Dean of Engineering

Job description

New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) is an extraordinary achievement and unparalleled opportunity in higher education.

Since its founding in 2010, it has become one of the most selective institutions in the world and is home to a community of over 370 scholars across more than 90 research centers and laboratories.

It is pioneering an innovative model of higher education for a global world, dedicated to excellence in both teaching and research to inspire cooperation and tackle humanity’s greatest challenges.

Drawing on the strengths of the NYU Global Network, it offers an exceptional liberal arts and sciences education.

The university supports groundbreaking research that pushes the boundaries of knowledge and responds to vital global and local issues with powerful interdisciplinary solutions.

NYU Abu Dhabi advances NYU as a beacon of learning for the 21st century and plays a key role in developing a sustainable, knowledge-based economy in Abu Dhabi.

The Division of Engineering at NYUAD is designed to create technological leaders with a global perspective, a broad education, and the capacity to think creatively.

Undergraduate programs are characterised by the integration of design and innovation in every year of the curriculum: students enjoy a learning environment conducive to creativity, which is at the heart of tomorrow’s technological innovations.

Graduate programs - Global PhD Fellowships and other potential new programs – are highly tailored generally offering a year of focused classwork followed by 3-4 years of research in Abu Dhabi.

The Division seeks a visionary Dean able to lead a distinguished and diverse faculty engaged in research in emerging technology breakthroughs in robotics, cyber-security, smart cities, bioengineering, energy and environmental sustainability.

The next Dean will have a record of design and innovation, fostering environments that produce high quality research that responds in powerful and multidisciplinary ways to vital global and local challenges.

Reporting to the Provost, the Dean inspires and guides academic and administrative efforts, ensuring alignment with NYUAD’s strategic goals and elevating its role within the NYU Global Network.

Through their experience and passion for research and education, the Dean will help express the Division and NYUAD’s mission, share its achievements, and enhance the university’s identity and global positioning.

Accomplished in developing, retaining and attracting great talent, the Dean will lead an ambitious agenda, increasing the impact and quality of interdisciplinary research and new and innovative programs, fully engaging the potential of AI for research and education.

With the appetite and ability to build meaningful partnerships across the other Divisions and NYU’s Global Network and with the Office for Research, Translation and Entrepreneurship, they will also be active in engaging industry, government, and other institutions to position Engineering at NYUAD as a driver of local impact and global innovation.

Sensitive to cultural dynamics, the Dean will embrace NYUAD’s unique position within Abu Dhabi and the region while advancing its international aspirations.

Fair and decisive, the Dean will be proactive in addressing challenges and seizing the remarkable opportunities Abu Dhabi and the region present.

Candidates will have an academic record appropriate for a tenured appointment as full professor in one of the departments within the Division of Engineering at NYUAD and a demonstrated track record of working closely with undergraduate and graduate students from various backgrounds.

The incoming Dean will have demonstrated success in hiring, mentoring, and promoting exceptional faculty and providing an environment in which they can flourish through meaningful discourse and support for research, scholarship, and teaching, and a record of encouraging and facilitating innovation and collaboration across disciplines.

The successful candidate will be an individual with commitment to the ideals of a liberal arts education and a strong research agenda, and will ideally have experience with multi-disciplinary collaboration, global education, and faculty program development, capacity for administrative leadership, including supervision of staff, budget and financial planning, and operational oversight.

NYUAD is being supported by the executive search firm Perrett Laver.

For nominations or to learn more, please contact NYUAD@perrettlaver.com.

Formal applications should be made via INTERFOLIO.



Candidates are requested to submit the following documents:

● A letter of interest that addresses specifically the leadership priorities and themes described in the profile;
● A current curriculum vitae or resume;

The search will continue throughout the 2025-2026 academic year until an appointment is made, with the expectation that the selected candidate will begin no later than September 2026.

NYUAD is committed to equality and is an equal-opportunity employer.

We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and seek individuals who will contribute to the excellence and vibrancy of our academic community.



Join NYU Abu Dhabi, an exceptional place for exceptional people.

NYUAD values inclusion, belonging, and respect; such principles are fundamental to the university’s commitment to excellence.

NYUAD is an equal-opportunity employer.

We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and seek individuals who will contribute to our vibrant, multidisciplinary research and teaching community.

Multidisciplinary research and exceptional teaching in a global campus community are hallmarks of the University’s mission.



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NYU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, reproductive health decision making, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

All interested persons are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.

Sustainability Statement

NYU aims to be among the greenest urban campuses in the country and carbon neutral by 2040.

Learn more at nyu.edu/sustainability

Required Skill Profession

Other General