UAEU Chancellor Zaki Nusseibeh Speech to the 9th Annual Graduate Students’ Conference

Dear graduate students, faculty, university presidents, and esteemed guests.

Welcome to the UAE Graduate Students’ Research Conference 2024. It is an honor for the United Arab Emirates University to host our gathering today.

First and foremost it is an immense joy for me to convene this occasion. Today I see before me graduate students who represent the future of intellectual inquiry and innovation. 

Therefore second, allow me a few moments to address these students directly.

Dear students, thank you for your eagerness to participate. I hope the event proves to be a landmark in your graduate journey.

The journey towards a graduate degree demands resilience in the face of many different challenges. It requires courage to push the boundaries of knowledge, to question established theories, and to venture into the unknown territories of one's chosen field. It requires self-belief to sustain motivation through the inevitable setbacks and moments of self-doubt that accompany rigorous academic inquiry. It requires confidence to share ideas and findings with others, and to open oneself to critique.

Your participation today demonstrates that each of you possess these virtues: resilience, courage, self-belief, and confidence. Today you bring them to the test. And what is significant is that such a test will take place in good company.

The essence of this conference lies in the exchange of ideas, the sharing of knowledge, and the collaborative pursuit of academic excellence.

Thus the significance of your participation is that today you reach for the vital chance to make your individual journey a shared endeavour. As you do this, you acknowledge the power of collective intellect.

In seeking interaction with your fellow researchers, you understand that your individual endeavors are amplified when you share your insights and perspectives within a community.

Dear students, as you present your work you will receive responses – both positive and negative. You will take all these responses as food for thought, as guidance, and as vital stimulation. These responses can only serve to lead to greater nuance and precision in your work. They are of immense value.

As I look at you this morning, I sense both your excitement and your anxiety. So let me remind you that you can rest assured of the virtues you already possess.

This conference is a pivotal platform for you to engage, collaborate, and propel your research endeavors forward. Together you will stand the test.

I wish you every success today.

Ladies and gentlemen.

In the UAE, our commitment to nurturing graduate education is unwavering. We recognize that graduate students are the driving force behind research and innovation in our universities. Without robust graduate programs, our aspirations to attain global research prominence would remain unfulfilled.

The overwhelming response to this year's conference is a testament to its importance to graduate study. With over one thousand submissions from graduate students across the UAE and the region, we are presented with groundbreaking research from a diverse array of disciplines. These submissions demonstrate the depth and breadth of our collective scholarship.

Indeed, graduate students are the lifeblood of research-intensive universities. Graduate students not only expand the boundaries of knowledge. When these bright novices collaborate with experienced faculty members the seeds of new ideas are planted. These rich exchanges over new ideas foster the critical thinking and innovation necessary for our academic institutions to elevate their reputations. Let us take care to nurture those seeds.

Therefore it is fortunate that, in the UAE, we recognise the challenges that graduate students face. Our universities make great investments to provide what graduate students need to thrive. We are committed to ensuring that our students have the tools and resources they need to succeed.  

Let me speak of the future role of our graduate students.

In graduate education, we emphasize basic research, the application of knowledge to real-world problems, and the development of professional competence. Moreover, during their rigorous journey, together with all its challenges, graduate students also develop vital skillsets. These are the skillsets needed to address complexity and to drive innovation in their respective fields. They are the skillsets that involve the capacity to communicate, to collaborate, to convince, and to engage. They are the skillsets of leadership.

These are skillsets that are fundamental in today’s world.

In closing, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our collaborating universities, the organizing committee, the scientific committee, and all the reviewers for their tireless efforts.

Ladies and gentlemen. I wish you an enriching conference experience.

I look forward to hearing about your constructive discussions, the productive exchange of ideas, and the new collaborations that will be forged.

Above all, may your interactions here lead to friendships that will endure beyond these halls.

Thank you.