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.
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.
Lawrence Carin, former VP for Research at Duke University, has been appointed Provost of KAUST. Carin's background includes a professorship at Duke, and research and administrative roles. He is a researcher in AI/ML, with over 450 papers and an H-index of 86. Why it matters: The appointment signals KAUST's continued focus on attracting global AI talent and advancing its digital thematic priorities.