Commencement 2022

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The Inaugural Commencement

MBZUAI educates the innovators and leaders who will advance the extraordinary potential of AI – the thinkers and doers who will contribute to the growth of technology and enterprise in the UAE and across the globe.

Thanks to the wisdom and support of national leadership, MBZUAI welcomed its first cohort of students in January 2021. The university’s first graduation is an opportunity to showcase Abu Dhabi as a hub for AI, innovation, and research excellence while celebrating the inaugural graduates as a force for good in the world.

MBZUAI Alumni

Watch the Inaugural Commencement

Story of the gowns

The graduation gown.
It is the start of a tradition.
It carries a sense of place and belonging.
The gown is resplendent gold and blue, hand stitched to evoke Abu Dhabi’s sea and sand.
Gold is an echo of the hues of the desert, it is also evocative of wisdom and enlightenment.
Blue is from the velvety sea, rich with life, teeming with possibility.
It also donates bold vision and leadership.
Our graduation gown is completed by a hood, reminiscent of the Emirati bisht.
The lining holds the pattern of the UAE’s national flower.
Truly, the gown is a tribute to local culture, national aspirations, and a thirst for knowledge.

Stories

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber

Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Special Envoy for Climate Change, and Chairman of the MBZUAI Board of Trustees

Combining extensive experience in both the public and private sector, he has been responsible for overseeing, developing, and enhancing strategic partnerships with a number of countries.
In addition, Dr. Al Jaber is Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), where he is spearheading a rapid and comprehensive transformation of the company at the direction of the UAE leadership.

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Professor Eric Xing

MBZUAI President

Prior to joining MBZUAI, Xing was a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University where he was the founding director of the Center for Machine Learning and Health. Xing has also served as visiting associate professor at Stanford University, and visiting research professor at Facebook Inc. He is also the founder, chairman, and chief scientist of Petuum Inc., which was recognized as a 2018 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer that builds standardized artificial intelligence development platforms and operating systems for broad and general industrial AI applications.

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Shahd AlShamsi

Inaugural Class Valedictorian

Shahd AlShamsi from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the inaugural valedictorian. AlShamsi is an industrial engineer with research interests in the application of digital twins for personalized cognitive health. She holds a master’s in machine learning from MBZUAI. AlShamsi is also CEO of Feedni, a service marketplace platform. Her professional experience is within manufacturing, supply chains, and logistics.