Hina Tabassum received her undergraduate degree in electronics engineering, and her masters in telecommunications at the NED University of Engineering and Technology in Karachi, Pakistan. While looking for PhD options, a trusted professor from her alma mater introduced her to KAUST. Although she had never considered Saudi Arabia for graduate school, a few reasons convinced her to leave her home country to join the founding class.

“KAUST is in a country that aligns with my religious beliefs,” said Tabassum. “As a Muslim, I only ever dreamed of going to Saudi Arabia, so it seemed that going there would help me succeed in both my present life and afterlife.”

But religion alone was not the only aspect of KAUST that enticed Tabassum.

“I started doing my research when I heard about KAUST and saw that many high-profile professors taught there. I was very impressed by such a worldly and academically successful faculty,” she said. “I already knew that the success of your supervisor greatly impacts the success of the student.”

Her final reason for choosing KAUST is one that only KAUST students and alumni know.

“What really made me trust in my decision to attend KAUST was the financial stability they offered that other schools could not provide,” she said. “I had just gotten married and started my family in Pakistan, and while I had dreams of continuing my education, I had to make sure my decisions supported the dreams and happiness of my family too. It took a lot of convincing and some risk-taking, but my husband believed in me and was able to leave his job in Pakistan to join me at KAUST. I don’t know of any other university that provides enough support for women with families to work towards their degrees in a way that still allows them to be partners and parents.”

Once she got started, Tabassum spent her time wisely. She trusted her supervisor Professor Slim Alouini to know how much she could handle, a skill that takes time to master on both ends. She attended multiple international conferences and did a summer internship in Beirut in the short three years she had at KAUST. The peace of mind around raising a family at KAUST allowed Tabassum to feel happy and fulfilled being a mother  in graduate school. She had her second child while studying at KAUST, and the support was always there.

Tabassum graduated with her PhD in Electrical Engineering with a focus on 5G wireless communications in 2013. She then took a post doc position at the University of Manitoba in Canada. In 2018, she landed an assistant professorship at York University in Toronto, where she now teaches in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Her advice to current and prospective students is to trust the community, and take advantage of your time at KAUST.

“Very few females get into engineering,” said Tabassum. “Without KAUST, I would not have made it this far. Women are given resources at KAUST that create equal opportunities, take advantage of that! And that support doesn’t end when you leave. I’d like to make connections with students graduating now and encourage both men and women to join my lab because I already know that if you graduate from KAUST, you are an excellent researcher.” 

Hina Tabassum (PhD '13) by Melissa Pappas