Abu Dhabi’s AI university appoints academic Eric Xing as president

Abu Dhabi’s Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has appointed AI academic Professor Dr. Eric Xing as president.

Professor Dr. Xing will lead MBZUAI as the first intake of graduate students are set to commence studies in January 2021.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and chairman of the MBZUAI board of Trustees, said: “We are excited to welcome Professor Dr. Xing as the president of MBZUAI. He is one of the world’s foremost academics in the field of AI, and an exceptional business leader who understands the practical application of artificial intelligence.”

Professor Dr. Xing joins MBZUAI from US-based Carnegie Mellon University, where he most recently served as the associate department head of research at the Machine Learning Department, part of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science.

He is also the founding director of the Center for Machine Learning and Health, Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Professor Dr. Xing has also been a visiting associate professor at Stanford University, and a visiting research professor at Facebook. He has authored or contributed to more than 370 research papers and reports. Professor Dr. Xing is also the founder, chairman, and chief scientist of Petuum, which has raised over $120m in funding since 2016.

“AI is one of the most transformational technologies of our time, with the potential to have an immeasurable positive impact on economies, industries, and society,” noted Professor Dr. Xing.

“As President of MBZUAI, my vision is to build and enable a generation of leaders who have the necessary understanding, expertise, and skills to unlock the full potential of AI through academic research and industry applications.”

MBZUAI is the world’s first graduate-level, research-based AI university. Launched last year in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, the university recently extended admission offers to 101 students for the first academic year commencing in January 2021. Accepted students were selected from a group of 2,223 applicants belonging to 97 different nationalities.

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