Prestigious award for Leading BUiD Student

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British University in DubaiBritish University in Dubai Researcher Contributes to Region's Academic Standing by Joining Key UK IT Institution
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Fouad Zablith, a British University in DubaiBritish University in Dubai graduate, has been awarded a research studentship at a leading UK university.

In recognition of his scholarship and enormous academic potential, the Knowledge Media Institute (KMi) of the Open University has agreed to enroll and fund Fouad Zablith in his Doctoral studies. This will constitute a major change of career for Zablith, who is the current chief of the business development and IT infrastructure of ZeTrading.com.

Last academic year saw Zablith, a Lebanese national, complete his Master of Science thesis and be awarded a Distinction grade. He is also the first graduate of BUiDBUiD's Institute of Informatics MSc in Informatics (Knowledge and Data Management Stream).

His paper, "Laying the foundations for a Worldwide Argument Web" - co-authored with Dr. Iyad Rahwan - was accepted by Artificial Intelligence Journal (AIJ). Dr. Rahwan is delighted at his former student's success.

"Fouad's achievement in obtaining a doctoral scholarship from a leading UK research institution can be seen as evidence of the quality of the research-based education we offer at the British University in DubaiBritish University in Dubai," said David Lock, Registrar, the British University in DubaiBritish University in Dubai.

"Our MSc in Information Technology degree - offered jointly with the University of Edinburgh - combined with the cutting-edge research we conduct here, placed Fouad as an ideal candidate for this competitive scholarship," added Dr. Iyad Rahwan, MSc in Information Technology Programme Coordinator, Institute of Informatics, British University in DubaiBritish University in Dubai and Honorary Fellow, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh.

"I am very proud that our first batch of MSc graduates has produced such success. I look forward to helping more students achieve their scientific ambitions by giving them the skills and knowledge to be world-class researchers," Dr. Rahwan concluded.

There is a close symmetry between Mr. Zablith and the KMi. Based at the Open University, itself a bold, modernizing initiative in 1960s Britain, the KMi aims to be at the leading edge of web, semantic, learning and new media technologies, known collectively as convergence knowledge media.

KMi's commitment to "Real Systems, Real Users" - demonstrating that technologies deliver for both the commercial world and in the wider community - corresponds to Zablith's own creative and research interests. As part of his thesis, he produced ArgDF (http://www.argdf.org/), an advanced second-generation Web (i.e. Semantic Web) application, for supporting multi-user dialogue and argumentation.

Fouad Zablith will be taking up his new role in October 2007.

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About the British University in Dubai
The British University in DubaiBritish University in Dubai (BUiDBUiD) is the Middle East's first research-based, postgraduate university. The University was established to facilitate access to world-class education, training and research in the Middle East. BUiDBUiD aspires to the highest, internationally recognized British standards as reflected in its partnership with the University of Edinburgh, the University of Birmingham, the University of Manchester, Cardiff University and the Cass Business School at City University, London. Each has a five or five-star rating in the UK national Research Assessment Exercise that signifies research of international standard.

The not-for-profit university offers full and part-time Masters Degree programmes and Continuing Professional Development courses in Information Technology, Project Management, the Built Environment, Finance and Banking, Education and IT Management.

All BUiDBUiD's current Masters Programmes have received Accreditation Eligibility Status from the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research's Commission for Academic Accreditation.

The founders of the University are the Al Maktoum Foundation, the Dubai Development and Investment Authority, Rolls-Royce, the British Business Group and the National Bank of Dubai. The University is governed by a Council under the chairmanship of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

The Emirates Group, DUCAB, Atkins, Dubai Duty Free, Hyder Consulting, the Emirates Foundation and DUGAS are supporters of the university through financial contributions or the provision of scholarships.

For further enquiries call BUiDBUiD on +971.4.391.3633.

About the Knowledge Media Institute:
The Knowledge Media Institute (KMi) was set up in 1995 in recognition of the need for the Open University to be at the leading edge of web, semantic, learning and new media technologies. Over the years we have come to embody the unique character of the Open University, the world's largest distance teaching institution, in the world of innovation and technology research.

See http://kmi.open.ac.uk/about/

About Artificial Intelligence Journal (AIJ):
Published by Elsevier, AIJ is recognised as the premium and most competitive journal in the area of artificial intelligence.

See http://appsrv.cse.cuhk.edu.hk/~chhoi/jrank.htm

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© Press Release 2007