Graduate, Research-focused Artificial Intelligence University

Special Message from the President

On behalf of the entire MBZUAI community, I am delighted to welcome our newly constituted Board of Trustees, chaired by His Excellency Khaldoon Al Mubarak. This board—comprising key leaders from the UAE and around the world—brings with it a wealth of expertise in research, technology, governance, and the economy. Such breadth of experience is crucial for the accelerated growth of our university.

MBZUAI has already achieved significant milestones in a relatively short span. Our institution is recognized globally for excellence in computer vision, machine learning, natural language processing, computational biology, and robotics, with our world-class faculty, outstanding student body, and strong partnerships within the AI community.

Building upon our success as a relatively small and narrowly focused research institution, we must continue to grow in scope and scale to cover more topics essential to the UAE’s development and continued modernization. Our strategic plan include adding disciplines – such as public health, life science, decision science, energy and environment, and advanced computing – using AI as a foundation, as we outlined in our second 5-year plan. We also aim to broaden educational offerings by developing the first of its kind undergraduate programs for AI, expanding professional and executive training and exploring ways to integrate AI into K-12 curricula as emphasized by our President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

With the support and leadership of our new Board of Trustees, we will continue fostering a culture of excellence, innovation, and collaboration that attracts the brightest minds from across the globe. By doing so, we will contribute to the UAE’s vision of a knowledge-driven economy and solidify MBZUAI’s position at the forefront of AI research and education.

Please join me in extending a warm welcome to our Chairman and the entire Board of Trustees. I look forward to working closely with them—and with all of you—on this exciting new chapter in MBZUAI’s journey.

Eric Xing
President and University Professor
February 3, 2025