For twelve years, the Academic Research Conference invited students and faculty from around the globe to showcase their innovative academic research and creative work to establish an archive of their research and assist them in achieving their educational and professional objectives. The Academic Research Conference is a venue that shows the students’ commitment to investigate research questions and show their creative work in a broad scope of disciplines.

The ARC empowers participants to share their thoughts, discoveries, and other creative work with other students, faculty, and the community. Undergraduates, graduates, and professionals are welcome to present at the ARC. Based on participation in the 2023 meeting, we were inspired by the overwhelming participation of international researchers from 13 different countries. Therefore, we offer the conference in a hybrid format (in-person and virtual) to accommodate international participants and travel limitations.

Presenters can choose their preferred style of showing their work. Presenters who can attend the in-person version of the meeting will present their research to many attendees. Students who cannot participate in the in-person meeting will create an internet archive of their research, share their work with a broader audience, and build their portfolio through the virtual meeting format (live Zoom sessions or prerecorded video). The opportunity to record presentations will enable students to develop a digital exhibit of their research and creative work on the ARC YouTube Channel.

The ARC started in 2011 with only 12 poster presentations and a handful of faculty mentors in one major. It serves over 450 students, 73 faculty mentors, and 20 majors. In 2011, the ARC was conceived as a local conference serving UWA students, evolved into a regional meeting serving surrounding universities in 2017, and matured as an international venue welcoming everyone from around the world in 2021.

The 2025 ARC is cohosted by Ajman University (United Arab Emirates) and the University of Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah (Morrocco).

Ajman University (AU) made substantial progress, climbing from the top 800 universities in 2019 and ranking at #477 in 2024. These achievements earned AU the prestigious “Most Developed University in the Arab Region” award from QS, recognizing its outstanding regional progress. Additionally, AU is ranked #3 for International Students and #6 for International Faculty worldwide.  AU is ranked #5 in the UAE for the International Research Network.

The University of Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah (USMBA) is one of Morocco’s oldest and most prestigious universities. USMBA is ranked among the top 1000 universities in the world in the Times Higher Education World University ranking of 2020.

The University of West Alabama, Alabama Power, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, Tombigbee RC&D, EBSCO Industries Inc., Sumter County Farmers Federation, and UWA Office of Sponsored Programs and Research sponsor the Academic Research Conference.

Steering Committee

  • Mustafa Morsy (Chair) – UWA
  • Anouar Alami – USMBA
  • Chris Theriot – UWA
  • Danielle Miller – UWA
  • Kaleigh Pate – UWA
  • Melissa Haab – UWA
  • Tracy Keener – UWA
  • Haysley Gillespie – UWA
  • Soumaya Abdellatif – AU
  • Guangming Cao – AU