral Associate

All talks must be no longer than three-minutes in length, and related to research or academic work currently conducted at NYU Abu Dhabi. Speakers may use up to three 16x9 slides to accompany their presentation. Our judges will be scoring our presentations in the following categories:

  • Clarity — Did the speaker provide adequate background knowledge to make the talk and the importance of the project understandable?

  • Organization — Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?

  • Delivery — Did the speaker use techniques such as eye contact, gestures, posture, movement, and vocal variety to enhance their message?

  • Visuals — Did the slides help emphasize the key messages of the talk? Were the slides well-designed, interesting, clear, and concise?

  • Audience Appropriateness — Was the topic and its significance communicated in language appropriate to an intelligent, but non-specific audience? Did the speaker avoid the use of jargon while explaining the necessary technical terms for the general population?

  • Significance — Did the speaker explain why the project matters? 

  • Engagement — How did the speaker spark your intellectual curiosity? Did you want to learn more about the topic?


Register

* Required Fields

Please check the "I'm not a robot" box below and wait until the green check-mark appears before you click the submit button.

Having difficulty with this form? Please let us know.

Join our events mailing lists

Always be the first to know about what's going on in our community. Sign up for one of our newsletters and receive information on a wide variety of events such as exhibition, lectures, films, art performances, discussions and conferences.

Join The Arts Center events mailing list Join The Institute events mailing list Join The Art Gallery events mailing list Join The StartAD events mailing list