A record 70 graduate students and 142 undergraduates shone at the 3rd Annual LAU Research Day, where the young researchers passionately showcased their research findings through oral and poster presentations.

The event—now an established university tradition—offers an opportunity for students and faculty alike to engage in eye-opening academic discourse across various disciplines, grouped under Business, Economics, Engineering and Technology, Health Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences and Humanities.

The sheer number of participants this year, remarked Provost George E. Nasr, attests to “a culture of research that is alive, vibrant and growing at the university.”

Addressing participants—both the presenters and their faculty mentors—he commended how they “offered new perspectives and demonstrated the kind of critical thinking and innovation that we strive to nurture at LAU.”

Acknowledging the advent of fast-advancing AI, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research (GSR) Samer Saab called on the students to embrace creativity in research and use it as a differentiator that AI will not be able to replicate.

He referred to Research Day as “a culmination of students’ and faculty members’ hard work in advancing knowledge and a cornerstone of lifelong learning.”

Dr. Saab also expressed sincere gratitude to the faculty “who are key in helping our next generation of researchers.” They not only supported the students but also comprised the jury members who contributed to scoring students’ research and performance.

Speaking about the jury, Professor of Economics and Assistant Dean of GSR Walid Marrouch stressed that significant efforts were invested to ensure no conflicts of interest, with none of the jury members doubling as supervisors to the students whose work they scored, and the scoring system was fully automated.

“Research is pivotal to LAU’s mission and the growth of our students,” he said, noting how the event was modeled after an academic conference with parallel sessions, “to give students the exciting opportunity of showcasing their work in the public eye.” All submissions for participation were accepted after being nominated by the faculty members.

At the closing ceremony, exceptional students’ work was recognized through two sets of awards. First, the Outstanding Research Awards and the Young Researcher Award, which celebrate research excellence demonstrated by talented students over a period of time. The awardees were nominated by their faculty advisors—the mentors who guide and inspire them daily—highlighting students who have shown exceptional promise, rigor and originality in their respective field.

In the 2nd set of awards, the Best Poster and Oral Presentations throughout the course of Research Day acknowledged the students’ excellence.