Masdar Institute is a research-driven graduate institution located in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The institute’s mission is to become a world-leading research-intensive institution and to develop the next generation of leaders in advanced sciences and technology. Established as an independent, not-for-profit entity within the Khalifa University of Science and Technology (KUSTAR), Masdar Institute began operations in 2009 with the support of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC).
The institute’s interdisciplinary research programs are aligned with Abu Dhabi’s key economic sectors: energy, water and sustainable environmental solutions. To this end, Masdar Institute has established five signature research centers: Solar Platform, Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC), Process Systems Engineering Center (PSE) and Integrated Mobility Innovation Center (iMiD). These centers focus on developing technologies that enable clean energy generation, improved resource efficiency and reduced environmental impact.
Masdar Institute offers six Master of Science degree programs – Chemical Engineering & Materials Science; Electrical Power Engineering; Environmental & Civil Engineering; Microsystems Engineering; Nanotechnology; and Physics – as well as a PhD program. In addition to rigorous coursework, students have the opportunity to work on real-world projects through internships with leading local and international organizations such as Boeing, Rolls Royce, Siemens AG, Total S.A., IBM Research Labs Ireland and Schlumberger.
Notable alumni include Dr. Fatima Al Jaber who was part of the team that discovered Zayed’s solar plant in Dubai which is now the largest single-site solar power plant in the world; Hanan Saeed Al Yafei who helped design Mars Habitat Prototype 1 for 3D printing at NASA Ames Research Center in California; Salem Al Marzooqi who designed an algorithm that can be used by oil companies to more efficiently explore for hydrocarbon resources; Ameena Saeed Al Hosani who worked on developing a new type of concrete that could help reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cement production by up to 80 percent;and Iyad Amer who worked on designing an artificial intelligence system that can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease six years before symptoms appear.