King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) sits less than an hour’s drive from Mohammed Aljahdali’s hometown of Rabigh. With deep ties to Thuwal, the community adjoining KAUST, he embodies the power of local talent achieving Kingdom-wide impact. 

A story of determination and national ambition, his journey starts in a close-knit agricultural family and leads to an award-winning Ph.D. candidacy at one of the world’s leading research institutions — all in the same neighborhood. 

“If you work hard enough and if you pursue your dreams hard enough, reaching success in research and academia is possible,” said Aljahdali, whose computer science hard work earned him Best Paper recognition at the International Conference on Federated Learning Technologies and Applications (FLTA) 2025 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. 

“Receiving this best paper award means people really believe in my research,” he added. “They see my work as valuable. It means a lot.” 

Under the supervision of KAUST Professor Marco Canini, Computer Science, Aljahdali’s research focuses on federated learning — a privacy-preserving branch of artificial intelligence that allows machine learning models to be trained directly on users’ smartphones and other devices rather than in centralized cloud servers. 

His award-winning paper, Flashback: Understanding and Mitigating Forgetting in Federated Learning, presents an efficient algorithm to help AI systems retain what they learn across diverse datasets without compromising privacy. Aljahdali said he is profoundly grateful to make such important scientific advancements so close to home. 

A journey of curiosity and drive 

Raised in Rabigh with deep family ties to Thuwal, Aljahdali comes from a family that maintains a working farm with livestock and seasonal crops. Yet his own curiosity developed in a different direction — coding. 

“About 70-80 percent of my research in the area of deep learning and computer systems is something I genuinely enjoy,” he said, adding that he “hit the jackpot” in finding a path to career success and impact for the Kingdom while having fun. “In a sense, my drive is selfish because I enjoy problem-solving, but the effect is helping society at large.” 

This passion for high-tech problem-solving is no doubt a trait inherited from his father, a local hobby farmer as well as an electrical engineer who spent years working in IT at Saudi Aramco, Aljahdali said. “My father has been inspirational to me. He’s probably why I got into computers and all these things.” 

With strong encouragement from both his parents, Aljahdali excelled academically in his youth, becoming one of the Rabigh region’s top students. After initially attending King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals for a year, he transferred to King Abdulaziz University in Rabigh where he earned a degree in computer science with first honors. 

Fascinated by AI and deep learning, he joined KAUST in 2021, completed a master’s degree in 2022, and is now continuing his journey toward a Ph.D. Aljahdali is keeping his career path open. Whether through entrepreneurship or research, optimism abounds for the young computer scientist. 

“An ultimate dream of mine post-graduation is to come back to KAUST one day as a faculty member, research scientist or postdoc,” he said. “At KAUST, we have many resources. We have a world-class supercomputer. We can do experiments that other universities would not be able to execute. It’s a great environment.” 

Local talent, global impact 

Fresh off the thrill of his FLTA Best Paper recognition, Aljahdali sees his success as not only personal but also as a reflection of the growing strength of Saudi talent emerging through KAUST. His story of technical achievement aligns with the Kingdom’s need for localized expertise as Saudi Arabia expands its global role in research and innovation. 

“With respect to Saudi Vision 2030, if we want to be world-class in science, research and innovation, it’s vital that we train young Saudis,” Aljahdali said, highlighting the opportunities afforded through KAUST. “Inside KAUST, it’s astonishing how much amazing talent exists in every field.” 

Having largely grown up with the university as a backdrop, the 27-year-old Ph.D. candidate said the cultural experience within KAUST is “simply amazing.” It brings a multinational, multiethnic community to the region where he was raised and connects him with talented Saudis from across the Kingdom. 

For Aljahdali, it is both humbling and motivating to see a mission-driven international university thriving in his own backyard and to be part of its impact. “You wouldn't think that such a place could exist at all, let alone in a small town outside of the main cities of the Kingdom,” he added. “Every time I think about that, it’s amazing. It’s astonishing, honestly.”