NYUAD Institute

Quantum information theory has given us a new and interesting twist on the old problem of quantum gravity: the Universe as a Computation. As the computation proceeds, reality unfolds. Information theory allows us to study the behavior of a system without committing to a particular story about it, for example, the story of spacetime. We can go beyond the point where the old story is no longer usefu...

Why do many consider al-Mutannabi the first Arab poet? Why is his poetry still pulsing with life, modernity, uniqueness, and Arabness as if it was written in the recent past? This conversation discusses Dr. Ali bin Tamim's personal experience with al-Mutannabi and the reasons behind his interest of al-Mutannabi's poetry. This special talk includes readings of al-Mutannabi’s poetry and distribution...

A roller coaster through cosmic time, this talk truncates the 13.7 billion years of life of our Universe into 60 minutes. Starting from a very hot cosmic soup, the Universe evolved from tiny initial perturbations to the large variety of structures we can observe today. The talk also explores the biggest mystery in modern physics: the dark side of the Universe. Speakers Andrea Valerio Macciò, Assoc...

Rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm are far higher for those in Gen Z (born after 1996) than any previous generation, including the Millennials. Employers report that Gen Z employees are often more fragile and lacking in life-skills. This talk explores three terrible ideas, interacting with new technology, that have weakened Gen Z, and discusses how young people can put themselves on a pat...

This talk discusses the role of place in diasporic literature and the universality of women's voices. Who can speak for whom? What role do distance and diasporic privilege play? Does nostalgia take on dangerous potential, and does it really matter if writing is about the confluence of one's imagination and memory? Speakers Saba Khan, Author, "Skyfall" (Bloomsbury, 2020); Instructor of Social Scien...

With the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan, many may remember the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001. Since then, Afghans in the culture sector have established many cultural heritage development initiatives, which highlight the country’s diverse regional identities. Although heritage might not seem to be the highest priority during times of uncertainty, in the past 20 years it...

Paper, perhaps the most common manufactured item in everyday use, was invented in China over 2,000 years ago. One thousand years later, Muslims learned of it after they conquered Central Asia in the early eighth century. They quickly carried it and the techniques of manufacturing it across Eurasia and Northern Africa to the shores of the Atlantic. There, some 1500 years after its invention, Europe...

The five days between November 28 and December 2, 1971 saw Abu Dhabi mark the fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed as Ruler, an invasion by Iran, and a never-to-be-forgotten appearance by the Star of the East herself—Umm Kulthum. This talk reflects on this period of celebration, turmoil, and anticipation. Speaker James Langton, Journalist, Writer & Editor In Collaboration with NYUAD Cultural Engageme...

This talk explores the collaborative research efforts to produce “Building Sharjah,” the first book--not only in the UAE but in the region--to document the history of a Gulf city. The panelists share the driving force behind the book and describe the journey of documenting the rise of the city through stories from its citizens, residents, and immigrants. Speakers Todd Reisz, Author, "Showpiece Cit...

Western paradigms of history about East and West, North and South, have enjoyed a privileged position in the global marketplace of ideas. However, the long-term rise of China and India, together with cultural discourses of regionalism in West Asia, Africa, and elsewhere, is fundamentally altering this situation. Non-Western countries are increasingly reconstructing their pasts, and their place in...

As population and pollution increase, humans are looking at high frontiers. Potential benefits of extraterrestrial mining are immense. For example, NASA has identified an asteroid, 16 Psyche, to be worth more than 10,000 quadrillion dollars, while the economy of our planet is about 80 trillion dollars. But there are also challenges, including: mining in Space (planets and asteroids); exploration,...

To develop fundamentally new laws of nature, theoretical physicists often rely on arguments from beauty. Simplicity and naturalness in particular have been strongly influential guides in the foundations of physics ever since the development of the standard model of particle physics. This talk demonstrates that arguments from beauty have led the field into a dead end and considers what can be done...

Sujatha Gidla, the author of Ants Among Elephants:An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India, in conversation with Toral Gajarawala, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at NYU, about caste, class and race, and their relationship to rights, violence and writing. Speakers Sujatha Gidla, Author, "Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern Indi...

Lawrence Abu Hamdan presents "Natq," a live audiovisual essay on the politics and possibilities of reincarnation. Through listening closely to “xenoglossy” (the impossible speech of reincarnated subjects), this performance explores a collectivity of lives who use reincarnation to negotiate their condition at the threshold of the law—people for whom injustices and violence have escaped the historic...

By the start of 2018, 25 million refugees fled across international borders to seek protection. Over half of these refugees are under the age of 18. Little rigorous evidence exists on strategies to promote refugee children’s academic learning and socio-emotional development. What role can universities play in helping to close this critical gap in evidence? This panel describes the state of educati...

Recent earthquakes, ranging from Brexit and the election of Donald Trump to the pandemic, have terminated the role that the United States and its Western allies assumed after 1945 as political teachers and role models to the rest of the world. This talk discusses the likely consequences of this epochal transformation. Speakers Pankaj Mishra, Literary and Political Essayist; 2014 Windham-Campbell P...

How do architectural design and users’ practices inform the creation of social space? In which spaces and through which modalities do people come together and “make” space in a city as diverse as Abu Dhabi? How are these processes approached by various disciplines—from architecture and urban design to the social sciences and the arts? This talk brings together scholars and practitioners to discuss...

The making of citizens in and through music is a 19th-century commonplace. But the ground of this longstanding musicological discussion has shifted with globalization, mobility, and the parlous condition of nation and state today. What does it now mean to label a musician an “ideal citizen”? This talk looks at the question of musical “multi-citizenship in multiple places” (Parlati/Chamoiseau) from...

The Thousand and One Nights has been fueling the imagination and craft of storytellers since the 18th century. This conversation between two winners of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award traces the returns and afterlives of the Nights until today, and discusses why these tales continue to inspire and affect the stories of writers from all over the globe. Speakers Richard van Leeuwen, Senior Lecturer in I...

Even before its shores claimed an ounce of steel, Dubai was a modern city whose residents plied sea and desert routes to sustain it. This talk charts how some of these global links generated the city we know today. Speaker Todd Reisz, Author, "Showpiece City: How Architecture Made Dubai" (Stanford, 2020)

The UAE has built an instrumental ecosystem of research around the local, governmental, and independent academic institutions, research and technology industrial organizations, and scientific innovation parks, among others. This talk discusses current efforts to improve research and development infrastructure, expand its capacity, and influence impactful research outcomes and productions globally....

Women and women's sport are playing a growing role in promoting equality and cooperation across business and society in the Middle East. From the grassroots level to professional ranks, sport is being used to break down barriers, unite people, and contribute to a tolerant and diverse society. Why does sport--and the rising prominence of women's sport, in particular--have such power to help transfo...

The Sun generates huge magnetic storms with some regularity and streams billions of tons of charged particles. These storms are supposed to reach their peak activity in 2025. With it comes the likelihood of large impact on the Earth, with potential damage to our communications systems and power grids, causing enormous strife and financial loss. We missed a few such storms in the last 25 years. Wil...

With all eyes on the Middle East, global leaders have recognized that science diplomacy is an extremely important mechanism for working toward stability in the region. This talk introduces the Malta Conferences Foundation’s “Frontiers of Science: Innovation, Research, and Education in the Middle East” series which brings together representatives from 15 Middle East countries, Morocco, and Pakistan...

Grace Aneiza Ali’s recently-published Liminal Spaces: Migration and Women of the Guyanese Diaspora (OpenBook Publishers) is an intimate exploration into the art and migration narratives of 15 women of Guyanese heritage. In this talk, Ali expands on the book’s four-part journey tracing the migration path of Guyanese women from their moment of departure, to their arrival on diasporic soils, to their...