Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) continued to be at the forefront of new-age science when the Abu Dhabi-based university announced it is starting two new departments and four associated graduate programmes dedicated to robotics and computer science.
There is a surging global demand for the two disciplines, which are expected to have an industry size of more than AED800 billion ($217.8 billion) and AED500 billion ($136.1 billion) respectively by 2030.
The new departments will complement the university’s existing computer vision (CV), machine learning (ML), and natural language processing (NLP) departments, which are ranked among the top 20 globally by CSRankings. The departments will act as academic homes for new faculty, researchers and postdoctoral fellows, and students in robotics and computer science.
The university has also launched master’s and PhD programmes in robotics and computer science. The master’s programmes in the two fields will be of two-year durations, including a compulsory six-week internship, while the PhD will take four years, including a compulsory three-month internship.
Professor Eric Xing, President of MBZUAI, said: “The addition of these two new departments represents MBZUAI’s lasting effort in developing a solid foundation for research excellence and innovation in artificial intelligence.
“The university will continue to bring into Abu Dhabi world-leading faculty and researchers in the fields and to empower students to become pioneers with highly sought-after skills in developing advanced AI tools and applications across industries. Given the digital renaissance we find ourselves in, skills in these disciplines are in high demand.”
Robotics is a transformative technology, revolutionising sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and transportation. MBZUAI’s Robotics Department will focus on original research, emphasising robot learning and robot algorithms rather than the development of new robot hardware. Topics of interest include deep learning, control theory, robot manipulation, quadruped locomotion, human-robot interaction, robot-assisted surgery and healthcare, swarm robotics, precision agriculture, and environment and infrastructure monitoring.
The Computer Science Department will provide depth in the foundation technologies that have given rise to the phenomenal growth and impact of IT in the last four decades. It will also focus on entrepreneurship and sustainability. The global computer science job market is booming, with projections of a 14.5 percent CAGR from 2021 to 2027 and an estimated 3.5 million jobs by 2026.
Currently, there are no comparable programmes available in the UAE. Applications for the 2024 admissions year will open on 1 September, 2023.
