Materials Science and Engineer Assistant Prof. Yi Cui received a $10 million grant from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, known as KAUST.

The grant, which comes through Cui’s selection as a “global research partnership investigator,” will be spread over a period of five years.

Though Cui will travel to KAUST, located in Saudi Arabia, through the grant, he also plans to devote the funds toward his research, buying equipment and hiring new staff.

Cui will continue his studies on long-life batteries. He received much publicity in recent months for using silicon nanowires to expand battery life.

“KAUST intends to become a major new contributor to the global network of collaborative research,” said KAUST Interim President Nadhmi Al-Nasr in a press release. “It will enable researchers from around the globe and across all cultures to work together to solve challenging scientific and technological problems that are of the utmost importance.”