Under the theme “Adaptation: Reshaping for a Fluctuating Future,” the Winter Enrichment Program (WEP) 2026 brought over 1,000 students, including around 400 KAUST students and 600 students from universities across the Kingdom, to explore how science, ideas, and community help societies adapt and thrive amid disruption.
Held January 13-22, this year’s engaging and transformative sessions included keynotes on adaptation, education, equity, energy transitions, resilience, and human performance, alongside creative showcases and interactive events examining how societies adapt and thrive amid global change.
Available for on-demand viewing via KAUST’s official YouTube channel, the keynote program featured a diverse group of speakers, including:
- H.E. Dr. Abdulaziz Al Malik, deputy minister for research and innovation at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture
- Dr. Stephanie Knox Steiner, assistant professor and peace education program coordinator in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University for Peace in Costa Rica
- Dr. Alexandra Lockwood, director of strategic development at Computational Physics Inc.
- Professor Kuo-Wei Huang, associate vice president of research at KAUST
- Dr. Manal Shehabi, senior research fellow at the University of Oxford
- Professor Mark Hannaford, founder and CEO of World Extreme Medicine
- Saleh Al-Shehri, professional footballer with Al-Ittihad and the Saudi Arabia national team
Read the full KAUST News article for more on the discussions, speakers, and ideas that shaped WEP 2026.