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Faculty Labs and Projects

Leading researchers from NYU Abu Dhabi's four academic divisions and at the NYU Abu Dhabi Research Institute have propelled the University to the forefront of 21st century research in the UAE and Middle East region.

NYUAD has more than 80 faculty labs and projects, and designated Research Institute Centers — many are multidisciplinary in line with NYUAD's vision to be one of the world's great research universities that addresses complex challenges of global significance.

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  • AMBER Lab

    The mission of Advanced Materials and Building Efficiency Research Laboratory (AMBER Lab) is to tackle pressing societal issues through fundamental and practical research in innovative and new construction materials. Our research interests encompass a wide range from materials characterization, mechanical and durability assessment to building applications and development of sustainable urban infrastructure.

    Keywords: Sustainable Urban Infrastructure, Green Materials, Energy Efficiency, Construction Materials

  • Advanced Microfluidics and Microdevices Laboratory

    AMMLab is currently working with diverse facets of miniaturization and integration in biology, life sciences, and medicine, which includes the conception, engineering, and utilization of novel micro and nanotechnologies to manipulate, stimulate and study biological entities.

    Keywords: Bioengineering, Microtechnology, Microfluidics, MEMS, Biosensors

  • Akkasah: Center for Photography

    Akkasah explores the histories and contemporary practices of photography in the Arab world from comparative perspectives: it fosters the scholarly study of these histories and practices in dialogue with other photographic cultures and traditions from around the world.

    Keywords: Photography, Middle East, Arab, UAE, Vernacular

  • Applied Computational Engineering Lab

    The Applied Computational Engineering (ACE) Lab focuses on the analysis, development and modeling of advanced materials and structures for a wide range of engineering applications, through the combination of experimental, numerical and machine learning techniques.

    Keywords: Metamaterials, Composites, Additive Manufacturing, Numerical Modeling, Machine Learning

  • Applied Interactive Multimedia Laboratory

    AIM Lab research interests include the conception, engineering, and utilization of novel haptic interfaces as a new media in Human-Computer Interaction.

    Keywords: Haptics, Medical Simulation, Neurohaptics, Affective Haptics, Vibrotactile Stimulation

  • Astroparticle Physics Lab

    Established in 2013, the Astroparticle Physics Lab at NYU Abu Dhabi focuses on the intersection between astrophysics and particle physics.

    Keywords: Dark Matter, Detector Development, Space, Cosmic Rays, Radioactivity

  • Burt Marine Biology Lab

    Our research uses the Arabian Gulf as a natural laboratory to study coral reef ecology in extreme environments and to understand how these may serve as a model for the possible impacts of future climate change on reefs elsewhere.

    • Principal Investigator: John Burt
    • Program: Biology Natural Science
    • Division: Science

    Keywords: marine biology, coral reef, mangrove, fishes, coastal management

  • Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

    CAIR advances fundamental research and applications in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. Research faculty from NYUAD and NYUNY collaborate in five projects spanning areas from the collaboration of multi-agent systems, perception and navigation, deep learning, brain-robot interface, and other applications. The participating labs in NYUAD include the: Robotics and Intelligent Systems Control, Multimedia and Visual Computing, Applied Interactive Multimedia, Computer-Human Intelligence, Clinical Artificial Intelligence, Social Machines and RoboTics, and Volcic.

    Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, AI, Robotics

  • Center for Astrophysics and Space Science

    The Center for Astrophysics and Space Science is a merger of the Center for Space Science and the Center for Astro, Particle and Planetary Physics. It is composed of a unique combination of theorists, observers, and instrument builders dedicated to understanding the nature of the cosmos. Our research spans an incredible vast range of temporal and spatial astronomical scales, from our own Sun and its planets to the whole Universe. CASS hopes to enhance facilitating and investigating for future progress in five core research areas.

    Keywords: Planets, Galaxies, Cosmology, Dark Matter, Astro Particles

  • Center for Behavioral Institutional Design (C-BID)

    The Center For Behavioral Institutional Design (C-BID) uses the latest insights from behavioral economics to design smart and welfare-enhancing public policies that consider the specific socio-economic context in which they are embedded. A central aim is to create robust links with the local community and help build capacity in behavioral social science at NYUAD, Abu Dhabi, and the UAE government.

    Keywords: Behavioral Economics, Nudges

  • Center for Brain and Health

    The Center will draw on existing strengths in the domains of Cognition, Health, and Data Science at NYUAD, the UAE, and NYU’s Global Network University (GNU). The research projects are strategically positioned in themes at the intersection of these strengths, allowing us to leverage existing resources to develop new interdisciplinary research directions. Each theme incorporates the Center’s Disorders and Methodology organizing principles, as described in more detail below. Finally, these research directions and ensuing collaborations are designed to be sustainable and provide a clear pathway to Center independence. 

    Keywords: Neuroimaging, Cognition, Vision Science, Brain Science, Health, Biomarker

  • Center for Cyber Security

    The Center for Cyber Security aims to establish a world class cyber security center by partnering with key local universities, industry and government agencies in order to facilitate cyber security research, education and practice in the United Arab Emirates and more generally in the GCC region.

    Keywords: Security, Cyber Security, Cryptography, Hardware Security, Forensics Security, Information Security, Communication Security

  • Center for Genomics and Systems Biology

    The Center for Genomics and Systems Biology was established to provide a nexus for cutting-edge life sciences research in the United Arab Emirates, with world-class facilities and resources to promote innovative advances in genomics and systems biology.

    • Principal Investigator: Claude Desplan Kristin Gunsalus
    • Program: Biology
    • Division: Science
    • Research Institute Center

    Keywords: Neural Diversity, Drosophila, Patterning, Mouse, Visual System, Interneurons, Single-cell mRNA Sequencing, Mangrove, Adaptation, Population Genetics, Environment

  • Center for Interacting Urban Networks

    The United Nations estimates over 60 percent of the population will live in urban areas by 2030. This rapid rate of urbanization is putting strain on urban systems and posing new challenges across a multitude of sectors. The Center for the Interacting Urban Networks has been established at NYU Abu Dhabi to develop fundamental research that can be translated into pragmatic ideas for increasing the livability of our cities.

    Keywords: CITIES, Urban Networks, Urban Science, Sustainable Future

  • Center for Quantum and Topological Systems

     A nucleation point for cross-disciplinary expertise in theory and application of quantum and topological systems, with an emphasis towards the unifying goal of robust quantum computation – combining all questions from theoretical foundations (quantum error-correction) over hardware (topological quantum materials and novel quantum chips), architecture (parameterized quantum circuits), and software (quantum programming languages and hardware-aware software optimization) to applications (quantum machine learning and quantum cryptography).

    • Principal Investigator: Hisham Sati
    • Program: Mathematics Computer Science Physics Electrical Engineering Computer Engineering
    • Division: Science Engineering
    • Research Institute Center

    Keywords: Quantum Materials, Quantum Computing, Quantum Machine Learning, Applied Topology, Topological Data Analysis

  • Center for Smart Engineering Materials (NYUAD-CSEM)

    The NYUAD Center for Smart Engineering Materials (NYUAD-CSEM) is an institutional research platform for research and development of smart materials and technologies that are relevant to the key sectors of the UAE's economy. By using an integrated, multidisciplinary, and synergistic approach to basic research, characterization, optimization, and implementation, NYUAD-CSEM aims to provide smart and sustainable solutions for sensing and diagnostics in the oil/gas and civil engineering sectors.

    Keywords: Materials, Devices, Oil and Gas, Sensors, Smart Technologies

  • Center for Stability, Instability, and Turbulence

    Instability of dynamics flows and their transition to turbulence are widespread phenomena in engineering, computer science, geophysics, biophysics, and the natural environment. Stability, Instability, and Weak Turbulence research center will develop novel enabling technology to deal with this phenomena.

    Keywords: Hydrodynamic Stability, Turbulence, Population Dynamics, Singularity Formation, Couette Flow

  • Clinical Artificial Intelligence Lab

    In the Clinical Artificial Intelligence (CAI) Lab, we are interested in supporting clinical decision-making using AI, data science, and machine learning driven tools. The tools rely on the analysis of large-scale electronic health records data or medical imaging. To ensure our solutions are feasible and clinically useful, we extensively collaborate with domain experts.

    Keywords: Data Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Healthcare

  • Communication Networks Lab

    The Communication Networks lab (ComNets) focuses on bridging the digital divide between the developed and developing regions.

    Keywords: Network Science, Network Analysis, Relational Processes, Diffusion, Computational Methods

  • Computational Approaches to Modeling Language Lab

    The Computational Approaches to Modeling Language (CAMeL) Lab is a research lab at New York University Abu Dhabi established in September 2014. CAMeL's mission is research and education in artificial intelligence, specifically focusing on natural language processing, computational linguistics, and data science. The main lab research areas are Arabic natural language processing, machine translation, text analytics, and dialogue systems.

    Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, Computational Linguistics, Arabic, Dialects

  • Computational Geometry Lab

    Geometry is everywhere and our brains have evolved to have a strong geometric intuition.   We exploit this to design better algorithms for problems that are geometric in nature and even for those that are not by transforming them into geometric problems. 

    Keywords: Computational Geometry, Approximation Algorithms, Epsilon Nets, Local Search

  • Computational Solid Mechanics (CSM)

    The CSM research is focused on advancing the mechanics theory and numerical algorithms to better predict the time-dependent, nonlinear, multiscale, and fracture behavior of manmade and natural materials; including concrete, steel, polymers, ice, rock, and biomaterials.  

    Keywords: Computational Methods, Fracture Mechanics, Finite Elements, Multiphysics, Material Modeling

  • Cyber Security and Privacy Lab

    The Cyber Security and Privacy Lab researches the security and privacy of current and future IT and communication systems. Specific interests include the security of wireless systems and applications, such as secure localization and jamming-resistant communication, mobile-, protocol- and system-level security as well as other aspects of privacy. 

    Keywords: Cyber Security, Information Security, Communication Security, Computer Security, Information/Data Privacy

  • Data Science and AI Lab

    The Data Science and AI Lab is interested in modeling, simulating, and analyzing social phenomena using computational methods.

    Keywords: Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Computational Social Science, Graph Theory, Human-Machine Interaction

  • Design For Excellence Lab

    Electronic chips manufactured today exhibit a higher defect rate, fail more often during their mission-mode operation, die quicker in the field, and thanks to globalization and outsourcing, are more prone to security threats such as counterfeiting, IP piracy, and hardware trojans. Our mission is to design these electronic chips with built-in defense mechanisms.

    Keywords: Hardware Security, Design for Trust, Logic Locking , Information Security, Communication Security

  • Dhakira Center for Heritage Studies in the UAE

    Dhakira works in close cooperation with scholars, heritage communities, heritage authorities, and UNESCO to address the many regional and global challenges of the relatively young discipline of heritage studies.

    Keywords: Heritage Communities, Memory, Conservation Science, Maritime Underwater Cultural Heritage Landscapes, Archaeology

  • Embodied AI and Robotics Lab (AIR)

    The lab serves as an intellectual hub for faculty, researchers, and students from both the New York and Abu Dhabi campuses to study and address the key challenges in multimedia and visual data processing.

    • Principal Investigator: Yi Fang
    • Program: Computer Engineering Computer Science Electrical Engineering General Engineering
    • Division: Engineering Science

    Keywords: Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Multimedia, Visual Computing

  • Evolutionary Genomics Lab

    Evolutionary Genomics Lab uses the tools and concepts of population genetics and molecular evolution to address two main questions: (1) Why do vertebrate genomes differ so much in size and structure? and (2) What are the genetic bases of adaptation to extreme environments?

    • Principal Investigator: Stephane Boissinot
    • Program: Biology
    • Division: Science

    Keywords: genomics, evolution, population genetics, transposable elements, adaptation

  • Family Business Histories

    In the Middle East and North Africa, it is estimated that more than 80 percent of businesses are family-owned and run. This project brings together scholars from across the disciplines to compile, document and analyze the history of selected regional family businesses to better understand past challenges and decision-making, as well as commercial legacies.

    Keywords: Family Business, Histories, MENA, MENASA

  • Field Robotics Laboratory

    The Field Robotics Laboratory (FRL) at New York University Abu Dhabi addresses robotic intervention in unstructured environments with emphasis on sensor-based task planning and control.

    Keywords: Robotics, Control, Underwater Robotics, Field Robotics

  • Fieldlab DRC

    FieldLab DRC aims to strengthen research capacities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and help researchers in the Congo conduct research.

     

    • Principal Investigator: Peter van der Windt
    • Program: Political Science
    • Division: Social Science

    Keywords: Congo, Research, Experiments, Surveys, Governance

  • Fougnie Lab

    Despite our sophisticated brains with immense processing capacity there are strong capacity limits in what we can perceive, attend to, and remember about the world. The Fougnie Lab attempts to characterize and understand the nature of these limits.

    Keywords: Memory, Attention, Visual, Working, Capacity

  • Galadari Lab

    Cell Death Signaling Laboratory
    This research group focuses on unraveling the mechanisms that control different modes of programmed cell death with special emphasis on its clinical relevance to anticancer therapeutics.

    Keywords: Cancer, Cell Death, Cell Signaling, Tumor Suppression, Anticancer Drug

  • Galaxy Formation Group

    NYU Abu Dhabi's Galaxy Formation Group uses state of the art numerical cosmological simulations to study galaxy formation and evolution during cosmic times with the aim to use the visible part of the Universe to unveil its dark side.

    Keywords: Galaxies, Cosmology, Numerical Simulations, Astrophysics, Universe

  • Gazelien Records

    Gazelien Records was founded in 2018 by students of the Recording and Production Techniques (RPT) class as a platform to provide academic and Music Industry based experience to meet the growing interest of the NYU Abu Dhabi Music Program Students in order to provide them with real-world opportunities.

    Keywords: Music Technology, Audio Signal Processing, Sound Engineering, Sound Design

  • Genetic Heritage Group

    The Genetic Heritage Group is a collaborative research group dedicated to studying human heritage using genomics. For all projects in the lab, we conduct field expeditions and analyze our own data both in collaboration with local researchers. Using a loose definition of heritage as the attributes signifying a human population or a society that are inherited from previous generations, we categorize human heritage under four broad umbrellas: genomic, microbial, cultural, and natural.

    Keywords: Population Genetics, Human Adaptations, Microbiome, Gut Microbiome, Indigenous People

  • Global Asia Initiative

    Global Asia is an interdisciplinary network of faculty working on Asia in the broadest sense.

    Keywords: Global Asia, Asian Studies, Himalaya, Environmental Studies

  • Haven Lab

    The mission of Haven Lab is to provide individuals with better control over their privacy, and protection from digital threats. The lab aims to work towards a future where digital services are inherently designed with user privacy and security at the forefront.

    Keywords: Cybersecurity, Digital Privacy

  • Healy Lab

    The Healy lab started in 2019 with the goal of developing an automated assembly line synthesis of bioactive polyketides and related natural products. Our mission is to harness the tools of bioinformatics, automated synthesis and high-throughput screening to streamline the process from natural product gene cluster to preclinical drug candidate.

    Keywords: Chemical Biology, Natural Product Synthesis, Automated Synthesis, Drug Discovery

  • High Dimensional Phenomena

    Our research aims to observe, quantify and explain high dimensional phenomenon occurring in random matrices and free probability, random graphs, Markov chains, convex geometry, and data science. Tools such as concentration/functional inequalities play a central role in these topics. The interconnection between the above topics are at the heart of our work.

    Keywords: Random Matrices Random Graphs, Free Probability, Markov Chains, Convex Geometry, Concentration Inequalities

  • Human Data Interaction Lab

    The goal of the Human Data Interaction Lab (HuDa) is to research methods at the intersection of data management, data science, and interactive systems to enable the derivation of insights from data and to support data-driven decision-making.

  • Humanities Research Fellowships for the Study of the Arab World

    The NYUAD Institute has embarked on a multi-year research fellowship program in the Humanities. This program aims to help create an energetic, multi-faceted research environment for the Humanities and the study of the Arab world at NYUAD's campus.

    Keywords: Humanities, Arab World, Heritage Studies, Anthropology, History

  • Idaghdour Lab — Environmental Genomics

    We are interested in studying the role genetic and environmental factors play in shaping health-related phenotypes and how interactions between these effects trigger disease and modulate its outcome.

    • Principal Investigator: Youssef Idaghdour
    • Program: Biology
    • Division: Science

    Keywords: genomics, genetics, public health, environment, human genetics

  • Ideas of India

    Ideas of India seeks to further the study of modern Indian political thought by drawing attention to the vibrant public sphere that took shape in the century prior to independence.

    Keywords: India, History, Ideas, Politics

  • Integrated BioElectronics Laboratory

    The Integrated BioElectronics Lab aims at advancing the engineering and applications of silicon integrated technology interfacing with biology in a variety of forms ranging from implantable biomedical devices to unobtrusive wearable sensors.

    • Principal Investigator: Sohmyung Ha
    • Program: Electrical Engineering
    • Division: Engineering

    Keywords: integrated circuits, biomedical sensors, neural interface, wireless power transmission, implantable, wearable

  • Kirmizialtin Lab

    The lab uses Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations, one of the powerful theoretical approaches to study the structure, molecular interactions, and resulted dynamics in a unified framework.

     

    Keywords: Computational Chemistry, RNA, DNA, Material Science

  • Laboratory for Advanced Bio-Photonics and Imaging (LAB-π)

    The Zam Lab for Advanced Bio-Photonics and Imaging (LAB-π) is focused on the development and clinical translation of smart devices for medical imaging, diagnostics, and monitoring using novel optical technologies, which include smart laser surgery, optical coherence tomography (OCT), photoacoustics, biomedical spectroscopy, AI-assisted optical diagnostics and imaging, optical-based smart biosensors, and miniaturized optical systems.

    Keywords: Biomedical Imaging, Biomedical Optics, Biomedical Spectroscopy, Optical-based Smart and Miniaturized Systems, AI-aided optical diagnostics and imaging

  • Laboratory for Advanced Neuroengineering and Translational Medicine

    The Ramadi Lab for Advanced Neuroengineering and Translational Medicine develops innovative approaches for the modulation of neural activity throughout the body. We combine mechanical, electrical, materials, and bio-engineering toolkits towards designing minimally invasive technologies for neuromodulation. Our goal is to develop novel therapies for neurologic, metabolic, and immune disorders.

    Keywords: Neuroengineering, Translational Medicine, Medical Devices, Drug Delivery

  • Laboratory for Computer-Human Intelligence

    The lab operates at the interface of computer and human intelligence; developing systems that quantify how humans make decisions and humans express their thoughts through everyday human signals (speech, language, movement, etc.).

    Keywords: Machine Learning, Signal Processing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Human Decision-Making

  • Laboratory for Immuno Bioengineering Research and Applications (LIBRA)

    Deciphering the role of mechanical factors on immune cells through basic research, to unveil new insights into immune homeostasis and dysregulation for innovative translational applications. Our team achieve this overall goal through the use of model systems that integrates Immuno-mechanobiology, Microenvironment Mimicry, and Video-omics.

     

    • Principal Investigator: Jeremy Teo
    • Program: General Engineering
    • Division: Engineering

    Keywords: Mechanobiology, Biomaterials, Quantitative Biology, Immunology, Bioengineering

  • Laboratory of Algal Systems and Synthetic Biology

    Our research aims to explore fundamental questions on evolution, phenotype-genotype relations, and metabolism of algae.

     

    Keywords: Algal research, Phenotype-genotype Relations, Metabolism of Algae, Algal Genome Sequencing, Microalgae, Microalgae

  • Laboratory of Applied Nonlinear Dynamics (LAND)

    Laboratory of Applied Nonlinear Dynamics (L.A.N.D.) focuses on understanding various nonlinear phenomena and applying this understanding to resolve issues related to power generation, manufacturing, microelectromechanical systems, and origami structures. 

    Keywords: Nonlinear Dynamics, Origami, Energy Harvesting, Wave Energy, Fluid-Structure Interactions

  • Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology

    The Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology is primarily interested in how the genome is organized and maintained in the eukaryotic cell nucleus.

  • Laboratory of Experimental Cinema

    Our research focuses on bridging the worlds of science and film by challenging and expanding the role of science in the current cultural discourse. 

    Keywords: Science Filmmaking, Art and Science, Curation, Science Visualization

  • Laboratory of Neural Systems and Behavior

    Patients suffering from depression are known to exhibit aberrations in circadian rhythms and sleep/wake cycle. The increase in reported cases of global depression is thought, in part, to be due to the modern lifestyle where an increasing number of people are exposed to situations that may affect circadian and sleep/wake rhythms such as extended nighttime exposure to bright lights and prolonged shift work.

    • Principal Investigator: Dipesh Chaudhury
    • Program: Biology
    • Division: Science

    Keywords: Neuroscience, Stress, Mood Disorders, Circadian Rhythms, Sleep-Wake Cycle

  • Language, Mind and Brain

    Language is a complex mental faculty, recruiting and integrating several interacting representational and computational architectures in the mind. We investigate the nature of the cognitive and neural architecture that supports the human language system and how it interfaces with other cognitive faculties.

  • Library of Arabic Literature

    The Library of Arabic Literature offers Arabic editions and English translations of significant works of Arabic literature, with an emphasis on the 7th to 19th centuries.

    • Principal Investigator: Philip Kennedy
    • Division: Arts and Humanities
    • Research Institute Center

  • Magzoub Lab: Biophysics

    Developing novel drug delivery systems — peptides, liposomes and nanoparticles — to enhance the targeting and cellular uptake of therapeutics in order to maximize their efficacy

    • Program: Biology
    • Division: Science

    Keywords: Drug Delivery Strategies, Amyloid Diseases, Cancer Therapeutics

  • Marine Microbiomics Lab

    Research in the Amin Lab is focused on studying how seawater organisms interact with each other and how these interactions influence their ecosystem, from coral health to algal blooms to bioprospecting.

    • Principal Investigator: Shady Amin
    • Program: Biology
    • Division: Science

    Keywords: Marine Microbial Ecology, Environmental Microbiology, Coral Ecology, Drug Discovery

  • Micro- and Nanoscale Bioengineering Lab

    Our research areas include liquid biopsy on microfluidic biochips and high throughput drug screening using whole model organisms such C. elegans.

  • Modern Compilers Lab

    The Modern Compilers Lab explores the intersection between compilers, machine learning (ML), and high-performance computing. The Lab develops compilers and methods to accelerate compute-intensive applications (ML, scientific computing, etc.) and uses ML to improve compilers.

    Keywords: Compilers, Artificial intelligence, High-performance computing, Machine learning, Programming languages

  • Modern Microprocessor Architectures Lab

    The Modern Microprocessors Architectures (MoMA) Lab focuses on the security and privacy of modern high-performance and embedded microprocessors. Research topics include privacy-preserving architectures, encrypted computation, industrial control systems security, and hardware security.  

    • Principal Investigator: Michail Maniatakos
    • Program: Computer Engineering Computer Science Electrical Engineering
    • Division: Engineering Science

    Keywords: Cybersecurity, Privacy, Homomorphic Encryption, Industrial Control Systems, Hardware Security

  • Mubadala Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental ScienceS (ACCESS)

    An interdisciplinary, UAE-based research center on climate change and the environment. The Mubadala ACCESS Center is developing an environmental monitoring network and innovative instruments based on intelligent drones to realize it. The Mubadala ACCESS Center is developing regional climate and environmental models to help understand the observed data and make future scenarios.

    Keywords: Arabian Gulf, Climate Change, Drones, Marine Environment, Coral Reefs

  • Music and Sound Cultures (MaSC)

    The Music and Sound Cultures (MaSC) research laboratory is a collective of researchers focusing on the multidisciplinary study of music from the Arab World and neighboring regions through computational and humanistic methods.

    Keywords: Music, Digital Humanities, Artificial Intelligence, Computational Ethnomusicology, Music Information Retrieval

  • Má: The Ancient Boat Lab

    Keywords: Bronze Age Boat, Zayed National Museum, Boat Replica Experimental Archaeology, Maritime Heritage, Dhakira

  • NMR Group

    Research activities headed by Rino Esposito focus on the application of high resolution NMR methods to proteins.

     

    • Principal Investigator: Gennaro Esposito
    • Program: Chemistry
    • Division: Science

    Keywords: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular NMR, Protein Biophysics, Structure and Function of Biopolymers

  • NYUAD Hackathon for Social Good in the Arab World

    The Annual NYUAD International Hackathon is a three-day programming marathon, during which renowned international computer science professors, founders of successful startups, technology professionals, and venture capitalists come together at NYUAD to lead teams of talented computer science students from all over the world (the majority of the students will be from the Arab world), to create mobile and web applications.

    Keywords: Hackathon, Quantum Computing, Worshop, Technology, Social Good

  • Nano and Biomaterials Research Lab

    Our research is focused on the development of supercritical CO2-based processes to create nanoscale building blocks and their self-assembly into novel materials.

  • Narrative Technologies and Spatial Installations Lab

    We focus on problems or questions in the realm of information, communication, and electronic systems.

     

  • NetBio Group

    Blending theory with experiments, we focus on the behavior of networks with particular emphasis on synthetic biology applications.

    • Principal Investigator: Andras Gyorgy
    • Program: General Engineering
    • Division: Engineering

    Keywords: synthetic biology, networks, control and dynamical systems, quantitative biology, complex systems

  • Neuroscience of Language Lab

    The NEUROSCIENCE OF LANGUAGE LAB (NeLLab) brings together complementary research programs in the cognitive neuroscience of language. We aim to integrate linguistics and neurobiology in an effort to uncover the neural bases of language comprehension and production. Our interdisciplinary research group addresses this complex problem starting from the processing of sounds and words all the way to combinatory sentence interpretation. Our team members are among the pioneers of the field on both a theoretical and an experimental level. Research is conducted at the KIT/NYU MEG Joint Research Lab at NYU, and at its sister facility at NYU Abu Dhabi.

     

    • Principal Investigator: Alec Marantz Liina Pylkkanen
    • Program: Psychology
    • Division: Science

    Keywords: Language, Brain, Linguistics, Neuroscience, Magnetoencephalography

  • Objects and Knowledge Laboratory

    The general research goal of the lab is to understand how the human brain perceives the visual world, and how such processes are influenced by experience and learning.

    Keywords: Cognitive Neuroscience, Visual Cognition, Categorization, Perceptual Expertise

  • Operator Theory

    Operator theory, spectra of Toeplitz and Wiener-Hopf operators in particular. Factorization of matrix functions and its applications. Numerical ranges of structured matrices and Hilbert space operators. Boundary value problems for analytic functions

    Keywords: Wiener-Hopf Factorization, Numerical Range, Riemann-Hilbert Problem

  • Perception and Active Cognition Lab

    The main question driving work in the lab is how the brain constructs our subjective experience of the world as we actively engage with our surroundings. A basic challenge for the brain is to parse continuous and dynamic sensory input into discrete and stable percepts, in order to guide cognition and action.

    Keywords: Cognitive Neuroscience, Perception, Time Perception, Eye movements

  • Photonics Research Lab

    We are working to develop novel photonic/optoelectronic components for next-generation optical and data communication networks.

     

    • Principal Investigator: Mahmoud Rasras
    • Program: Electrical Engineering
    • Division: Engineering

    Keywords: Photonics Integrated Circuits, Silicon Photonics, Optoelectronics, Cybersecurity, Opto-MEMS

  • Public Health Research Center

    The center addresses critical topics for Abu Dhabi in public health science, including diabetes and obesity.

     

    • Principal Investigator: Youssef Idaghdour
    • Division: Science
    • Research Institute Center

  • RNA Modifications, Intellect, and NeuroDegeneration Lab (RNA-MIND)

    At the RNA-MIND Lab, we seek to connect RNA biology to the structural and functional plasticity of the central nervous system. We have discovered thousands of RNAs that are chemically modified at synapses and play critical roles in synaptic organization underlying neurodevelopment and neuropsychiatric disorders.

    Keywords: Neuroscience, Memory, In Silico Biology, Neuronal Translatome, Synaptic Plasticity

  • Re-Counting the Past

    This project presents numerical information about the Middle East in the past including data on population, imports, exports, the cost of travelling and shipping goods overland and across the oceans, and more.

  • Research & Empirical Analysis of Labor Migration

    This research group explores the causal mechanisms and processes involved in migrant labor recruitment, particularly in migrant-sending countries.

     

  • Research Center for Translational Medical Devices (CENTMED)

    The Center for Translational Medical Devices (CENTMED) is a multi-disciplinary center combining expertise in engineering, biology, and chemistry to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice. The objective of CENTMED is to catalyze translational research collaborations between researchers and clinicians.

    Keywords: Medical Devices, Wearables, Non-invasive Detection, Metabolic Disease, Cardiovascular Disease

  • Research Group in Network Science

    This research group of social scientists has breadth in terms of substantive areas, ranging from neighborhood segregation to boundary conditions of diffusion, to trust and betrayal, to firm networks.

  • Research Kitchens

    The NYUAD Research Kitchens are thematic hubs for building communities of researchers across disciplinary boundaries.  They seek to provide spaces for new conversations and to support exploratory, innovative research and creative collaborations.

    Keywords: Anthropocene, Rights, Heritage, Global Pedagogy, Writing

  • Robotics and Intelligent Systems Control Laboratory

    The Robotics and Intelligent Systems Control Laboratory (RISC Lab) at New York University Abu Dhabi focuses on perception, control, and planning in primarily autonomous robots. Our vision is to realize fully capable aerial workers, delivery systems, and collaborative autonomous agents as well as focus on medical applications.

     

    • Principal Investigator: Anthony Tzes
    • Program: Computer Engineering Electrical Engineering General Engineering
    • Division: Engineering

    Keywords: Aerial Robotics, Control Systems, Robot Perception, Autonomous and Collaborative Robots, Medical Applications

  • Rokers Vision Laboratory

    We live in a three-dimensional world, but each of our eyes only receives a two-dimensional image. How does our brain combine these images? Research in our laboratory focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying visual perception, with an emphasis on motion and depth perception. Signals from the two eyes need to be combined in visual cortex in order to inform us of the position and movement of objects. The study of motion and depth perception helps uncover the function and underlying architecture of the brain's visual system and provides us with a model by which to understand visual processing in general. To do so we use complementary behavioral, neuroimaging and computational approaches. Our research improves the understanding and treatment of visual impairments with a cortical basis, such as amblyopia (lazy eye) and motion blindness, ultimately leading to the recovery of lost visual function.

    • Principal Investigator: Bas Rokers
    • Program: Psychology
    • Division: Science

    Keywords: Visual perception, Neuroimaging, Perceptual Disorders, Virtual Reality, Sensory Processing

  • S.M.A.R.T. Construction Research Group

    Our goal is to generate high-impact scholarly work while ensuring a pragmatic viewpoint to guarantee a successful integration in the way we manage the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance, inspection, retrofit, and repair of the infrastructure and communities of the future. We do that by having as a backbone the digitalization and automation of the construction industry coupled with the application of artificial intelligence and the integration of new technologies.

     

    Sustainable and resilient construction

    Modularization and lean construction

    Artificial intelligence

    Robotic systems and automation

    Technology integration and information modeling

    Keywords: Construction Automation and Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Cybersecurity, Lean and Agile Construction

  • Sadler Edepli Lab

    Despite the remarkable regenerative capacity of the liver, it is not always able to undergo efficient repair. Thus, diseases of the liver are common and a long-term goal of our research is to identify targets to treat them. We use zebrafish as a model system to accomplish these goals.

    Keywords: Epigenetics, Genomics, Development, Regeneration, Cancer, Aging

  • Sand Hazards and Opportunities for Resilience, Energy, and Sustainability (SHORES)

    SHORES focuses on overcoming the challenges of living in an arid desert environment while exploring the opportunities that sand offers. SHORES aims to push the current state-of-the-art knowledge and be a leader in applied sciences on topics, including infrastructure resilience, community sustainability, and energy in a desert environment.

    • Principal Investigator: Tarek Abdoun
    • Program: General Engineering
    • Division: Engineering
    • Research Institute Center

    Keywords: Sand and Desertification, Infrastructure Resilience, Community Sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Physical and Computational Modeling

  • Simplification of Arabic Masterpieces for Extensive Reading

    In response to the severe dearth of graded reader fiction in Arabic and the absence of any scale of simplification, the main objective of the project is to create a standard for the simplification of modern fiction in Arabic to school-age learners and to use this standard to simplify a number of Arabic fiction masterpieces.

  • Smart Materials Lab (SML)

    The Smart Materials Lab is the leading team with regards to chemistry research in the UAE, with research output that, according to the Nature Index, accounts for an impressive 63 percent in 2015 and 67 percent in 2016 of the total chemistry publications from groups within the country, both in the fractional count and weighted fractional count.

    Keywords: Materials, Nanotechnology, Chemistry, Engineering, Physics

  • Social Machines and RoboTics Lab (SMART)

    The Social Machines and Robotics labs (SMART) focuses on building socially and emotionally intelligent machines and robots that are capable of interacting and communicating in a natural way with humans, expressing through their figure a high degree of social intelligence.

     

    Keywords: Social Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Affective Computing, Human–Robot Interaction (HRI), Human-Machine Interface (HMI)

  • Social Roles and Beliefs Lab

    Our goal is to understand the psychological processes that contribute to the persistence of group disparities in the global workforce (e.g., gender gaps) from a psychological perspective. Specifically, we investigate how beliefs about roles and beliefs about social groups contribute to social inequality and employment segregation.

    Keywords: Gender, Leadership, Social Experiments, Social Psychology

  • Social Science Experimental Laboratory (SSEL)

    The Social Science Experimental Laboratory (SSEL) at NYU Abu Dhabi is an interdisciplinary center where experimental research in the social sciences is conducted. Our aim is to create mutually beneficial relationships with local universities, organizations, and the wider community by offering their members a useful opportunity to participate in social science research activities.

    • Principal Investigator: John Wooders
    • Program: Business, Organizations and Society Economics Political Science Social Research and Public Policy
    • Division: Social Science

    Keywords: Experiments, Economics Research , Social Science, Research in Abu Dhabi, Research Participation

  • Sounds of Sir Bani Yas Island

    Carlos Guedes, associate arts professor, takes his classes to Sir Bani Yas Island to record free-roaming animals and birds. The recordings are then uploaded onto an interactive website.

  • Sport and Wellness Science Lab

    The Sport and Wellness Science Lab offers a platform for multi-disciplinary research projects that integrate cutting edge technologies (e.g., MRI) to explore exercise-induced effects on the physical and mental health and wellbeing of students and the general population. 

  • Sreenivasan Lab

    Our primary focus is the neurobiological basis of working memory, which is the process that allows us to actively hold onto information over brief periods.

  • Structural Biology and Biophysical Chemistry Lab

    We study enzyme structure and functions to characterize a disease mechanism or biology function using X-ray crystallography and a variety of different biophysical and biochemical techniques.

    Keywords: Enzymology, Protein Structures

  • Teaching, Learning, and Development Lab

    Our research includes all aspects of planning and management of surface transportation infrastructure.

     

  • The Vijay Lab

    3D Printing and Bioprinting for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, drug testing, and medical devices

    Keywords: 3D Printing, Bioprinting, Additive Manufacturing, Stem Cells, Biomaterials

  • Trabolsi Research Group

    Our group uses concepts of molecular/ionic recognition coupled to self-assembly for the fabrication of multi-functional materials.

    • Program: Chemistry
    • Division: Science

  • Transition Investment Lab (TIL)

    Transition Investment (TI) is the broad class of financial transactions aimed at enabling such a paradigm shift. TI is thus a different (albeit related) investment philosophy with respect to the conventional ESG practice, with a more substantive focus on intentional, incremental efforts and strategic shift to achieve impact.  

    • Principal Investigator: Bernardo Bortolotti
    • Program: Economics
    • Division: Social Science

    Keywords: Sustainable Finance, Long-term investment, ESG, Sovereign Wealth Funds, Impact investment

  • Transportation Infrastructure Management Lab

    Our research includes all aspects of the planning and management of surface transportation infrastructure.

    Keywords: Transportation Infrastructure, Planning, Management, Optimization, Econometrics

  • Visual Design Lab

    The Visual Design Lab is an interdisciplinary design research lab that fosters collaboration between Arts and Humanities, other NYUAD departments, and local and regional partners through the practice of visual design. Its projects explore how the field of visual communication intersects with accessibility, cognition, philosophy, policy, and culture.

    Keywords: Design, Visual Design, Philosophy, Design Thinking, Communication

  • Volcic Lab

    The Volcic Lab studies the mechanisms underlying multisensory perception and motor behavior to understand how sensory information is used to guide our actions and how our interactions with the surrounding environment shape our perception.

    • Principal Investigator: Robert Volcic
    • Program: Psychology
    • Division: Science

    Keywords: Perception, Vision, Haptics, Motor Control, Sensorimotor Integration

  • Water Research Center

    The Water Research Center (NYUAD-WRC) at New York University Abu Dhabi is dedicated to advancing innovative research in water desalination, wastewater treatment, and related environmental challenges, all aimed at promoting water security and sustainability.

    As an interdisciplinary innovation hub, the center transforms scientific knowledge into practical solutions for the world’s most urgent water issues.

     

    Keywords: Wastewater Treatment, Desalination, Water Security, Environment, Sustainability

  • Wireless Research Lab

    The ongoing research at the Wireless Lab is centered around designing new physical layer techniques for the next generations of wireless communication systems. The scope of research encompasses a range of compelling topics, such as integrated communication and sensing for 6G, waveform design, machine learning for communications, and localization.

    Keywords: 6G, Integrated Sensing and Communication, Waveform Design, Wireless Communications, Communication Theory, Signal Processing

  • Working Group in African Political Economy

    Working Group in African Political Economy is an international forum for academic researchers who combine deep field research experience in Africa with training in political economy methods.

     

    • Principal Investigator: Jonathan Andrew Harris Melina Platas Morgan Lillian Hardy Peter van der Windt
    • Program: Economics Political Science Social Research and Public Policy
    • Division: Social Science

    Keywords: Africa, Economics, Politics, Experiments, Development

  • al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art

    al Mawrid, the Arab Center for the Study of Art undertakes research in the visual art and photography of Western Asia and North Africa through a variety of disciplinary approaches. The Center aims to move research and pedagogy beyond the established canons of Art History by investigating the histories and theories of art that are particular to the region from regional perspectives. It does so in collaborative dialogue with the methods and debates of a global Art History and with the widening cultural horizons in both the Humanities and the Social Sciences.

    Keywords: Arab, Art, Photography, Art History, Archive

  • eARThumanities Research Initiative

    NYUAD eARThumanities Research Initiative is emphasizing the significance of the arts in this wider conversation, while also drawing on the social sciences and the physical sciences and engineering to foster interdisciplinary dialogue. The Near East and Northern and Eastern Africa are seriously under-researched in major aspects of their human and environmental relations. The research and study of their past and present challenges is of crucial importance as we move forward into a period of increased demographic pressure and global climate change.

    Keywords: Environment , Sustainability, Interdisciplinary, Himalaya, Urban Environments