New Faculty
Academic Year 2025-2026
NYU Abu Dhabi leadership and faculty are researchers, scholars, and artists of extraordinary distinction within and beyond their disciplines, and at the same time exceptional teachers, dedicated to supporting and challenging their students and to transforming them into intellectual colleagues. In addition to a growing cohort of full-time faculty, the University also draws talent from across NYU’s global network and hosts visiting faculty from outstanding universities around the world.
Today NYU Abu Dhabi has a faculty of more than 300 experts who are drawn to the University by the quality and passion of our students, by a very favorable research environment, and, as importantly, by the institution’s resolve to contribute significantly to the region and to shape a better world through education and research.
Meet the New Faculty by Academic Unit
Jing Chai
Visiting Senior Lecturer of Chinese Language
Jing Chai is a Visiting Senior Language Lecturer of Chinese, where she has rejoined the faculty at NYU Abu Dhabi after previously serving as Program Head and Visiting Senior Lecturer. Jing has been teaching at NYU Shanghai since its inaugural class, and has taught across the levels with a specialization on Intermediate and Advanced level Chinese, and has created courses at post-advanced levels, including Discovering Contemporary China Through Documentary Films, Teaching Chinese Through Children’s Storybook, etc. She currently also serves as the Elementary Language Coordinator for the Chinese Language program.
Jing holds both a BA and an MA in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages from East China Normal University. Her teaching and research focus on Chinese character pedagogy, multimodal learning, and community-engaged language education. An active convener and presenter, Jing has led international symposia, workshops, and exhibitions across Asia, the Middle East, and North America. She is also a certified ACTFL OPI tester and a recipient of multiple NYU grants supporting language pedagogy and research.
MA in Teaching Chinese to the Speakers of Other Languages, East China Normal University, China
Previously: Senior Lecturer of Chinese Language, New York University Shanghai, China
Juan Sierra
Adjunct Lecturer of Music
Juan Sierra is currently a Research Fellow at NYU Abu Dhabi, affiliated with the Music and Sound Cultures (MaSC) research group at NYU Abu Dhabi. He holds a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in Music Technology from NYU Steinhardt, and a Master of Arts in Music, Science, and Technology from Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music, with an emphasis in sound engineering (2015), from the Pontifical Xavierian University in his hometown of Bogotá, Colombia.
Juan’s work integrates digital signal processing, acoustics, and real-time audio software with a strong foundation in physics and mathematics. His research and creative practice focus on algorithm design, spectral modeling, spatial audio, and musically informed sound technologies. His academic work has been presented at leading international venues, including the Audio Engineering Society and the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME).
With extensive experience in music production, recording, and performance, Juan brings a practice-driven, technically rigorous approach to music technology research.
PhD candidate in Music Technology, NYU Steinhardt, USA (dissertation successfully defended). Master of Philosophy in Music Technology at NYU Steinhardt, United States of America
Previously: Research Fellow, NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE
Gian Francesco Giudice is a theoretical physicist who earned his PhD from SISSA under Riccardo Barbieri. His research focuses on extending particle physics theories to smaller scales and applying these models to early-universe cosmology. He has made significant contributions to supersymmetry, extra dimensions, electroweak physics, and dark matter.
Giudice’s distinguished career includes roles as a Research Associate at Fermilab, a Research Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin under Steven Weinberg, and a decade-long tenure as Head of the Theoretical Physics Department at CERN. A member of several prestigious academies, his honors include the Jacques Solvay Chair and the Erwin Schrödinger Professorship. Beyond research, he has authored two popular science books, A Zeptospace Odyssey and Before the Big Bang, which bridge the gap between complex physics and the general public.
PhD in International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy
Visiting From: Head of the Theoretical Physics Department, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
Romain Ferrali
Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics
Romain Ferrali is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Aix-Marseille School of Economics. His research lies at the intersection of development economics and political economy, with a focus on North and Sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on game theory and quantitative methods — including network analysis, causal inference, and structural estimation — he investigates why development efforts fail, with direct policy relevance. His work examines how corruption is organized, how organizations can be designed to resist it, and how authoritarian regimes manage new technologies.
Romain’s research has appeared in American Journal of Political Science, Management Science, Games and Economic Behavior, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and Science Advances, and it has received distinctions such as the Beryl Radin Award and an APSA Political Networks Best Conference Paper Award.
He teaches a graduate course on the economics of social networks. He holds a PhD in Politics from Princeton University and has graduate training from the London School of Economics, Sciences Po, and École Polytechnique.
PhD in Politics, Princeton University, United States of America
Visiting From: Assistant Professor, Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France
Dorottya Krizsan is an Adjunct Lecturer in the Division of Social Science at NYU Abu Dhabi. She earned her BSc and PhD in Chemistry from University College Dublin, where her doctoral research focused on the design of dual-functional DNA-binding probes — molecular tools developed for combined therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Alongside her research, she gained significant teaching experience during her doctoral studies, with an emphasis on making complex scientific concepts accessible and engaging. Dr. Krizsan’s interests include formulation chemistry, particularly the science of cosmetic and skincare products. In her teaching at NYUAD, she adopts an interdisciplinary approach to beauty and self-presentation, integrating scientific perspectives with social-scientific and cultural analysis to examine how products, norms, and identities shape one another.
PhD in Chemistry, University College Dublin, Ireland
Previously: Innovation Funding Consultant, Braithwaite Consultants, Ireland