Visit to Saudi Arabia Marks Start of UCF Prince Mohammad bin Fahd Program’s Research Initiative
As part of ongoing partnership between UCF and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University (PMU), UCF’s Prince Mohammad bin Fahd Program for Strategic Research and Studies (PMBF) recently sponsored the first in a series of research exchange visits. Supporting collaborative research is one of the PMBF Program’s pillars, and the new exchange initiative will see UCF and PMU researchers visit their respective campuses on a regular basis.
UCF Assistant Vice President for Research Dr. Pallavoor (Vaidy) Vaidyanthan visited PMU in late April to assess PMU’s research capabilities, explain UCF’s various research program, and to identify opportunities for institutional collaboration, student programs, and faculty research. Dr. Vaidyanathan met with PMU Rector Dr. Issa Al Ansari, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Dr. Mohammed Al-Mulhem, and the Dean of Research Development Dr. Yoser Gadhoum. In addition to meeting PMU researchers in a variety of fields, Dr. Vaidyanathan also gave a presentation on UCF research capabilities to 45 faculty members.
The visit marks a new chapter or cooperation between UCF and PMU. The two universities hope to strengthen ties by embarking on numerous research initiatives. In the course of his visit, Dr. Vaidyanathan identified a number of potential areas of academic and research collaboration between UCF and PMU. These include faculty exchanges, undergraduate research experience and internship programs, joint research projects, industry partnerships, and participation in research-oriented conferences and journals. PMU also reiterated its interest in having UCF faculty and Ph.D. candidates visit PMU to teach for varying periods of time.
A co-ed, private university, PMU has four colleges and 17 degree programs, with an enrollment of 5,500 students. PMU offers state of the art facilities and is dedicated to providing its students with the academic know-how and job skills and the knowledge needed in today’s global economy. PMU will be celebrating its 10th anniversary later this year. It is a fast growing, well renowned co-ed institution of higher learning specializing in areas such as engineering, computer science, business and information technology.
Launched as a joint UCF-PMU partnership in 2012, the UCF Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program for Strategic Research and Studies (PMBF Program) is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-ideological co-curricular program which seeks to advance knowledge and awareness about issues of interest to both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. The PMBF Program, which will become part of the College of Sciences under the Political Science Department in July, also aims to promote research and other mutually beneficial educational ties.