Plant Science PhD Program

Program Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
K1: Demonstrate synthesis and integration of frontier research in plant science, including molecular, genetic, physiological, ecological, and computational approaches, with particular emphasis on crops and plants relevant to arid and semi-arid environments.
K2: Identify knowledge gaps and emerging challenges in plant science, including climate resilience, food security, sustainable agriculture, and plant–environment interactions, and situate these gaps within a global and Saudi Arabian context.
K3: Independently perform original and advanced research projects in plant science, including hypothesis generation, experimental and computational design, advanced data analysis (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics, phenomics, and systems biology), and dissemination through impactful publications.
K4: Define novel, interdisciplinary research questions in plant science that integrate experimental, computational, and translational perspectives, and that contribute new knowledge relevant to plant productivity, resilience, and sustainability under challenging environmental conditions.

Skills
S1: Lead an original, independent PhD-level research project in plant science within KAUST’s highly interdisciplinary and international research environment, demonstrating strategic planning and scientific leadership.
S2: Publish original research findings in leading, peer-reviewed international journals in plant science and related disciplines, meeting the highest standards of rigor, reproducibility, and scientific integrity.
S3: Secure competitive research and travel funding, e.g. from internal KAUST funding schemes or external national or international grants.
S4: Engage critically and constructively in advanced scientific discussions, communicating complex plant science concepts across disciplines, cultures, and scientific communities, including participation in seminars, conferences, and collaborative projects.
S5: Contribute new methodologies, analytical pipelines, experimental platforms, or conceptual frameworks in plant science, particularly those leveraging KAUST’s strengths in genomics, bioinformatics, imaging, controlled-environment agriculture, and computational biology.

Values, Autonomy, and Responsibility
V1: Mentor and support junior researchers, students, and technical staff, fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and international research culture aligned with KAUST’s mission and values.
V2: Demonstrate scientific and professional leadership within research groups, taking responsibility for project outcomes, research quality, and collaborative dynamics in highly complex research settings.
V3: Shape scientific agendas in plant science by initiating innovative research directions that address national and global priorities, including food security, environmental sustainability, and climate adaptation.
V4: Take responsibility for the societal, environmental, and ethical implications of plant science research, particularly in relation to agriculture, sustainability, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals.
V5: Commit to the highest standards of rigor, transparency, reproducibility, and ethical conduct in scientific research, including responsible data management, authorship, and engagement with emerging ethical challenges in plant science and biotechnology.

PhD Course Requirements

Students entering the PhD Program must complete the requirements below.

At least two 300-level courses (6 credits)
Graduate Seminar (non-credit)
Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)

The Academic Advisor may request the completion of additional courses. Courses taken while pursuing the KAUST MS degree cannot be counted towards the PhD course requirements. Courses must be technical courses and cannot be substituted with Research, Internship, or Broadening Courses to fulfill degree requirements.

Graduate Seminars (non-credit)

All students must register for BESE 398 and receive a Satisfactory grade for five Semesters. However, it is recommended that students register for Seminars every Semester. For more details about BESE Seminars please contact your GPSA.

Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)

All students must complete the Winter Enrichment Program (WE 100) for credit at least once during their studies at KAUST. Students who have previously completed WEP will be exempt from this requirement in their future studies.

PhD Candidacy

In addition to the coursework requirements, students must successfully complete the required PhD candidacy milestones to progress toward PhD candidate status. These milestones are as follows:

A subject-based qualifier (pre-proposal meeting)
PhD Proposal Defense

Once students have advanced to candidacy, students are designated as PhD or Doctoral Candidates.

Qualifying Exam

The qualifier known in the program as 'The Pre-Proposal Committee Meeting' is a research update meeting to determine progress and readiness toward the PhD Proposal Defense. Students must pass the Pre-Proposal Committee Meeting by the end of the third semester after commencing the PhD degree. However, it is recommended students pass the Pre-Proposal Committee Meeting by the end of their Second Semester after commencing the PhD program. Students who complete their Proposal Defense within three Semesters do not have to complete the Pre-Proposal Committee Meeting.

Expectations for the Qualifier (Pre-Proposal Meeting):

The suggested time of the meeting is 45-60 minutes.
Student is evaluated on their overall progress during the last academic year, focusing on the status of research, research milestones, and plans for the following academic year. It is expected that a broad topic has been determined by this stage.The student will provide a short (<30 minutes; 8-12 slides) presentation on the state of their research, i.e., what is the research question they are answering (the knowledge gap), how they will do this (the approach), what remains to be done (the activity).
The presentation will be followed by a brief Q&A from the Committee (10 min).
The Committee will then meet separately with the Dissertation Advisor (i.e., the student will be excused) to discuss the student's progress, performance, and expectations (optional, 5 min).
The Committee will meet separately with the student (i.e., the Dissertation Advisor will be excused) to inquire about the relationship between the student and Dissertation Advisor (project feedback; project support; discussion of expectations; etc.) (optional, 5 min).

The student will be given verbal and written feedback (10 mins) regarding the following:

Research topic
Methodology and plan
Overall performance

Dissertation

For more details on the Qualifying Exam results, Dissertation Proposal Defense and committee formation, Proposal Defense results, Petition to Defend the Dissertation and committee formation, Dissertation Defense results, Dissertation document, and Dissertation archiving, please refer to the Policy page.