Dania Zantout
Lecturer of Mathematics
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: MS American University of Beirut; PhD Clemson University
Research Areas: Automorphic forms, L-functions, Arithmetic Geometry
Dr. Dania Zantout is an award-winning mathematics educator and leader in responsible, educator-led AI. Building on a university teaching career that began in 2001 and has encompassed a broad range of undergraduate mathematics courses, her work spans curriculum and program development, assessment design, educational research, instructional technology, faculty and teacher development, student mentorship, and institutional service.
At NYU Abu Dhabi, she coordinates multi-section mathematics courses and develops evidence-based learning and assessment systems that make students’ invisible thinking visible by tracing how they prepare, reason, confront misconceptions, reflect, revise, and transfer learning. Her work in responsible AI focuses on developing ethical, pedagogically grounded systems that support learning while preserving educator authority, student reasoning and authorship, authentic assessment, and institutional data sovereignty.
Dr. Zantout’s leadership extends beyond the university classroom into mathematical outreach and the development of national and regional STEM programs. She founded and leads WiMN+AI and the Takāmul Cup and is a founder and director of the Math Olympiad Trainer Academy. WiMN+AI builds an intellectual community and creates greater visibility for women as leaders in mathematics, artificial intelligence, research, and practice. The Takāmul Cup grew from a university mathematics competition into a national platform connecting students and institutions across the United Arab Emirates, while the Math Olympiad Trainer Academy develops high school teachers’ capacity to sustain and to spread advanced mathematical learning.
Mentorship has remained central to her academic work, from supporting graduate students in developing effective teaching practices to mentoring undergraduate researchers through the REU program. Her teaching has been recognized with three awards at Clemson University and the inaugural NYU Abu Dhabi Palm Teaching Award for excellence in teaching, mentorship, and educational innovation.
Dr. Zantout holds a PhD in Mathematical Sciences from Clemson University, where her research focused on automorphic forms and their L-functions. Her academic background also includes a BS in mathematics with a thesis in cryptography and an MS in pure mathematics with a thesis in complex analysis. In all of these areas, her central commitment is to expand educational opportunities while maintaining mathematical rigor, academic standards, and the essential role of human judgment.