KFU visited by representatives of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
During their visit to the university on October 16, 2026, Suliman Saleh Al-Homidan, Dean of the College of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies; Ammar Mohammed Adam Mohammed, Director of the Ambassadors Program; and Almir Miftakhutdinov, a KFUPM ambassador, visited the Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies (IGPT), where they met with members of the institute’s leadership and students.
IGPT Director Danis Nurgaliev introduced the international guests to the Institute, delivering a presentation on its educational and research activities and highlighting its achievements. This was followed by a working meeting attended by Pavel Krylov, Deputy Director for Research; Andrey Teryokhin, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs; Ildus Chukmarov, Head of the IGPT Center for Advanced Training, Quality Management and Marketing; Vladislav Sudakov, Deputy Director for Marketing at the Gazprom Neft–KFU Research and Education Center; and Yury Nurmeev, International Cooperation Officer.
The representatives of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals then met with IGPT students. Almir Miftakhutdinov, a graduate of both KFU and KFUPM, introduced them the university, which located in Dhahran, emphasising that it is the leading university in the Arab world. Following the presentation, the international guests answered questions.
“Kazan University has a rich history, a strong research record, and extensive international partnerships. KFU places great emphasis on academic mobility for undergraduate and postgraduate students, faculty, and researchers,” Sulaiman Al-Homidan told a journalist. “We are interested in developing faculty exchanges, particularly in geology, petroleum engineering, chemistry, and mathematics. We also hope to establish semester-long student exchange programs with your university. We would also like your bachelor’s graduates to enrol in our master’s and doctoral programs, and our graduates to pursue further studies at KFU.”
Danis Nurgaliev noted that KFU and KFUPM should work together.
“KFUPM is a very strong university, as its positions in international rankings demonstrate. In the Times Higher Education Middle East and North Africa Rankings, it ranks first among universities in the region. It also performs strongly in the QS subject rankings for petroleum engineering, placing fourth worldwide. However, KFUPM’s strengths extend beyond the oil and gas sector. The university also performs well in fields such as engineering, materials science, and information technology. Its position in artificial intelligence is particularly strong, and we plan to collaborate with KFUPM specialists in this field,” the IGPT director said.
He explained that KFUPM’s strong ranking performance is attributable, in part, to its excellent laboratory facilities and the visiting scholars it attracts from around the world.
“Many IGPT graduates have completed master’s and doctoral programs at this university, where doctoral study is tuition-free, and now work for oil and oilfield services companies around the world. I believe we need to establish cooperation with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in both education and research,” Dr Nurgaliev said.
That same day, the KFUPM representatives also visited KFU’s Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Systems Engineering and the History Museum of Kazan University.
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