A Place to Grow

With other job offers in the US, NYU Abu Dhabi Assistant Professor of Computer Science Riyadh Baghdadi shares why he chose to advance his career here.

Riyadh Baghdadi spent most of the last decade in Europe and then the US pursuing his academic career in computer science. An academic career in the US seemed to be the right choice as a next step in his academic pursuit, but a university in the Arabian Gulf caught his attention.

Through peers, Baghdadi learned about the annual NYU Abu Dhabi International Hackathon and subsequently, about the University. The Algerian, who has never been in the region, started contacting friends with local experience as a starting point.

During his interview process, the opportunity to visit the NYUAD campus and speak with different faculty members helped him finalize the decision. “I got most of my information about NYU Abu Dhabi during my visit.” While on campus, Baghdadi spoke with students, and was impressed by both their academic caliber and ambition.

“This is a good place for me to grow.”

Baghdadi had several job offers from universities in the US as well as in the computer science industry, but ultimately he chose to advance his career with NYUAD.

A big motivation for Baghdadi to join NYUAD is the UAE’s interest in incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into its long-term economic plan. Baghdadi’s research intersection of AI and programming languages fits in nicely with the country’s vision and the University’s mission. “This is a good place for me to grow,” Baghdadi said.

The location of the campus is another attraction. “I’m from the region (Algeria), and I think one of the best ways to help improve society here is through education and science,” said the NYUAD Assistant Professor of Computer Science.

While on campus, Baghdadi spoke with students, and was impressed by both their academic caliber and ambition.

A New Beginning

As a new faculty, Baghdadi is excited to begin his work with students, but also to progress the University’s research enterprise. The flexibility of the topics he can teach here as well as the research he can embark on fuels him.

What I like about the university is that it has a very good balance between research and teaching. It is not something easy to find in the region.