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The Faculty of Dentistry of King Abdulaziz University (KAU) and King's College London, UK, have signed an agreement to set up a joint PhD programme in dentistry.
The agreement was formalized by KAU President, HE Prof Osama S. Tayyeb, and Prof Fraser McDonald on the sidelines of the International Exhibition and Conference on Higher Education held from 19-22 April 2011 at Riyadh International Exhibition & Convention Center.
The signing ceremony was attended by Prof Abdurrahman Alyoubi, KAU Vice-President for Educational Affairs, Dr Zuheir Damanhouri, KAU Vice-President for Development, Dr Abdulmonem Mira, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, and Dr Ghazi Al-Makki, the Saudi Cultural Attaché in UK.
In statements following the ceremony, Prof Tayyeb said that the agreement, the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, was in line with KAU's commitment to fostering partnerships with international and world-class universities, such as King's College, which had recently been ranked 21st by the QS World University Rankings.
"This joint PhD programme will be of pivotal importance for cross-disciplinary research in cutting-edge life sciences", said Prof Tayyeb.
According to the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, Dr Abdulmonem Mira, four students will be enrolled annually for the four-year-long programme.
Students will be co-supervised by faculty members from both universities, and will have to spend at least 10% of the full period of the programme in the partner university.
Supervisors will have to meet quarterly to review the thesis, identify problems and take necessary remedial actions.
Regular reports will also be submitted to the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research on the progress of students, each of whom is required to have at least three papers published in refereed journals.
Dr Mira concluded by thanking Prof Tayyeb for his relentless support to the Faculty of Dentistry in pursuit of improving postgraduate programmes.
He also showed appreciation to Prof Alyoubi and other KAU vice-presidents for their earnest efforts to make the agreement a reality.
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