UAE: First PhD programme for AI research launched in region
The UAE saw the launch of its first PhD programme dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence research and implementation in the country and the wider region. Part of the University of Birmingham Dubai's School of Computer Science, Provost Dr Yusra Mouzughi spoke with Khaleej Times over the phone about the university's role in responding to local and regional challenges and catering to government needs around AI adoption.
The PhD programme, announced during Dubai AI Week 2025, which took place from April 21 and runs until April 25, serves as a testament to the country's progressive stance on AI adoption in multiple sectors and an indicator to the UAE's commitment to innovation, the provost said.
The programme consists of a minimum of three years, with a focus on targeting an area of research relevant to the candidate, and a minimum of two supervisors will work hand in hand with the postgraduate student. Supervisors will be both Dubai-based and UK-based, as the university has campuses in those two countries.
'The UAE is leaps and bounds ahead of many countries in terms of adoption of AI, so how can our PhD candidates contribute to identifying some of the gaps, some of the areas that require further research, and through their own work, plug so that we are responding to industry needs, to government needs around AI adoption,' Mouzughi said.
PhD candidates in AI will have to learn elements of theory and development, and then learn to implement those into various sectors, such as implementing AI for healthcare, AI for regulatory frameworks, and AI for cognitive cities. To go forth with the programme, Mouzughi said that potential candidates would not be approved to progress without securing an ethical approval from the university's committee. 'With AI, given how new it is as a discipline, we have very clear guidelines around ethics and the application of ethics within the research domain,' she added.
Looking ahead
'If I was to think five years, for the country, I think what we will definitely see is the genuine impact of the application of the research findings [of AI],' Mouzughi said. She added, 'Whether it's the Road and Transport Authority (RTA), whether it is the Dubai Health Authority, whether it's the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, etc. the application of the findings of the research will make a difference to our position as a leader in AI implementation.
The provost compared this generation's approach to AI to how Microsoft (MS) Word and MS Excel were used in the past, explaining that it will be fundamental for everybody to be competent in using AI. 'AI is the future. It's not coming, it's here.'
'What we need to do is to be doing degrees in engineering but understand AI, degrees in data analytics, but how can I usefully use AI, degrees in law using AI, degrees in medicine using AI, chemistry,' the university provost said. 'AI is a skill. It is an agent that will help us understand how we do our work better, more efficiently.'
The programme was launched in the presence of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Dubai crown prince and minister of defense of the UAE. Three years earlier, he was also present for the opening of the University of Birmingham's new Dubai campus. 'We feel very privileged to have that endorsement from highest possible leadership in terms of appreciation for the kind of the commitment to being a part of the ecosystem that is the UAE,' Mouzughi said.
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