Professor Timothy Baldwin has been appointed as the Provost of Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI). He previously served as Department Chair of NLP, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, and Acting Provost. During his tenure, Baldwin co-led the technical development of Jais, the leading Arabic LLM, and spearheaded initiatives including new academic departments and the Undergraduate Research Internship Program. Why it matters: Baldwin's appointment signals continued investment in AI talent and research at MBZUAI, particularly in Arabic NLP and large language models.
MBZUAI has appointed Professor Timothy Baldwin as Associate Provost and acting chair of its new NLP Department. Baldwin will focus on strengthening the curriculum and building a world-class faculty team. He previously spent 17 years at the University of Melbourne. Why it matters: The recruitment signals MBZUAI's commitment to becoming a leading center for NLP research and education in the region.
Professor Fakhreddine Karray from the University of Waterloo has been appointed as the new Provost of Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), succeeding Professor Ling Shao. Karray previously served as the co-director of the Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Institute and holds fellowships with the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Engineering Institute of Canada, and the IEEE. He will collaborate with President Eric Xing to advance MBZUAI's academic and research strategy. Why it matters: This appointment signals MBZUAI's continued commitment to attracting top international AI talent to the UAE and solidifying its position as a leading AI research institution.
অধ্যাপক Timothy M. Shaw নিযুক্ত হয়েছেন MBZUAI-এর এক্সিকিউটিভ ভাইস প্রেসিডেন্ট ও প্রভোস্ট হিসেবে। ড. শাও এর আগে হংকং বিজ্ঞান ও প্রযুক্তি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের (HKUST) অধ্যাপক ছিলেন। এই নিয়োগ MBZUAI-এর নেতৃত্বকে শক্তিশালী করবে এবং একাডেমিক উৎকর্ষের প্রতিশ্রুতির উপর জোর দেবে। Why it matters: একটি বিশিষ্ট AI ব্যক্তিত্বের অন্তর্ভুক্তি MBZUAI-এর শিক্ষাগত খ্যাতি বাড়াতে পারে এবং আরও বেশি আন্তর্জাতিক প্রতিভা আকৃষ্ট করতে পারে।
MBZUAI Professor Timothy Baldwin reflects on his decision to move from the University of Melbourne to help build MBZUAI. He emphasizes the importance of inclusive AI education to ensure the benefits of AI are shared globally. Baldwin notes the concentration of AI innovation in a few countries, leading to disparities in language model performance for non-dominant languages. Why it matters: The article highlights MBZUAI's role in addressing the global imbalance in AI development and promoting inclusivity in AI education and research, particularly for Arabic and other underrepresented languages.