New York University Abu Dhabi has launched three new research centres: the NYUAD Water Research Centre; the Centre for Behavioural Institutional Design; and The Arab Centre for the Study of Art.
Since its launch in 2010, the university has established more than 80 faculty labs and projects, and 16 research centres led by accomplished thought leaders. Many of these are multidisciplinary, in line with NYUAD’s vision to be one of the world’s great research universities that addresses complex challenges of global significance and local relevance.
NYUAD Water Research Centre (NYUAD-WRC) will be Led by Nidal Hilal, Professor of Engineering and Director of Water Research Centre; along with Raed Hashaikeh, Co-Principal Investigator and Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Ali Trabolsi, Programme Head of Chemistry and Associate Professor of Chemistry; John Burt, Programme Head of Environmental Studies and Associate Professor of Biology.
The centre will focus on the critical role of water, which is linked to many global societal issues such as health, food security, the economy and public policy. Growing scarcity demands novel solutions for managing existing water resources and increasing supply, which are also some of the objectives of the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036.
Commenting on the launch of NYUAD-WRC, Hilal said, “The centre will bring together the faculties of Engineering and Science from across the NYU network, to establish a world-renowned knowledge hub for advancing water research. NYUAD-WRC seeks to place the UAE in a leading position for cutting-edge research and development in water technologies, in line with the country’s vision for water security and the efficient use of resources.”
The Centre for Behavioural Institutional design (CBID) will be led by Nikos Nikiforakis, Principal Investigators Global Network Professor of Economics; John Wooders, Global Network Professor of Economics; Olivier Bochet, Co-Principal Investigators and Associate Professor of Economics; and Ernesto Reuben, Associate Professor of Economics Ernesto Reuben.
Their long-term goal is to construct empirically validated models of human behaviour, using them to design and implement policies and institutions that will improve social welfare.
CBID will bring together faculty from the NYU global network and from across the social and behavioural sciences. They will be joined by leading policymakers to establish a globally recognised knowledge hub for behavioural social science and public policy.
The Arab Centre for the Study of Art will be led by Salwa Mikdadi, Principal Investigator and Associate Professor Practice of Art History; and Shamoon Zamir, Co-Principal Investigators and Professor of Literature and Art History; and May Al-Dabbagh, Assistant Professor of Social Research and Public Policy.
Building upon recent calls to decentre cultural histories and social theory, the centre will move both research and pedagogy beyond the established canons of art history by investigating the histories of art from the region. It aims to become a nexus for dialogue, conversations, and collaborations on art and photography, open to scholars and to art practitioners from across the region and beyond.
The centre’s archive will be an essential tool for teaching art history and will include documents, images and publications from regional art institutions, visual artists, and interviews with artists and practitioners in the Gulf region in the form of audio and video interviews.
Deliverables include book publications and peer reviewed monographs; the development of undergraduate courses at NYUAD; supporting plans for graduate programmes in art and art history; output from research fellowships and artists’ residencies; the creation of the archive; conferences, colloquia and workshops; and the creation of a cross regional network of scholars and artists involved in dialogues and exchanges.
