Biomedical Sciences Division (BioMed)
Decoding Life, Advancing Health
Overview
The Biomedical Sciences (BioMed) division at KAUST brings together world-class science, technology, and education to address today’s most pressing health challenges. Through interdisciplinary research, advanced computational and digital tools, and strong partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem, BioMed connects discovery with real-world impact - supporting national priorities while contributing to global advances in health and disease.
Vision
BioMed will improve health in Saudi Arabia and beyond by harnessing cutting edge science and technology to investigate, educate on, and translate discoveries that make people’s lives better.
Mission
BioMed applies the scientific and technical expertise of KAUST by interdisciplinary collaboration and intersectional partnerships both within and beyond the university, leveraging and boosting the efforts of the health care ecosystem to understand, prevent, and treat disease.
We will encourage, educate, and promote expertise in the study and taming of disease to help engineer a healthier life for all, using knowledge generation with widespread deployment of health-translated advances underpinned by our cutting edge, world class technical expertise.
A Message from the Dean of Biomedical Sciences (BioMed)
Professor Peter J Goadsby FMedSci FRS
BioMed is KAUST's newest division, harnessing the University's world-class science and technology to advance healthcare outcomes in Saudi Arabia and beyond. We apply cutting-edge computational and digital tools to understanding, combating and preventing disease.
BioMed is at the start of an exciting journey. The division offers a collaborative environment where scientific excellence meets a passion for teaching and mentoring a new generation of graduates who will advance health in the 21st century.
Our priorities are those of the Kingdom, our mission aligned with Vision 2030's aspirations for better health. Our graduate programs uniquely integrate biology with engineering and bioinformatics and, our faculty and students strive to be future-ready for the rapidly emerging challenges and opportunities in biomedical science.
BioMed draws on the KAUST ecosystem of outstanding research and technical capabilities, all set against the backdrop of the Red Sea. We are beginning an ambitious journey, and invite those who share our vision of a healthier life for all.
Our Programs
By harnessing interdisciplinary creativity, we drive proactive pandemic preparedness, accessible gene therapy tools, and AI-powered lab automation — unlocking transformative health solutions through moonshot thinking and relentless problem-solving.
Program Affiliations
Center of Excellence
Biography
Professor Fabian Schmidt engineers virus-host interactions to develop platform technologies that advance health-related bioscience. Prior to joining KAUST in 2022 as Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, he worked at Rockefeller University, U.S., where he pioneered robust neutralization assays during the COVID-19 pandemic that were widely adopted internationally. His development of synthetic chimeric viruses accurately anticipated viral evolution, notably predicting Omicron-like variants months before emergence, drawing recognition from global health authorities including the WHO and CDC.
At KAUST, he leads research at the intersection of pandemic preparedness, gene therapy vector manufacturing, and AI-powered laboratory automation to deliver transformative health solutions.
Research Interests
As an impact-driven bioengineer, Professor Schmidt is fascinated by natural engineering solutions derived from the evolutionary arms race between viruses and their hosts. In his work, he applies viral adaptation as nature's machine learning algorithm to solve critical challenges in gene therapy manufacturing and pandemic preparedness. Through its synergy with artificial intelligence and advanced lab automation, he drives innovation at the intersection of synthetic biology and precision medicine. His research develops scalable platforms for viral vector production and immunity screening that aim to democratize advanced therapeutics and strengthen global health resilience.
Synthetic Biology
Lab Automation Innovation
Applied Virology
Viral Vector Manufacturing
Education Profile
Postdoc at Rockefeller University, USA, 2014 - 2019
Ph.D. Virology, Cambridge University, UK, 2014
German Diplom in Biology, Universität Bielefeld, Germany, 2007
Publications
Research Areas
- Chemical and Biological Engineering