Three UAE students named among the world's best undergraduates

Sharjah/Abu Dhabi: Three students from universities in the UAE have been named Global Winners at the 2026 Global Undergraduate Awards (GUA), the world's leading academic awards programme for undergraduate coursework, the organizers announced.

The three UAE-based Global Winners represent the American University of Sharjah and New York University Abu Dhabi, cementing the country's reputation as a growing hub for academic excellence.

The Global Undergraduate Awards recognises top-performing undergraduate students across a range of academic disciplines, with submissions judged by an international panel of academics and experts.

“The purpose of the Global Undergraduate Awards is to recognise the potential early; to identify exceptional talent at the start of a career, recognise that talent and give it a global platform, long before the wider world takes notice,” Jim Barry, Chairman of the Global Undergraduate Awards said to the media.

At Global Winner level, Areebah Juned Siddiqui and Iman Akbar Ali (American University of Sharjah) share the honour in Architecture & Design for Earthen Futures: Catalysts of Resilience, while Malavika Rajesh (New York University Abu Dhabi) was awarded for her research into how dowry shapes education and social norms in rural India.

“These students are among the brightest undergraduates globally with the potential to have a significant impact on some of the world's greatest challenges,” Jim Barry said.

Six UAE students were named Regional Winners, while six others received Highly Commended status, taking the country's total number of accolades at this year's awards to 15.

Six 'Regional Winners' included Adithya Krishnakumar, Mohamed Raiyan Rizwan, Sana Valappil and Taufiq Syed are recognised in Computer Science for OriginAI, a project exploring multilingual detection of machine-generated text, and Jana Khalifa wins in Visual Arts, from the American University of Sharjah. At New York University Abu Dhabi, Nicolas Rios Trevino takes Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences for work on removing anionic pharmaceuticals from water.

Recognized with 'Highly Commended' status were Abdullah Ahmed, Heidy Thabet, Jumana Rageh, Tvisha Negandhi and Noor Al-Nakeleh for Architecture & Design, alongside Sai Varshini Padmanaban for Business & Economics, from the American University of Sharjah.

Their winning work points to a cohort of research spanning from architecture and design to business and economics, computer science, chemical and pharmaceutical sciences and the visual arts, being produced by undergraduates across the Emirates.

Officials said this year's winners reflect a generation confronting with pressing global issues, from inequality and geopolitical instability to climate change and the rapid rise of AI. Their work reflects a generation navigating a world of rapid and uncertain change, while actively questioning the systems, structures and assumptions that will shape its future.

Winners will be celebrated at the GUA Summit and the Thomas Clarkson Gold Medal presentation, taking place in Dublin on 10th November 2026, bringing together the programme's global winners alongside academics, judges and supporters.