01
Judge the role of AI
Explain four roles of AI in academic research—problem-solver, AI for AI, research quality assessor, and research methodology—and judge when each is appropriate.
Certificate Overview
Use AI across research without giving up scholarly judgment
The certificate prepares graduate students and early-career researchers across academic disciplines to use AI critically and responsibly in research. Participants explore AI applications across literature review, question formulation, qualitative and quantitative analysis, prototyping, observation, experimental design, publication integrity, scholarly writing, and dissemination.
Hands-on activities connect each AI tool to the research method it suits—and make clear where it should not be used. Throughout the program, participants document AI use, maintain human judgment, critically evaluate generated outputs, and apply responsible AI principles.
01Method first
Choose AI tools because they fit the research method, not because they are fashionable.
02Human in the loop
Keep researcher judgment central when evaluating, interpreting, and validating AI outputs.
03Document everything
Make AI use transparent, reproducible, and auditable through disciplined documentation.
04Responsible by design
Consider bias, privacy, consent, accountability, integrity, and reproducibility throughout.
Certificate Outcomes
What participants will be able to do
Six outcomes connect conceptual understanding, practical AI-tool use, research design, scholarly communication, and responsible AI practice.
02
Augment reviews & analysis
Apply tools such as Zotero, ResearchRabbit, Elicit, NVivo, and ATLAS.ti while maintaining methodological rigor.
03
Formulate stronger questions
Develop original, feasible research questions and designs using PICOT, FINER, and SPIDER with effective prompting strategies.
04
Design & validate artifacts
Create research artifacts ranging from rapid prototypes to controlled experiments using AI-powered design, collection, and analysis platforms.
05
Write with integrity
Use AI for writing, dissemination, and integrity checking while maintaining authorship transparency and intellectual honesty.
06
Apply Responsible AI
Evaluate and document AI-augmented research against ALTAI, UNESCO, and IEEE guidance covering bias, privacy, consent, accountability, and reproducibility.
10 Certificate Modules
From foundational AI literacy to responsible research practice
01
Foundation
AI's Transformative Role in Academic Research
Introduces education by research and maps four dimensions of AI's impact on academia. Participants examine AI as a co-investigator and establish expectations for documented, reflective tool use.
02
Discovery
Systematic Literature Reviews and Meta-Analysis
Build a four-phase AI-augmented workflow with Zotero, ResearchRabbit, Elicit, and Semantic Scholar, covering corpus building, citation-network expansion, synthesis, and ATLAS.ti-based Grounded Theory.
03
Analysis
Qualitative Data Collection and Thematic Analysis
Use ATLAS.ti, NVivo, MAXQDA, and Otter.ai for transcription, coding, multimodal analysis, theme detection, sentiment, and tone while keeping interpretation human-led.
04
Design
Research Question Formulation and Problem Identification
Use ChatGPT, Claude, Notion AI, and Paperpal to identify literature gaps and refine candidate questions against PICOT, FINER, and SPIDER.
05
Prototype
Prototype Development and Proof-of-Concept Validation
Move from wireframe to interactive validation with Galileo AI, Figma AI, Uizard, and v0.dev, including AI-assisted A/B testing and accessibility checks.
06
Observation
Behavioral Field Observation and Qualitative Data Analysis
Apply real-time annotation and transcription with Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai, conduct qualitative analysis at scale, triangulate multimodal data, and address consent and privacy.
07
Integrity
Publication Integrity, Retraction Analysis, and Plagiarism Detection
Use AI for plagiarism detection, citation verification, image-manipulation checks, retraction monitoring, and retracing published work to reproduce, validate, and extend findings.
08
Experiment
Experimental Design and Controlled Trial Implementation
Cover randomized controlled, quasi-experimental, factorial, and split-testing designs with PsychoPy, BORIS, and Optimizely, including automated randomization and AI-assisted analysis.
09
Communicate
AI for Writing, Communication, and Dissemination
Use ChatGPT, Claude, Grammarly, Elicit, and Notion AI to structure proposals, papers, and theses while preserving scholarly voice, authorship transparency, and explicit AI-use disclosure.
10
Responsible AI
Ethical and Responsible AI Framework for Research
Synthesize evidence-based tool selection, human-in-the-loop augmentation, methodology-driven choice, and documentation-backed reproducibility using ALTAI, UNESCO, and IEEE guidance.
⌂
Lab-based delivery
Modules 5, 6, and 8—prototyping, field observation, and experimental design—are delivered separately at the Symbio Living Lab because they require substantial laboratory infrastructure.
Delivery Map
Six live sessions, adaptable to audience and need
The standard certificate is delivered over three days with approximately 12 contact hours, supported by the companion online portal. The format can be customized.
3 daysStandard delivery
6 sessionsLive DGS sessions
PortalCompanion learning support
| Session | Modules covered |
|---|---|
| 01 From AI to AI-Enabled Research | Module 1 |
| 02 Ethical Frameworks for AI in Research | Modules 7, 10 (hands-on) |
| 03 Academic Peer Review and AI-Retraced Papers | Modules 2, 7 (hands-on) |
| 04 Writing with AI: Proposals and Research Papers | Modules 4, 9 (hands-on) |
| 05 AI Tools 360 Workshops | Modules 2, 3, 4, 9 (hands-on) |
| 06 Panel: The Future of AI in Academia | Module 10 |
Program Leadership
Coordinators & teaching team
Prof. Ahmed Seffah
Coordinator
Dr. Hamda Al Breiki
Coordinator
Dr. Gaelle Duthler
Coordinator
Teaching Team
Dr. Hamda Al BreikiDr. Ikbal TalebDr. Samia LoucifDr. Manar Bani MfarrejDr. Rachid BentoumiDr. Imane BelyamaniProf. Fatna BelqasmiProf. Ahmed Seffah
Who it is for
A certificate designed to travel across research settings
The certificate is offered through the Deanship of Graduate Studies for Zayed University students and researchers, and can be customized by the Symbio Living Lab for universities, research-oriented organizations, governmental bodies, and industry.
Graduate students
Early-career researchers
University researchers
Government researchers
Research organizations
Industry R&D teams