First Cohort in Shenzhen Advances UAE–China Collaboration in Doctoral Education, Clean Energy and Net-Zero Research
A total of five Khalifa University PhD students began the Jointly Awarded PhD Program with Tsinghua University in Shenzhen, becoming the first cohort to enter the new doctoral pathway at the Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS).
The students will pursue their research under joint academic supervision, drawing on the faculty expertise, facilities and research networks of both universities. Upon successful completion, graduates will receive a dual award of doctoral degrees from both Khalifa University and Tsinghua University.
As one of the first jointly awarded doctoral program of its kind between China and the wider Middle East and Africa region, the program follows a university-level agreement signed by Khalifa University and Tsinghua University in October 2025 to expand cooperation in graduate education, scientific research and areas including clean energy, advanced materials, environmental science and sustainable development.
Professor TieJun Zhang, Director of International Relations and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Khalifa University, met the five students together with their Tsinghua advisors and Dean Ouyang Zheng of SIGS. The visit provided an opportunity to review the cohort’s transition into the program and discuss the academic coordination required to support research across the two institutions.
The jointly awarded PhD program forms part of Khalifa University’s wider expansion of research and graduate education partnerships in East Asia. The KU–Tsinghua partnership is also advancing through the Carbon Neutrality and Energy System Transformation (CNEST) Joint Research Program. Five projects have been selected for support in clean energy and net-zero technologies, comprising three fully funded projects and two student-led projects. The fully funded projects will support postdoctoral researchers and PhD students, while the student-led projects will enable doctoral researchers from both institutions to work under joint academic supervision.
Professor Mahmoud Al-Qutayri, Associate Provost for Academic Operations, said: “Seeing the first cohort established in Shenzhen is important because it turns Khalifa University’s agreement with Tsinghua University into an active academic community. The students will work within one doctoral framework shaped by the complementary strengths of Khalifa University and Tsinghua SIGS. Their research, professional networks and experience across two innovation systems can create value well beyond the five doctoral projects, laying the foundation for sustained scientific collaboration and talent cultivation between the UAE and China.”
