The sixth phase of research collaboration between Emirates Global Aluminium and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has begun, and nine PhD and master’s engineering students will soon join EGA team leaders. Since the partnership’s inception in 2015, EGA has welcomed more than 45 students from MIT’s David H. Koch School of Chemical Engineering Practice to its facilities in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah. This program combines the most recent scholarly research with EGA’s cutting-edge industrial expertise.
MIT’s David H. Koch School of Chemical Engineering Practice has been sending students to industry leading companies around the world to apply their academic knowledge and expertise to the development of innovative solutions to industrial challenges for more than 100 years. EGA was the first company in the Middle East to participate in the programme.
This year, more than 30 EGA employees are involved in the eight-week programme which runs from October to December. The nine PhD and master’s student engineers, along with Dr. Brian Stutts, the MIT Station Director, will work with EGA team leaders to develop novel solutions for industrial challenges across various operational areas, one of which, for this year, includes alumina refining.
Abdulnasser bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said, “Continuing our partnership with MIT reaffirms our commitment to advancing R&D and equipping the next generation of industry leaders with the skills and experience they need to succeed.
“These post-graduate students will have an opportunity to apply their academic knowledge and expertise by suggesting ‘out of the box’ solutions to industrial problems. At EGA, one of our values is to continuously improve our business, operations, and ourselves through innovation. I look forward to witnessing the innovative outcomes from this year’s programme.”
Abdalla Al Zarooni, Vice President of Technology Development and Transfer at EGA, said, “EGA’s previous projects with MIT have already delivered more than a million dollars a year in cost savings, in addition to performance improvements. I look forward to the findings of this year’s cohort which will continue to support us in innovating the future of aluminium production.”
MIT is the leading research university in the United States with a history of over 150 years of advancing knowledge in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship.
EGA has developed technology in the UAE for more than 25 years and is focused on improving the efficiency of the aluminium smelting process. EGA’s latest home-grown technology is among the most efficient and competitive in the global aluminium industry.
EGA’s research and development team works with local and international universities on research projects. Institutions EGA partners within the UAE include Khalifa University, the American University of Sharjah, Rochester Institute of Technology and Higher Colleges of Technology while EGA’s international academic partners include the University of Auckland in New Zealand and the University of New South Wales in Australia.
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