At NYU Abu Dhabi, researchers are developing the technologies and systems needed to support a more sustainable future. As the UAE advances its ambitions in clean energy, climate action, and resource security, our work is helping address some of the most pressing challenges facing energy, water, and the environment.
Rethinking Energy and Resources
By bringing together expertise in engineering, chemistry, materials science, and environmental research, our scientists are creating solutions that make energy and water systems cleaner, more efficient, and more resilient. Their research spans advanced materials, energy-efficient desalination, sustainable construction, and resource recovery technologies that reimagine waste as a valuable resource.
Powering Long-Term Resilience
From next-generation catalysts and membranes to circular manufacturing processes and low-carbon infrastructure, NYUAD researchers are contributing to the scientific foundations of a future that balances economic growth, environmental stewardship, and long-term sustainability.
A climate pattern centered in the North Pacific can raise or lower oxygen levels across the world’s oceans, potentially changing marine habitats within a few years and producing delayed responses in deeper waters, according to new research from NYU Abu Dhabi.
The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, found that changes in Pacific climate conditions affect ocean oxygen in two distinct ways. Oxygen levels in shallower waters can change relatively quickly, potentially shrinking or expanding marine habitats, while deeper waters respond more slowly and can retain the effects of past climate conditions for years.
An estimated 200 million people — roughly the population of Brazil — drink water contaminated with PFAS. And it's not just people living near factories or airports. PFAS have worked their way into ordinary municipal water supplies through industrial runoff, firefighting foam, and landfill waste. They have no taste, smell, or visible trace, yet exposure has been linked to thyroid cancer, immune disorders, and developmental delays in children.
In her work, the question is no longer how much can be taken from the ground, but how much harmful carbon can be put back in.
As a Kawader Fellow in Engineering at NYU Abu Dhabi working with Professor Mostafa Mobasher, Alaleeli is studying how to inject carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the UAE’s underground rock so it remains there safely.
Program Head of Mechanical Engineering; Professor of Mechanical Engineering, NYU Abu Dhabi; Global Network Professor of Mechanical Engineering, NYU Tandon
Developing advanced materials for water desalination and resource recovery.
The NYUAD Water Research Center (WRC) is an interdisciplinary research and innovation hub dedicated to overcoming critical regional and global water challenges. By bringing together top-tier faculty, government policymakers, industry leaders, and international partners, we develop sustainable technologies that drive economic growth and build long-term environmental resilience.
The Mubadala Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental ScienceS (ACCESS) is the leading research center on the climate and the environment of the Arabian peninsula and the Gulf region. It brings scientific research on local and regional climate change and environment up to speed with the rapid development of the societies and economies that dwell in the region.
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.
