Partnership Celebrates new Centre of Excellence at KAUST

Representatives and guests of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and Thermo Fisher Scientific, attended the opening on May 9th of the Electron Microscopy Center of Excellence at the KAUST campus in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. The centre aims to offer KAUST scientists and collaborators exploration and experimentation capabilities through Thermo Fisher’s leading electron microscopy platform. Industry partners located in the KAUST Research and Technology Park will also benefit from proximity to the company’s deep application knowledge in materials science.

“We have enjoyed a long history with KAUST and look forward to continued collaboration and technology advancement as part of this new centre of excellence,” said Michael Shafer, president, materials and structural analysis, Thermo Fisher. “By gaining access to the latest characterisation techniques, hardware and software available on the market, KAUST will have the opportunity to advance scientific research in the areas of chemistry and catalyst research, nanoparticles and life sciences.”

Dr. Justin Mynar, director of the KAUST Core Laboratories and Major Facilities said, “This centre embodies the mission of our strategic partnership with Thermo Fisher to achieve our common goals in the advancement of high-performance imaging technologies. Our collaboration seeks to elevate the experimental capabilities and capacity in the Electron Microscopy Center of Excellence to provide our students, faculty, researchers and partners an array of scientific opportunities and advantages for the first time in Saudi Arabia.”

The opening ceremony included the official commissioning of the FEI Titan Themis Z scanning transmission electron microscope (S/TEM), which can be used to understand relationships between a material’s larger-scale physical properties and its atomic-scale composition and structure.

This new centre is part of a strategy by KAUST to build long-term partnerships with major instrument suppliers, in order to provide first class research facilities, training and services to KAUST users and collaborators across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.