Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) opened with seven faculty members and a singular proposition: that research in artificial intelligence had advanced enough to warrant a university built entirely around it.
Today, the university has 160+ faculty — among them recipients of the MacArthur Fellowship, the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, and the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award, and fellows of the IEEE, ACM, and the International Society for Computational Biology. Its student body has passed 900, drawn from over 50 countries. It is ranked 10th globally across AI, computational biology, computer vision, machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics by CSRankings — ahead of institutions that have been building their reputations for a century.
It has done this, in the words of MBZUAI President and University Professor Eric Xing, by “showing results, making a visible difference, and then asking stakeholders to top up and double down because of the results.”
MBZUAI is now seeking a Provost.
The university introduced a five-divisional academic structure in 2026. Two divisions are operational: Computing and Mathematical Sciences, led by Dean Éric Moulines, and Biological and Life Sciences, led by Dean Eran Segal. Three further divisions are in development. The undergraduate program is in its second year. The faculty community, already distinguished, continues to grow.
This is a role for someone who wants to help build an institution — not manage a settled one — at a moment when the field it is built around is reshaping every other field, in a city and a country that have made a serious commitment to making that happen.
The character of the institution is worth understanding. Professor Xing describes it as a forge: faculty are the core of the institution; research is evaluated on intellectual merit and scientific impact, not grant volume; and teaching is the primary duty of every faculty member, including the most senior.
The university has replaced the classical department structure, with divisions designed to reward interdisciplinary collaboration and large-scale, problem-driven research — while preserving the intellectual freedom and rigor that distinguish academic science from everything else. By the end of its second phase of growth, Xing has set a target of at least 30 percent of faculty holding membership of national academies or fellowships of their professional societies.
The Provost will report to and work in close partnership with President Xing, himself an active researcher and one of the most cited figures in his field. Where the President sets the vision and overarching institutional strategy, the Provost gives that strategy academic form — translating it into programs, policies, and institutional practices that enable faculty and student success. At a university planning for significant growth, much of that work remains to be done, and existing approaches should be expected to be reconsidered.
The right candidate will bring the scholarly standing to earn the respect of a distinguished faculty, the leadership experience to run a complex and fast-moving academic enterprise, and the ambition to do something that has not been done before.
About Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) is the first university dedicated exclusively to advancing scientific discovery through artificial intelligence. Founded by the UAE’s visionary leadership in 2019, MBZUAI was established to educate exceptional talent, cultivate a world-class innovation ecosystem, and serve as a strategic resource for both the public and private sectors.
The University takes inspiration from its namesake, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, reflecting a national commitment to harnessing AI and advanced technology for progress, prosperity, and public good.
MBZUAI’s Board of Trustees brings together internationally recognized leaders from academia, technology, industry and government. His Excellency Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak is the Chairman of MBZUAI’s Board of Trustees, which includes Professor Daniela Rus of MIT and Dr. Lisa Su, Chair and CEO of AMD.
MBZUAI attracts distinguished researchers and faculty across computer science/AI, robotics, computational biology and related fields. Through its academic programs and research enterprise, the University develops transformative AI solutions with real-world impact while helping shape how societies imagine, design, and build the future. MBZUAI is currently ranked 10th globally in CSRankings across its core specializations, including artificial intelligence, computer vision, machine learning, natural language processing, robotics, and computational biology. In 2025, MBZUAI conferred its inaugural Honorary Doctorate on Sam Altman.
The Institute of Foundation Models (IFM) at MBZUAI is a global center of excellence advancing the science, scale, and real-world impact of foundation models. With teams across Abu Dhabi, Silicon Valley, and Paris, IFM brings together world-class researchers and engineers to develop leading language, vision, multimodal, and domain-specific AI models. Its work combines cutting-edge research, high-performance computing, open collaboration, and responsible innovation to build AI systems that are technically advanced, socially meaningful, and designed to address real-world challenges.
University Leadership
As MBZUAI’s first president, Professor Xing has led the University’s extraordinary growth in fundamental AI research and has presided over the assemblage of a world-class cadre of eminent faculty.
At MBZUAI, Professor Xing has created a platform for students and faculty to showcase their research at a national level and in alignment with national priorities, while maintaining excellence and a strong balance in basic research and translational R&D.
With a wealth of experience in academia as an active and world-leading scientist, and as an entrepreneur and administrator, Professor Xing serves as an ambassador from the innovation frontier to educate and train those in the emerging and sometimes chaotic field of artificial intelligence and its application in the real world.
Under Professor Xing’s direction, numerous partnerships have been established with IBM, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS), MIT, AWS, the Gates Foundation, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, and many more.
Professor Xing has built academic homes and robust curriculums for faculty and students to get the most from their time at the University. He has developed a one-of-a-kind executive and professional training program for senior executives and government leaders, as well as a pioneering undergraduate program.
He has brought together an operations team which is leading the rapid growth of the institution.
As a world-leading computer scientist, Professor Xing excels in theory, application, and system at the same time. His major contributions lie in the foundational work of statistical machine learning methodology, including pioneering work in distance metric learning; statistical models and analyses of networks; methods for learning and analyzing graphical models; and new systems, theories, and algorithms for distributed machine learning.
His work also focuses on foundation models and world models, including leadership of the Institute of Foundation Models (IFM) and the development of systems such as PAN and K2 series. He has played a leading role in advancing open and reproducible large language models through initiatives such as LLM360 and models including Vicuna and JAIS. His work also extends into AI for science, where he leads efforts on AI-Driven Digital Organisms (AIDO), Virtual Cell modeling, and large-scale biological foundation models such as GET, alongside contributions to benchmarking and evaluation infrastructure that underpin modern AI research.
Professor Xing supports greater access to AI and open-source platforms to encourage scalable, sustainable, and repeatable processes which opens doors to greater research and industrial possibilities. As a thought leader, Xing is continually bringing together the AI community from around the world to pursue ideas which will impact society in the most beneficial way. He founded the CASL open-source project to help standardize the first truly commercial and versatile AI operating system that will make for better and seamless AI engineering and production.
Professor Xing is a recipient of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Career Award, the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Computer Science, the United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award, and the IBM Open Collaborative Research Faculty Award. He is a board member of the International Machine Learning Society (IMLS). He is a fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and of the American Statistical Association (ASA). In 2023, he was elected a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and in 2026, a fellow of the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB).
Professor Xing holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Rutgers University, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley. He completed his undergraduate study at Tsinghua University.
Academic Divisions
At MBZUAI, we are building a comprehensive university for the future: one that brings together the full spectrum of science and technology, powered by artificial intelligence.
While AI and computer science remain the foundation of everything we do, our divisions let us expand into new disciplines and widen the ground for interdisciplinary work. That is how we take on problems no single field solves alone.
Our operating model combines the enduring strengths of academia (curiosity, intellectual independence, rigorous scholarship) with the collaborative, solution-driven spirit of industry. This approach lets us pursue bold scientific discoveries and turn them into real-world impact, while educating the people who will carry that work forward.
MBZUAI operates under a divisional academic model, structured across five divisions:
- Computing and Mathematical Sciences
- Biological and Life Sciences
- Humanities, Social and Management Sciences
- Natural and Physical Sciences
- Engineering and Applied Sciences
Computing and Mathematical Sciences
Our Division of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, home to more than 600 students, brings together the disciplines that form the foundations of AI, including machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, computer science, statistics and data science, human-computer interaction, and robotics. Led by Dean Éric Moulines, the division advances the mathematical and computational breakthroughs that underpin the next generation of AI technologies.
Biological and Life Sciences
Our Division of Biological and Life Sciences, home to around 50 students, sits at the intersection of biology, population health, and artificial intelligence. Through advances in computational biology, genomics, precision medicine, and digital health, we are transforming healthcare and improving lives. Led by Dean Eran Segal, the division builds on internationally recognized expertise, including the Human Phenotype Project (HPP), to advance AI-enabled healthcare and biomedical discovery.
Humanities, Social and Management Sciences
Our Division of Humanities, Social and Management Sciences examine how AI is reshaping decision-making, work, governance, policies and the broader social fabric. Through interdisciplinary research spanning economics, psychology, public policy, organizational behaviour, ethics, and innovation management, the division develops evidence-based approaches to ensure AI is deployed responsibly, effectively, and for the benefit of society.
Academic Programs
MBZUAI is a modern research university offering degree programs at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels. At the start of the 2026/27 academic year, over 900 students are enrolled in its distinctive academic model. The University prepares the next generation of AI leaders with the knowledge, skills, and practical experience to contribute from day one and address complex global challenges.
Undergraduate Program:
MBZUAI offers a Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence, with two distinctive streams in business and engineering in a unique 3+1 model. The program currently serves around 250 students. This is an elite program designed for exceptional students and future leaders with technical and creative talent, ambition, and drive. Students learn from experienced global entrepreneurs and benefit from a strong emphasis on experiential learning, including a final-year, full-time cooperative education placement supported by MBZUAI’s Career Services and Internship team and aligned with students’ academic and professional goals.
Master’s Programs:
MBZUAI offers eight master’s programs, including seven M.Sc. degrees across Computer Science, Computer Vision, Computational Biology, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Robotics, Statistics and Data Science, and a Master in Applied Artificial Intelligence (MAAI). These graduate programs are designed for career-oriented students who bring entrepreneurial ambition, intellectual curiosity, and a commitment to using AI to transform industries and advance evidence-based decision-making. Across its master’s offerings, graduate students are encouraged to pursue continuous improvement, innovation, and research-informed leadership. With the exception of the MAAI program, all M.Sc. programs offer full scholarships that include tuition, accommodation, healthcare, a student visa, and a generous monthly stipend.
Ph.D. Programs:
MBZUAI offers eight prestigious and globally ranked doctoral programs dedicated to the study of artificial intelligence, all of which include a full scholarship covering tuition, accommodation, healthcare, a student visa, and a monthly stipend. Doctoral students can undertake AI specializations across Computational Biology, Computer Science, Computer Vision, Human-Computer Interaction, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Robotics, and Statistics and Data Science, where they engage in cutting edge research, contributing to top-tier scientific literature, and thought leadership driven by career aspirations into academia, research institutes, industry, or startups.
Faculty
MBZUAI’s faculty mission is framed around dual goals — pure research excellence and applied societal impact — reflecting the university’s aim to attract top scholars who are not only capable of producing groundbreaking research but also driven to create real-world impact, paired with the university’s dedicated resources and research funding to enable and encourage exceptional research, teaching, scholarly publications and societal impacts. Across two divisions, 160+ faculty are the foundation of the academic enterprise, with one of the world’s most concentrated faculties dedicated exclusively to artificial intelligence, with 45 faculty members coming directly from top100 global AI institutions. The faculty expertise spans the full spectrum of AI, from machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, robotics, and computer science to rapidly expanding areas including human-computer interaction, computational biology, and statistics and data science.
Research and Innovation
Research and innovation are central to MBZUAI’s mission to advance artificial intelligence for the benefit of society. Unlike traditional universities where AI is one discipline among many, MBZUAI is uniquely organized as an AI-first research institution, enabling deep collaboration across machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, robotics, computer science, computational biology, statistics, and emerging interdisciplinary fields. The University’s focused model accelerates the translation of fundamental discoveries into real-world applications spanning healthcare, climate, energy, education, mobility, and digital government.
The University has established an ambitious research ecosystem that combines world-class faculty, state-of-the-art computational infrastructure, strategic industry partnerships, and international collaborations. Faculty and research teams regularly contribute to the world’s premier AI conferences and journals while developing technologies with commercial and societal impact. MBZUAI has also invested in innovation through dedicated entrepreneurship initiatives, startup support, technology commercialization, and partnerships with government and industry, positioning the University as both a generator of scientific breakthroughs and a catalyst for economic development. Aligned with the visionary leadership of the University and the UAE’s national strategy for innovation and sustainable development, MBZUAI’s research and innovation ecosystem empowers faculty, students, researchers, and collaborators to address critical global challenges while driving the UAE’s position as a global hub for AI excellence.
Current Research Projects reflect MBZUAI’s pioneering work across key areas of artificial intelligence. Major research areas and centers include:
- Generative AI & Institute of Foundation Models (IFM) Advancing foundation models and generative AI, including large-scale, multimodal, and next-generation AI systems.
- Mathematical Foundations of Machine Learning: Advancing the theoretical and mathematical foundations that underpin modern machine learning and AI.
- Perception & Multimodal AI – Computer Vision: Developing AI systems that understand and integrate visual and multimodal information.
- Language, Reasoning & Interaction – NLP: Advancing natural language processing, reasoning, and intelligent interaction between humans and AI systems.
- Systems, Security & Scientific Computing: Developing advanced computing systems, secure AI infrastructure, and scientific computing capabilities.
- Robotics: Developing intelligent robotic and embodied AI systems that can perceive, learn, interact, and operate in real-world environments.
- Human-Centered Computing – HCI: Exploring human–computer interaction and the design of AI technologies centered around human needs and experiences.
- World Models of Human Biology & Personalized Medicine: Building multimodal AI models to predict disease trajectories, treatment responses, and personalized interventions.
- Cancer Genomics & Computational Oncology: Applying AI to understand cancer biology, identify therapeutic targets, and improve patient stratification.
- Microbiome & Metagenomics: Using computational methods to study microbial communities and their effects on health and disease.
- Gene Regulation & Epigenomics: Applying AI to understand gene regulation, genomic processes, and epigenetic mechanisms.
- Medical AI & Biomedical Image Analysis: Developing AI methods for medical imaging, diagnosis, prognosis, and clinical decision-making.
- Epidemiology & Population Health: Using AI to study disease patterns, risk factors, prevention, and population health.
Working at MBZUAI and Living in Abu Dhabi
Working at MBZUAI offers a distinctive opportunity to help shape one of the world’s newest and most ambitious research universities. As an AI-first institution with a focused mission and strong government support, the University combines the agility of a startup with the resources of a globally significant research enterprise. Faculty and academic leaders have the opportunity to develop innovative academic programs, build internationally recognized research centers, expand global research collaborations, and pursue interdisciplinary scholarship and collaborate across disciplines within an agile institution. The University’s international community, representing dozens of nationalities, fosters an intellectually diverse, collaborative, and entrepreneurial culture centered on addressing complex societal challenges through artificial intelligence.
Located in Masdar City, MBZUAI sits within one of the world’s leading hubs for sustainability, advanced technology, and innovation. Abu Dhabi has rapidly established itself as a global center for AI investment, research, and commercialization, supported by significant national initiatives and partnerships with industry, government, and international academic institutions. This ecosystem provides exceptional opportunities for research collaboration, technology translation, and engagement with policymakers and industry leaders.
Beyond the workplace, Abu Dhabi offers an exceptional quality of life for faculty and their families. The city is consistently recognized as one of the safest in the world and provides modern infrastructure, excellent healthcare, high-quality international schools, and a diverse multicultural community. Residents enjoy year-round sunshine, world-class cultural institutions, international cuisine, outdoor recreation, and convenient access to destinations across Europe, Asia, and Africa through one of the world’s busiest international aviation hubs. The combination of professional opportunity, personal safety, cultural richness, and global connectivity makes Abu Dhabi an increasingly attractive destination for academic leaders seeking both career impact and an outstanding quality of life.
The Opportunity
MBZUAI enters its next phase of development with the foundations of a serious research university in place and the harder work of institutional maturity ahead. The Provost will be the person most responsible for that work.
The university is not trying to become large. Its model is elite, research-intensive, faculty-led. What it is trying to become is excellent in a way that is durable, as an institution that builds the academic structures, governance, and operational discipline that allow quality to be sustained and replicated across generations of faculty and students.
MBZUAI has five divisions planned; two are operational. It has an undergraduate program in its second year. It has a research portfolio of genuine distinction and the ambition to go further — into translational research, large-scale interdisciplinary programs, and the kind of work that moves AI from the laboratory into real-world application. This ambition requires an audacious academic infrastructure to support it: governance that is transparent and consistent, research administration that enables, and resource allocation that reflects academic priorities rather than institutional inertia.
The Provost will build that infrastructure, working in close partnership with the President, the deans, and the vice provosts. Where the President sets the vision and the deans lead their divisions, the Provost serves the mission and gives the academic enterprise its operational coherence — translating strategy into plan, plan into practice, and practice into outcomes. At a university of this age and ambition, much of that work involves building from first principles. Existing approaches should be expected to be reconsidered.
Key responsibilities and opportunities for the Provost include:
The Provost serves as chief academic administrative officer, with day-to-day responsibility for the quality, integrity, and operational effectiveness of MBZUAI’s academic enterprise. Working closely with the President, deans, and vice provosts, the Provost will advise on academically oriented administrative, financial, operational, and organizational matters, and lead long-range operational planning aligned with the university’s strategic priorities.
Core areas of responsibility include:
Academic administration
With support from the Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence and Advancement and the Vice Provost for Student and Postdoctoral Affairs
The Provost will partner with deans and academic leaders on resource planning, support new academic initiatives and program implementation, and coordinate administrative support for faculty governance and university committees. A central priority will be strengthening academic quality and faculty governance as MBZUAI continues to grow — working closely with the deans to advance academic strategy and maintain high standards across the university.
Research administration
With support from the Vice Provost for Research
The Provost will oversee research administration, including pre- and post-award operations, and work with the vice provosts and the Office of Research to grow research collaborations and translational activities, including the commercialization of intellectual property. Ensuring compliance with sponsored research policies and coordinating research infrastructure across academic divisions will be central to this work.
Teaching and learning
The Provost will develop and enhance the quality of teaching and student learning across MBZUAI’s programs, assessing consistency of high-quality instruction university-wide. Working with the Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence and Advancement and the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Provost will leverage the university’s capabilities in instructional design, educational technology, and academic program development to further the Center’s impact.
Academic appointments
The Provost, working closely with the President, will oversee faculty and academic staff personnel administration, leading recruitment, onboarding, compensation planning, and organizational development for academic staff. This includes advising deans on personnel policies and employee relations, managing performance evaluation processes, and overseeing workforce planning for academic affairs.
Strategic planning and analytics
The Provost will develop academic administrative metrics and dashboards, analyse operational and financial data to support decision-making, and lead continuous improvement initiatives across academic affairs. The Provost will also manage special projects on behalf of the President and deans related to academic affairs.
Academic management
The Provost will build an effective academic administrative leadership team and promote collaboration across academic divisions and administrative units. As a member of the President’s senior leadership team, the Provost will play a central role in shaping the culture and direction of the university’s academic enterprise.
Academic operations
The Provost will direct academic administrative services across the university, improve academic business processes and operational efficiency, and develop and implement academic administrative policies and procedures. This includes overseeing academic risk management, business continuity, and emergency preparedness.
Academic facilities and space planning
The Provost will manage academic space allocation and utilization with the deans and President, and — through coordination with the Office of Research and academic deans — ensure the university has the computing capacity across academic divisions and centers to support its research ambitions and attract distinguished faculty and students. This includes coordinating maintenance and infrastructure improvements with divisional offices.
Academic budget
The Provost will develop and manage the university’s annual academic operating and capital budgets, monitoring revenues, expenditures, and financial performance across academic affairs. Working with the President and deans, the Provost will allocate resources across divisions, departments, and programs in line with academic strategy, and oversee multi-year budget planning, financial forecasting, and reporting — ensuring compliance with university financial policies and external regulations.
Candidate Profile
MBZUAI’s next Provost will be a distinguished scholar who is ready to bring the full weight of their administrative experience to bear on institution-building. This is a role for someone who has made the transition to academic leadership and is prepared to devote themselves to it entirely.
The successful candidate will bring significant senior academic leadership experience, gained as a provost, deputy provost, vice provost, dean, or in a comparable role at a research-intensive university. They will have led complex, multidisciplinary academic organizations, worked in close partnership with deans and faculty leadership, and demonstrated a track record of advancing academic quality, strengthening governance, and supporting the recruitment and development of outstanding faculty.
Credibility within the academic community is essential. The Provost must understand the culture of a serious research university — its values, its tensions, and the conditions under which faculty do their best work — and be able to translate that understanding into institutional practice. They will know when to build consensus and when to make difficult decisions, and will bring the judgment to distinguish between the two.
Equally important is the ability to execute. MBZUAI is a fast-moving institution with significant growth ahead. The Provost will need to translate strategy into policy, build academic structures that can sustain excellence at scale, and establish governance and decision-making processes that are consistent, transparent, and fit for a university of MBZUAI’s ambitions. Experience leading through significant institutional growth or organizations development will be particularly relevant.
The role demands a genuinely global outlook. MBZUAI’s faculty and students are drawn from across the world; its research partnerships span continents; and its position within the UAE places it at the intersection of national ambition and international academic life. The Provost will need to represent the university credibly with leading academic institutions, governments, industry, and research partners internationally — and to do so with the intellectual authority and heft that comes from having built something of their own.
Above all, the Provost will bring integrity, sound judgment, and a genuine commitment to the mission of a university that exists to advance science through artificial intelligence — and to the country and region in which it is being built.
Compensation and Benefits
This is a full-time, on-site position based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. MBZUAI offers a highly competitive, tax-free compensation package, commensurate with the experience and seniority of the successful candidate, together with a comprehensive suite of benefits designed to support the candidate and their family.
The benefits package includes relocation assistance to the UAE, education support for dependent children, including school education allowances and university tuition benefits, comprehensive medical insurance for the candidate and eligible family members, and annual travel benefits for the candidate and family.
Relocation support is designed to facilitate a smooth transition to Abu Dhabi, while the broader benefits package provides comprehensive support for the successful candidate and their family throughout their appointment at MBZUAI.
Contact
DSG Global has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Jim Sirianni, Managing Director, Amy Sugin, Managing Director, and Kate Phillips, Managing Associate. To express interest in this role, please submit a compelling cover letter and resume by filling out our Talent Profile. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.
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**This leadership profile is not exhaustive and may be subject to change. While every effort has been made to confirm information at the date of publication, the accuracy or completeness of the information provided herein cannot be guaranteed.
