The NYUAD Institute is a center of advanced research, scholarly and creative activity, and public workshops. Institute programs facilitate discussion between academics, students, professionals, and leaders from the UAE and from around the world.
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How do we understand the minds of others? This talk explores the foundations of "commonsense psychology" by comparing how infants, adults, and AI systems infer intentions from actions alone. By pitting human intuition against state-of-the-art neural networks, this work tackles foundational debates across psychology, philosophy, and computer science — revealing the origins of intelligence, the…
The talk explores the historical relationships that exist between the development and the evolution of embryos. What is the link between our developmental origin as individuals (a fertilized egg), on the one hand, and our evolutionary origin as a group of individuals (an ancestral population), on the other hand? And these embryos, are they really extraordinary constructions relying on carefully…
Engineering a solution is one thing; making it work in a high-stakes clinical environment is another. This panel discussion features the minds who build the tech and the hands that use it. Leading bioengineers and frontline clinicians from NYU, NYU Abu Dhabi, the University of Michigan and the University of Maine deconstruct the challenges of medical device innovation. The topics include glaucoma…
The Volatility and Risk Institute (VRI) explores the interplay between risks that shape our global economy. In this session, VRI Co-Directors Robert Engle and Richard Berner explain how the VRI measures complex global risks, focusing on the financial challenges posed by climate change and the effects of geopolitical risks on financial stability. As the VRI celebrates its recent expansion to NYU…
The FIFA World Cup 2026 represents a pivotal moment in the globalization of sport, as North America prepares for a tournament of unprecedented scale. This panel investigates the sociopolitical and structural dimensions of hosting a cross-continental mega-event. Panelists will discuss the intersection of international sports diplomacy, the evolution of regional athletic identity, and the challenges…
This talk focuses on the work of Dorothy Berry, author of The House Archives Built and Other Thoughts on Black Archival Possibilities (We Here Press, 2025), which is currently sold out in its third printing since being published in October 2025. Berry discusses family materials offered up to “the altar of higher learning” and struggles for access, accuracy, and locating joy in family photographs…
What is African theatre today? Bob Vorlicky and Judy Miller have some answers to that question through their work as editors and translators of contemporary African plays. Vorlicky brings to light the otherwise neglected work of eight African women playwrights from seven different countries and linguistic spheres. He explores the politics of translating indigenous languages into English. Miller…
We assume laws of nature govern the universe, but how exactly do abstract laws make concrete objects move? This talk explores three rival philosophical models and their surprising consequences. Does the past actually produce the future? Can laws exist without affecting anything? The answers challenge our basic intuitions about time, matter, and why nature behaves predictably. Speaker Mario Hubert,…
By 2050, 70% of the world will live in cities, and those cities will be powered by the data centers we build today. Far from being isolated in the periphery, 97.5% of US data centers are hidden in plain sight within urban centers, driven primarily by electricity-grid capacity. Drawing on research from the recently launched Urban Institute at NYU Tandon, Professor Maurizio Porfiri demonstrates how…
This conversation explores a question that defines both professional and personal life: how to live with intention and purpose. Drawing on her work as a scholar, educator, and three-time New York Times–Bestselling Author, Suzy Welch introduces the Becoming You methodology, emphasizing the importance of surfacing core values and cultivating self-awareness in navigating contemporary careers. In…
