Oct 05, 2025

Building Connections at the Research Networking Symposium

On September 18, 2025, the KFUPM Business School (KBS) hosted the Research Networking Symposium, an event designed to connect faculty and graduate students, foster dialogue on research interests, and spark future collaborations.

The gathering opened with welcoming remarks from the Dean of KBS, Dr. Turki Baroud, and the Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs, Dr. Mohammad Saad Al-Ahmadi, marking a moment of commitment to cultivating a vibrant research culture. Their messages were reinforced by the presence of distinguished department chairs: Dr. Mohammad Alshayeb (Information Systems & Operations Management), Dr. Abdullah Almashayekhi (Management & Marketing), and Dr. Rabih Hikmat Nehme (Accounting & Finance), underscoring the importance of cross-departmental engagement.

The symposium combined formal presentations with interactive activities that encouraged networking in both professional and social contexts. Participants engaged in research-themed games that broke the ice and facilitated conversations in a more relaxed atmosphere.

The symposium showcased the breadth and depth of research at KBS, with 36 faculty members presenting their work to students and colleagues. Highlights included research in natural language processing (NLP), financial technologies (FinTech), and the rapidly evolving domain of agentic AI in the business context. Faculty presentations also underscored advances in AI in healthcare, digital transformation, sustainable supply chains, green finance, and human–AI interaction, along with innovative projects such as hybrid truck–drone delivery optimization and AI-powered animal detection systems to improve roads safety. Together, these discussions demonstrated the school’s commitment to cutting-edge innovation and interdisciplinary impact across business and society.

For KBS faculty, the symposium offered a valuable platform to identify students whose research interests and skills aligned with their expertise, opening opportunities to serve on thesis committees across different Master of Science in Business Studies (MSBS) tracks. It also enabled professors to strengthen ties with colleagues from other departments and to imagine new possibilities for interdisciplinary research collaboration.

For MSBS 2025 students, attendance was a milestone in their academic journey. As a mandatory event, it provided direct exposure to faculty research interests across departments, helping students identify potential thesis advisors and committee members, gain clarity on faculty expectations, and understand the qualities professors seek in thesis advisees. Beyond these academic goals, the event created space for students to establish professional and social connections that extend beyond the classroom, building their sense of belonging within the KBS community and KFUPM at large.

Overall, the symposium marked more than just a networking opportunity, it became a platform that strengthened the academic community, broke down silos, and fostered collegial relationships among faculty while ensuring the experience was engaging and enjoyable. By the close of the day, the Research Networking Symposium had evolved into a living framework for enduring research partnerships and reaffirmed KBS’s commitment to collaboration, mentorship, and innovation. The event was followed by a dinner that further strengthened the social bonds among the attendees.