News and Events
What is happening in the community: upcoming gatherings, their full agendas, and the announcements worth knowing about before you walk into the room.
Upcoming
Next up
Agentic AI @ KFUPM — Kickoff Meeting
The launch of the community: a word from the College of Computing & Mathematics and the ISE Department, the vision and mission of the community, ten short case studies of agentic AI already running across campus, and the breakout session where the focus groups are formed and their coordinators chosen.
Kickoff meeting
Agenda
Two hours, in three movements: ten minutes of welcome and direction, fifty minutes of case studies from across the colleges, and a working second half in which the focus groups form, pick a first challenge, and choose who will coordinate them.
The case studies are deliberately short — five minutes each, four for the talk and one for the handover — and pitched for a mixed audience. You should be able to follow every one of them whatever department you come from.
Date, time and venue
Thursday, October 1, 2026 · 1:00 – 3:00 PM · CPG Auditorium, Building 78.
- 1:00 – 1:03Opening and Orientation
Zainab AlnejaidiISE Club
- 1:03 – 1:08CCM Dean’s Address
Dr. Abdullah SultanDean, College of Computing & Mathematics
- 1:08 – 1:13Remarks from the ISE Department Chair
Dr. Yasser AlmoghathawiChairman, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering
- 1:13 – 1:20Community Vision, Mission, and Activities
Dr. Alaa KhamisCoordinator of the Community
- 1:20 – 2:10Agentic AI in Action: Case Studies
Multiple speakers, five minutes each — four minutes for the presentation and one for the transition. Full list below.
- 2:10 – 2:20Coffee Break
- 2:20 – 2:45Focus Groups: Formation, Breakout Discussions, and Coordinator Selection
MC + Mentors
- 2:45 – 2:55Focus Group Highlights and Recommendations
Each group presents its challenge, first activity, and leadership.
- 2:55 – 3:00Next Steps and Closing Remarks
Dr. Alaa KhamisCoordinator of the Community
1:20 – 2:10
Agentic AI in Action: case studies
Ten five-minute case studies from ten departments and centres — a quick tour of where agents are already being put to work at KFUPM.
| Time | Session | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 1:20 – 1:25 | Agentic AI for Institutional Intelligence |  Dr. Maad Al OwaifeerDirector of the SDAIA-KFUPM Joint Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (JRCAI) and Chairman of Control & Instrumentation Engineering Department |
| 1:25 – 1:30 | Agents for Business & Finance |  Dr. Yogesh DwivediDirector of the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Finance and Digital Economy (IRC-Fintech) and Riyad Bank Chair Professor of Digital Business |
| 1:30 – 1:35 | Agentic AI for Telecommunication |  Dr. Daniel Benevides da CostaDirector of the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Communication Systems and Sensing (IRC-CSS) and RDIA Chair Professor of Wireless Communications |
| 1:35 – 1:40 | Agentic AI for Smart Mobility & Logistics | Dr. Alaa KhamisAI for Smart Mobility Lab, IRC for Smart Mobility and Logistics |
| 1:40 – 1:45 | Agentic AI for Process Safety |  Dr. Sunhwa ParkChemical Engineering Department |
| 1:45 – 1:50 | Agentic AI for Construction Scheduling and Cost Estimating |  Dr. Ibrahim WuniArchitectural Engineering & Construction Management |
| 1:50 – 1:55 | Multimodal Agentic AI for Healthcare |  Dr. Muzammil BehzadInformation & Computer Science |
| 1:55 – 2:00 | Agentic AI for NLP |  Dr. Hamzah LuqmanInformation & Computer Science |
| 2:00 – 2:05 | Agentic AI for Scientific Discovery and Lab Automation |  Dr. Burhan SaifAddinPhysics Department |
| 2:05 – 2:10 | Agentic AI for Building Software Systems |  Dr. Omar HammadInformation & Computer Science |
Before you come
What to bring, and what happens next
One problem from your own work
The breakout session works best when people arrive with a concrete question. It does not have to be solved, or even well posed.
The focus groups form here
Between 2:20 and 2:45 the groups are formed, pick a first activity, and choose a coordinator. Joining one is an offer, not an expectation.
Then the monthly rhythm starts
After the kickoff the community settles into its monthly meetup, with the collaboration groups meeting on their own schedule.
Calendar
All events
| Date | Event | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 1, 2026 | Kickoff Meeting [Slides] | 1:00 – 3:00 PM | CPG Auditorium — Building 78 |
| November 3, 2026 | Monthly Community Meetup — Agentic Engineering, Dr. Alaa Khamis | 3:00 – 4:30 PM | TBD |
Explore. Share. Connect. Build.
See you at the kickoff
Join the list and you will get the date, room, and programme of every event a week in advance.