Alumni Lecture Series - counsel, comedy and career advice
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KAUST’s student community were enriched by our five alumni speakers at the 2018 Alumni Lecture Series; and the feeling of pride, for us in Alumni Affairs, is one of those feelings that is enlivening, and we are still buzzing!
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Dean of Graduate Affairs, Brian Moran was especially complimentary:
‘’The WEP Alumni Lecture Series continues to showcase the exceptional talent and accomplishments of our alumni. The speakers this year were inspiring, engaging, and passionate about their work. I look forward to this event every year.’’
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The speakers from the classes of 2011, 2012 and 2013 gave their advice to students: do not be afraid of deviating from your degree, research, discipline, or professional path.
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Daniel Toth, who is completing his PhD this spring at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, began with some of his work in interferometry. In particular, he described what ultimately limits our capacity to measuring the very small. Daniel told us of his interest in business too, with advice for students considering a career in consulting.
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​Hanan Alshehri spoke about studying at KAUST in pursuit of her passion for mathematics, a passion that led to her career in finance. Hanan provided insights on fintech (a recent buzzword for a wave of technological innovations that are disrupting the financial services sector), notably why money transfers do not happen instantaneously (those pesky computers). It was clear Hanan is passionate about financial services, especially the dynamic fintech sector.
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Hussain Shibli, a keen environmentalist, gave us a detailed look at the Kingdom’s plans for renewable energy. Hussain’s enthusiasm for his organization’s mission was evident as his knowledge of the Kingdom’s plans was extensive. We also learned of the electricity supply chain, probably a mystery to most. With many concerned about climate change, it was encouraging to hear about Saudi Arabia’s plans to avoid 130 million tons of C02 eq. by 2030.
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Fernando Cagua, an engineer turned biologist, simplified the complexity that one might expect to see in network science. Fernando neatly described how commonplace six degrees of separation is everywhere. We all laughed when he illustrated this point by showing a chain of six co-authored papers starting with Dean Brian Moran lead to a paper Fernando had co-authored with someone in this chain.
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With samples from his fast-food restaurant in Russia, Sultan Safin told the story of his transition from engineer to fast-food entrepreneur. Sultan spoke of his experiences conceiving of, and then, setting up his business, some of this whilst still in Saudi Arabia! ''Food that grandma makes,'' was the inspiration for Sultan’s concept, which has proven to be a hit in Kazakhstan. For any would-be entrepreneurs, Sultan’s advice was, ‘’Find a universal problem then work hard to develop and deliver your idea or solution.’’
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Winter has been brightened and the bar has been raised by our flourishing five alumni who, based on remarks from attendees, were ‘’inspiring’’. Lest we forget, Sultan’s confectionery samples likely inspired a few appetites too.
​If you’re interested in speaking in a future alumni career panel or Enrichment Program, contact Alumni Affairs alumni@kaust.edu.sa