Three UAE students named among the world's best undergraduates

Three UAE students have been honored as Global Winners of the 2026 Global Undergraduate Awards (GUA), the premier academic awards program for undergraduate coursework. The awards honor the best undergraduate students across various disciplines, selected by an international panel of academics and experts. American University of Sharjah (AUS) and New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) students Areebah Juned Siddiqui, Iman Akbar Ali, and Malavika Rajesh are among the recipients.

GUA recognizes early talent, providing a global platform for exceptional students before they gain wider recognition. Jim Barry, Chairman of the Global Undergraduate Awards, praised the students for their potential to impact significant global challenges. Six UAE students were named Regional Winners, and six others received Highly Commended status, bringing the country's total accolades to 15 for this year's awards.

The winning projects span architecture and design, business and economics, computer science, chemical and pharmaceutical sciences, and visual arts. Notable winners include AUS students Siddiqui and Ali, who collaborated on "Earthen Futures: Catalysts of Resilience," and NYUAD's Rajesh for her research on dowry's impact on education and social norms in rural India.

NYUAD's Malavika Rajesh won for her research on dowry's impact on education and social norms in rural India. Other UAE winners include AUS's Adithya Krishnakumar, Mohamed Raiyan Rizwan, Sana Valappil, and Taufiq Syed, who tackled machine-generated text detection, and NYUAD's Nicolas Rios Trevino for his work on removing anionic pharmaceuticals from water.