Previous Newsletters

October 9, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

As we are now in the second month of our new academic year, I am pleased to share this update celebrating the achievements of our community across the pillars of our Academic Strategy: Undergraduate and Global Education; Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs; Research, Awards, and Honors; and Societal Engagement and Impact.

While summer is often a time to pause, it has also been a period of momentum. Many of you continued to push forward with research projects, publications, and collaborations, while others prepared new courses and programs for our students that have now come to fruition.

Earlier this semester, we also celebrated Emirati Women’s Day, recognizing the many important accomplishments and critical contributions made by members of our community.

Now, as our campus has come alive, we have welcomed new students, colleagues, and initiatives that will shape the year that lies ahead. This is a moment of renewal — an opportunity to build on our progress, deepen our impact, and continue to expand NYUAD’s role in the region and beyond.

Thank you for the commitment and creativity you bring to this institution. Together, we look forward to another exciting year of achievement and discovery.

Warm regards,

Arlie 

Emirati Women's Day

Undergraduate and Global Education

Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs

Research News, Awards, and Honors

Societal Engagement and Impact

June 2, 2025

Dear Colleagues, 

I am delighted to share this academic update, highlighting the notable achievements of our community across the core areas of our Academic Strategy: Undergraduate and Global Education; Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs; Research News, Awards, and Honors; and Societal Engagement and Impact.

As the academic year draws to a close, we take a moment to recognize the innovation, collaboration, and dedication that have shaped our collective progress. Together, we have made significant strides in furthering our academic mission, enhancing undergraduate and graduate experiences, advancing meaningful research, and fostering deeper connections within our community and beyond.

Commencement, our most significant annual academic celebration, marked the culmination of our students’ academic journeys and a meaningful milestone for our entire institution. It is a moment to honor the accomplishments of our graduates and acknowledge the role each of you has played in guiding them to this point.

With the arrival of summer, we are invited to pause and reflect. It is also a time to reconnect with family, nurture our well-being, and reenergize ourselves as we prepare to return for the fall semester with renewed purpose and momentum.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you for your dedication and contribution to our institution's continued growth and success. Your efforts remain the foundation of NYU Abu Dhabi’s excellence and impact.

Warm regards,

Arlie 

Undergraduate and Global Education

Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs

Research News, Awards, and Honors

Societal Engagement and Impact

March 21, 2025

Dear Colleagues, 

I am happy to share this academic update with you, highlighting the notable achievements of our community in the core areas of our Academic Strategy: Undergraduate and Global Education; Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs; Research News, Awards, and Honors; and Societal Engagement and Impact. 

During the Holy Month of Ramadan, we are presented with a unique opportunity to embrace spiritual contemplation. Many of our colleagues observe the fast from sunrise to sunset, practicing self-discipline and reflection. Fundamentally, Ramadan is a time of spiritual purity, gratitude, and unity, where families, friends, and colleagues gather for iftar, sharing meals and cultural traditions that strengthen bonds of generosity. 

In 2025, we also embark on the Year of Community, declared by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, and I am truly inspired by the many ways we are coming together to strengthen our connections—within our institution and beyond. Through inclusive events and activities, we foster collaboration and belonging, preserve cultural heritage, and nurture intergenerational ties, enabling growth and long-term positive impact. This month, I am pleased to share several initiatives reflecting our commitment.

Our Societal Engagement and Impact website is now live. This platform showcases NYU Abu Dhabi’s collective efforts to create a more inclusive and engaged community and highlights how we actively contribute to positive societal change and progress for the common good. 

We also recently welcomed visitors, with more than 1,000 individuals registered for Open Campus Day, a unique opportunity to experience life at NYU Abu Dhabi firsthand. Guests explored our research facilities, attended insightful talks by our faculty, and engaged with interactive research stations—all while discovering how the university contributes to the Abu Dhabi community and the world at large.

In honor of International Women’s Day on March 7, I would also like to pay tribute to the remarkable women in our community who tirelessly contribute to its growth, vitality, and excellence. Their dedication, whether through efforts of Everyday Changemakers or special initiatives such as the Academy of Women’s Entrepreneurs program, enriches and sustains our community in countless invaluable ways. Their leadership, resilience, and unwavering commitment not only maintain our collective progress but inspire future generations.

I encourage you to continue to participate in strengthening the spirit of our beloved community. 

Warm regards,

Arlie 

Undergraduate and Global Education

Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs

Research News, Awards, and Honors

Societal Engagement and Impact

November 22, 2024

Dear Colleagues,

As we move closer to the end of the semester but with much of the academic year still before us, it brings me tremendous pride to share what our community has already accomplished together in the four pillars of the Academic Strategy: Undergraduate and Global Education, Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, Research, and Societal Engagement and Impact. 

While you will read news of conference talks, journal publications, and community gatherings, one important topic does present itself prominently: artificial intelligence (AI). Our faculty, staff, and students continue their research in multiple fields to advance our understanding of AI, making it an area of priority.

Our diligent work in the field is making a mark not just at NYUAD but throughout the UAE and beyond. Business Insider recently interviewed Nancy Gleason (Professor of Practice of Political Science; Director, Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning) about Abu Dhabi’s potential to become one of the world’s leading AI hubs. Helping to bring that future into reality is Yi Fang (Associate Professor of Computer Engineering). He is harnessing the power of AI to create smart wearable devices for the visually impaired, making navigation accessible and affordable globally. Nizar Habash (Professor of Computer Science; Global Network Professor of Computer Science, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences) has been leading seminal work on how the Arabic language can accurately interface with AI algorithms. Farah Shamout (Assistant Professor of Computer Engineering) has led a team carrying out impressive research taking existing AI algorithms and developing diagnostic tools for breast cancer that will change the lives of countless patients and clinicians.

You will find many more examples of the critical role of AI in this month’s update.

Please join me in celebrating these illustrations of excellence that continue to propel NYUAD upwards.

With warmest regards,

Arlie 

Undergraduate and Global Education

Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs

Research News, Awards, and Honors

Societal Engagement and Impact

Dear Colleagues:

I am so happy to welcome you back to NYU Abu Dhabi for the start of our 2024-2025 academic year. If you are among those returning to campus, I hope you are refreshed and ready to settle into familiar rhythms. If you are among our new faculty and this is your first foray into our vibrant community, we are thrilled to have you and were pleased to meet you and your families at our Faculty Welcome Reception last week.

It is a delight to share our academic update celebrating the many achievements of our community in recent months. As I do every month during the semester, these updates highlight examples of how we are advancing our beloved NYU Abu Dhabi as a world-class global liberal arts and global research institution through the four pillars of our Academic Strategy—Undergraduate Education, Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, Research, and Societal Engagement and Impact. You can find the full academic update here or peruse the previous links to different parts of the update.

Importantly, our Academic Strategy reinforces the commitment to a new paradigm in higher education, namely, to be a university for a global society. Our strategy also strongly aligns with NYU’s vision to promote interdisciplinarity in research and teaching, including STEM and innovation; to extend in global research and education; and to strive unrelentingly to be a community where everyone can flourish.

In addition, on the occasion of the recent Emirati Women’s Day on August 28, I would like to highlight the remarkable achievements of students and colleagues from our community. Emirati Women’s Day celebrates the contributions of women across all sectors of UAE society, recognizing their leading roles in business, government, the arts, and sports.

Emirati women continue to foster our institutional mission as students, faculty, and staff in a multitude of ways. For example, of the 22 Rhodes Scholarship recipients in NYU Abu Dhabi’s history, an impressive eight are Emirati women. Furthermore, we take pride in the work of colleagues like Asma Alblooshi (Assistant Director of Emirati PhD Pathways Program), Sara Alblooshi (Academic Enrichment Program Ambassador), Lolowa AlMarzooqi (Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education), and many others who help to empower our students and honor the accomplishments of Emirati women.

In this context, we also commemorate startAD’s Emirati Women Achievers (EWA), a program organized under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the “Mother of the Nation.” This year, startAD unveiled the Impact Hub for Emirati Women Achievers, which offers long-term support for Emirati women in business and innovation and invites the community to come on board as patrons, partners, and participants. It also aims to equip members of the EWA network, now over 100 strong, with the tools, resources, and engagements to contribute to driving the UAE’s leadership economically, culturally, and socially.

This year’s edition of EWA was held on campus on September 3 and recognized 32 Emirati visionaries, including our own Jawaher AlYammahi (Postdoctoral Associate) and Roudhah AlMazrouei (NYU Abu Dhabi Graduate), and spotlighted our colleague Hoda Al Khzaimi (Associate Vice Provost for Research Translation and Innovation) in an EWA gallery. The event featured keynote addresses from Her Highness Sheikha Fatima, delivered by Her Excellency Dr. Maitha bint Salem Al Shamsi (Minister of State), and from Rima Al Mokarrab (Chair of Tamkeen and NYU Trustee).

I am also pleased to share that Nahed Ahmed (Assistant Director, Public Programming, Institute) was profiled for her trailblazing work in Arabian Business, and Maryam Al-Memari (Dolphin Energy Fellow and Research Assistant) was among those recognized by Vogue Arabia as well as Gulf Today. In addition, Hoda Al Khzaimi was selected from more than 1,000 applicants to represent the Advanced Sciences and Research sector under the Economic Growth cluster as part of the UAE’s National Experts Program.

Our community exemplifies what it means to be global citizens and contribute significantly to Abu Dhabi, the UAE, and the world. Although we are barely into this academic year, there is already so much to be proud of.

I look forward to a year of continued academic collaboration, creativity, and exploration.

With warmest wishes,
Arlie

Dear Colleagues:

The academic year has come to a close; it is always a time replete with emotion as we say farewell to a class of students, the vibrancy of a full campus, and the rhythms that have propelled us through the school year.

Another feeling that brims to the surface for me, however, is pride. From welcoming Nobel Prize laureates Ouided Bouchamaoui and Abdulrazak Gurnah to our standing faculty this academic year, to Ilya Spitkovsky’s Distinguished Teaching award, to the abundance of academic research published by our esteemed colleagues, to advancing our administrative support infrastructure,  the NYUAD community continues to be a beacon of thought and creativity that sets an example for which we are deeply proud.

To that end, I am delighted as ever to share the following updates on the pillars of our Academic Strategy, reflecting how our faculty, students, and staff continue to flourish and drive NYUAD forward.

You can find the full update here.

Wrapping up this final AY 23-24 Academic Update, I would like to express my profound gratitude to all of you for your impressive contributions, dedication to NYUAD’s mission, and commitment to academic excellence. You make us proud.

I wish you a most productive and rejuvenating summer and time to reconnect with family and friends. 

Warm regards,

Arlie