On March 16 and 17, KAUST’s Saudi Initiatives, Graduate Affairs and Industry Engagement Offices hosted the 7th Annual KAUST Industry Collaboration Program (KICP) Career Day. The event, exclusive to KAUST’s KICP members and industry collaborators, provides KAUST students with direct access to full time job opportunities and internships in science, technology and business-related areas.
Networking Opportunities
Eighteen companies attended including Saudi Aramco, Siemens, SABIC, Dow, Boeing, GE, Authentix and many others. Approximately 100 prescheduled interviews with over 50 KAUST students and post docs took place with some of the company representatives being former KAUST students themselves.
In addition to interviews, a number of panel discussions, presentations and exhibitions were open to students.
Being enrolled at KAUST allows students to benefit from international and Saudi companies and their network of facilities designed for creative collision and knowledge-sharing.
Close proximity to KICP partners and the KAUST Research and Technology Park provides students with numerous opportunities to identify joint research opportunities, collaborate and develop new approaches to solving complex problems.
Mark Crowell, KAUST Innovation’s vice president, encouraged students to take advantage of KAUST’s innovation ecosystem and the networking opportunities with prospective employers and collaborators. He also highlighted that one of KAUST Innovation’s very own startups, FalconViz, was hiring at this year’s event.
Companies attending the event were extremely positive about hiring KAUST graduates. Dr. Mohamed Lazzouni, chief operating officer of Authentix, a provider of authentication or anti-counterfeiting solutions for the oil and gas, pharmaceutical, consumer and agrochemical sectors, mentioned that companies live and die by their values.
“Authentix puts a high priority on collaborating with KAUST because of its focus on advancing science for the betterment of humankind. It provides the ideal ecosystem where students, researchers and companies work collaboratively and with a smile on their face to solve complex problems,” Lazzouni said.
Dana Juffali, a project manager at Siemens, highlighted the exceptional values that Siemens finds in abundance at KAUST.
“KAUST, like Siemens, puts a high priority on excellence, innovation and responsibility. KAUST graduates make ideal employees not only because of their excellent academic standards, but also their strong commitment to solving global challenges and dedication to making the world a better place,” Juffali said.
Prior the event, there were two weeks of career-related workshops and activities that were organized by KAUST Innovation’s Industry Engagement Office and Entrepreneurship Center.