In response to Science magazine's recent article that charged that King Abdulaziz University (KAU) hired highly cited researchers part-time as a means of improving its international university ranking and in the name of transparency, credibility and academic honesty, the University would like to declare the following:
1. KAU has contracted some highly cited researchers to work with it on a part-time basis. This arrangement is legitimate and exists in many top-notch universities around the world. The International Advisory Board (IAB) of KAU has recommended these types of arrangements in order to promote scientific research at the University.
2. Attracting highly cited researchers from various international universities and research centers is part of KAU's research strategy. This strategy includes:
• Formation of research groups from KAU faculty to collaborate with international researchers;
• A Post-Doctoral Research Program;
• International supervision for graduate student theses;
• Publishing international specialized scientific journals such as the Mathematics Journal which is published by Springer, the international science publisher;
• Requiring non-Saudi faculty to publish in their fields in order for their contracts to be renewed; the same condition applies to Saudis in order for them to receive scientific benefits;
• Motivating faculty and graduate students to publish their research work through the Scientific Research Prize Program;
• Establishing an international advisory board for each of the Centers of Research Excellence; these boards are made up of selected international researchers;
• Cooperation with universities from more than 15 countries to conduct cooperative and meaningful research work. Such cooperation has resulted in the Chair of Ethics and Finance at the Sorbonne University in France, and the Saudi Spanish Islamic Economics Center at IE University in Spain. There are other programs with Utrecht University in Holland, Helsinki University and Alto University in Finland, and Tokai University in Japan.
3. Distinguished researchers who sign contracts with KAU commit to the following:
• Conducting a research project in Saudi Arabia with a formally reviewed and approved research proposal;
• Collaborating with, at least, two Saudi faculty members in conducting the project;
• Conducting the project in Saudi Arabia according to the research interests of KAU;
• Supervising graduate students;
• Delivering lectures and holding workshops;
• Participating in the councils of the Centers of Research Excellence at KAU;
• Participating in the editorial boards of KAU journals.
4. KAU has not developed this program with the aim of raising its international university ranking. If that were the goal, it would have been done many years ago. KAU has waited until now to launch its program to ensure that attracting international scholars will truly help develop local scientific research. Without the establishment of the research infrastructure, this could not be accomplished. This is what KAU has concentrated on for the past few years.
5. Science magazine has not officially communicated with KAU as was stated in the article.
6. Scientific publication at KAU increased from 400 research papers to 550 papers in the last year. This was before the Highly Cited Researcher Program began. It is a natural increase in the rate of scientific publication at KAU, and it indicates that scientific publishing is not an aim in itself. The aim is to conduct scientific research.
7. More than 50 research proposals have been submitted to the Deanship of Scientific Research and to King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in which the KAU "highly cited researchers" are participating.
8. Industrial products are expected to emerge from the international cooperation.
9. The number of highly cited researchers in the world is about 10,000, and the competition to attract them is very high. This competition stems from the desire to build scientific and research capabilities, not from a desire for material gain. Consequently, KAU has made a serious effort to attract such researchers on a part-time basis, allowing them to visit the University periodically. When not on campus, they communicate regularly with the local scientists. This is emphasized in the Science magazine article through an account of the experience of a highly cited scientist, a Canadian astronomer. The astronomer hesitated to accept the invitation to work with KAU on part-time basis because he felt uncertain about the University's commitment. He soon “became convinced that the university was sincere about tapping his expertise in doing research,” however, and he agreed to become a member of a university scientific group. He has submitted a proposal to KAU “to fund a telescope that he wants to build on an island in the Canadian Arctic.” If that proposal is accepted, there will be opportunities to involve KAU faculty members in the project.
10. KAU has established a specialized unit, namely the “Highly Cited Researchers Unit (HCRU)”, to attract highly cited scientists and to follow up their work. No contract is signed with any scholar before a visit to the campus and meetings with KAU senior officials and researchers, who exchange ideas with the scholar and consider the feasibility of putting the scholar under contract.
Mr. Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, the writer of the article, has drawn erroneous conclusions and passed judgment on the KAU scientific program for inviting highly cited and distinguished scientists to KAU. We appreciate his pointing out the benefits of the program and including in his article other positive remarks about this program made by the visiting professors Neil Robertson from Ohio State University, USA, Ray Carlberg from University of Toronto, Canada, and Surender Jain from Ohio University, USA.
We would also like to point out that KAU sees its highly cited researcher program as a strategic business investment on all levels. It is a well-considered and sound investment for the future of Saudi Arabia. The United States brought Albert Einstein to America with a hefty salary. In the 60s and 70s, that country brought many of the highest caliber scientists to its shores, and, even today, top scientists from around the globe are likely to receive offers from elite schools there. Whether it is Harvard, Princeton, Chicago, Stanford, or other schools, all follow the same practice of bringing people from around the globe on a full-time or a part-time basis.
KAU started a similar program in its Mathematics Department in March 2010. Several top-level mathematicians visited and gave crash courses on hot topics of current research, collaborated on research papers and began writing two books - one for research scholars and another for Master level graduate students. This program was extended to all disciplines by involving the visiting Distinguished Professors more intensively in research projects.
As part of this declaration, KAU would like to emphasize its seriousness in and enthusiasm for developing scientific research at the University as a means of serving the needs of Saudi Arabia. We do not run behind rankings or false propaganda. KAU's past history and present behavior is the best proof of that. We would like to invite all who are interested to contact the HCRU at KAU to come and meet with the scientists and their Saudi counterparts to verify our statements.
Prof. Adnan Bin Hamza Muhammad Zahed
KAU Vice President for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research