"New York Abu Dhabi" Enhancing the presence of artificial intelligence through pioneering educational programs and initiatives

ABU DHABI, 18th October, 2018 (WAM) – New York University Abu Dhabi has strengthened its initiatives in support of the UAE’s vision aimed at achieving global leadership in the artificial intelligence sector, by implementing a package of educational programs and advanced research initiatives in line with the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031.

The university recently launched an interdisciplinary master’s program in data science and artificial intelligence, which provides students with intensive education over two years, optimally preparing them for future jobs.

The university also annually organizes the International Hackathon Competition for Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing with the participation of students from around the world, reflecting the ambitious vision of the UAE in the field of technology and artificial intelligence.

The university, in partnership with Mohammed bin Zayed University for Artificial Intelligence, is hosting the Natural Language Processing and Artificial Intelligence Conference, which provides a platform for participants from different countries to learn about the latest interactions between computers and human language, and learn about developments in language sciences, computer sciences, and artificial intelligence.

Since its founding, NYU Abu Dhabi has implemented a number of research initiatives in the field of artificial intelligence, the most prominent of which is the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, which works to conduct basic research in this field and develop its applications. Its research areas include processing data received from sensors and integrating them to perceive the robot’s surroundings, understand the movement of objects, plan the path, and navigate in unknown environments. Coordination between multi-agent systems, brain-computer interfaces, autonomous decision-making, along with robotic safety and flexibility.

The Center for Quantitative and Topographic Systems at the university is a pioneering platform for advancing multidisciplinary expertise in the theoretical and applied fields of quantum topographic systems, with the aim of developing quantum computing capabilities.

The university’s initiatives also include the establishment of a “full” laboratory for natural language processing in Arabic, the Public Health Research Center, and the Center for Genomics and Biosystems, which aims to enhance innovation and advance progress in genomic sciences, and provide the opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to participate in interdisciplinary research.

The Arab Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences (ACCESS) at the university is one of the most prominent centers specialized in climate and environmental affairs in the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf region, and aims to ensure that global research related to climate change and the environment at the national and regional levels keeps pace with the rapid developments of the region’s societies and economies, while the Center for Smart Engineering Materials (CSEM) represents an institutional research platform and an organizational framework. For effective cooperation between faculty members in the Faculties of Science and Engineering, and other researchers and students specialized in materials science.

Fabio Piano, acting vice president of NYU Abu Dhabi, stressed the university’s keenness to keep pace with the UAE’s vision and strategy in the artificial intelligence sector, noting that the university is working to launch educational initiatives and programs that enhance students’ skills and abilities in this field and prepare them for future jobs.

He said in a statement to the Emirates News Agency, WAM, that the multidisciplinary master’s program in data science and artificial intelligence is one of the university’s most prominent initiatives, and it was designed to combine the study of data science and artificial intelligence, given that data constitutes the cornerstone of building a strong and advanced artificial intelligence sector.

He added that the university, which includes four Nobel Prize laureates among its academic staff, is keen to enhance scientific research related to artificial intelligence under the supervision of an elite group of faculty members.

NYU Abu Dhabi adopts admission standards that are among the most stringent in the world, as an elite group of students from various countries around the world enrolls. Its academic community includes about 2,200 students from undergraduate and graduate programs, and its graduates have received a number of prestigious international scholarships, including about 24 Rhodes Scholarships, 20 Schwarzman Scholarships, and 16 Fulbright Scholarships.

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