New Faculty Fall 2025
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
Bilal Orfali
Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies
Bilal Orfali is Professor and Sheikh Zayed Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American University of Beirut. He previously served as Visiting Professor of Middle East Studies at New York University Abu Dhabi, where he was affiliated with the Arab Crossroads Program and the Literature Program, and served as Head of the Arabic Language Program.
Orfali specializes in Arabic literature, Sufism, and Qurʾanic studies. He co-edits al-Abhath journal and Brill’s series Texts and Studies on the Qur’an. He is the author and editor of over twenty books in the field of Arabic studies. His recent publications include The Anthologist’s Art (Brill, 2016), The Book of Noble Character (Brill, 2015), The Comfort of the Mystics (Brill, 2013), Sufism, Black and White (Brill, 2012), and In the Shadow of Arabic (Brill, 2011).
Dr. Orfali’s research is part of a rebirth of interest in philology in the field of classical Arabic literature. His research and publications contribute to examining the vibrant literary culture during the 4th to 10th century, with a focus on Arabic literary anthologies, patronage and courtly life, the transmission of literary reports, and the interplay of Qurʾān, poetry, and prose in both literary and Sufi contexts.
Research interests that primarily revolve around literature, colonialism, postcolonialism, and the effects of displacement and migration.
PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization, Yale University, USA
Previously: Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies (with tenure), American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Suzanne Manizza Roszak
Associate Professor of Literature and Creative Writing
Suzanne Manizza Roszak is a multi-genre creative writer and a comparative literature scholar specializing in children’s literature and childhood studies. Her poetry collection Sicilianas won the Bordighera Poetry Prize and was first finalist for the North American Poetry Book Award. Her novel The Poison Girl, a contemporary gothic retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” was published by Spuyten Duyvil in 2024. Her creative nonfiction, short fiction, and poetry have appeared in literary magazines including ANMLY, Colorado Review, DIAGRAM, The Journal, Ninth Letter, ROOM, and Third Coast.
Manizza Roszak is the author of three monographs in literary studies, including, most recently, They Also Write for Kids: Cross-Writing, Activism, and Children’s Literature (University Press of Mississippi, 2023). Her research has been supported by grants from the Dutch Research Council, the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research, and the Children’s Literature Association. She has previously taught at Occidental College, California State University San Bernardino, East Carolina University, and the University of Groningen. She also currently serves as the managing editor of Seneca Review.
Dr. Manizza Roszak's research interests within childhood studies include popular fiction, diasporic perspectives, and anti-colonial writing. Her creative focuses include the lyric essay as well as poetry and fiction for age-diverse audiences.
PhD in Comparative Literature, Yale University, USA
Previously: Assistant Professor, Department of Modern English Literature and Culture, the University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Jie Yuan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language from East China Normal University and a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language from the College of Liberal Arts at Shanghai University. Her academic training specialized in pedagogical methodologies for second language acquisition, laying the foundation for her career in higher education. Yuan’s research focuses on curriculum design for advanced Chinese learners, particularly through content-based instruction. She has developed innovative courses such as Reading Chinese Newspaper and proposed a Chinese drama-based program to enhance advanced oral proficiency.
Jie Yuan's current projects include refining intermediate-level pedagogical objectives and course materials for Reading Chinese Newspaper. Prior to joining NYU Shanghai, Yuan taught as a Chinese Lecturer at the University of California, Davis (three years) and as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Virginia (one year), with additional experience in the Middlebury Summer Language Program. She was promoted to Senior Language Lecturer and served as Intermediate Level Coordinator for the last three years, overseeing curriculum development, Learning Assistant supervision, and level-wide assessments.
Her research interests include curriculum design, advanced Chinese pedagogy, and content-based instruction.
MA, Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
Affiliated From: Senior Language Lecturer of Chinese, NYU Shanghai, China
Nada Shabout, a scholar in modern and contemporary Arab art, earned her PhD in Humanities, Art History, and Criticism from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is the founding president of the Association for Modern and Contemporary Art from the Arab World, Iran, and Turkey (AMCA) and founding director of Modern Art Iraq Archive (MAIA). Her publications include Modern Arab Art: Formation of Arab Aesthetics (2007) and co-edited volumes like Modern Art in the Arab World: Primary Documents (2018).
Shabout has curated notable exhibitions, including A Banquette for Seaweed: Snapshots from the Arab 1980s (2022-2023) and Sajjil: A Century of Modern Art (2010). She received prestigious awards, including the 2020 Kuwait Prize for Arts and Literature. A Project Advisor for the Saudi National Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2019, she serves on various boards, including the Visual Art Commission in Saudi Arabia. Major awards of her research include Writers Grant, Andy Warhol Foundation 2018; The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TAARII) fellow, 2006 and 2007, Fulbright Senior Scholar Program, 2008. Her current book project, Demarcating Modernism in Iraqi Art, is forthcoming with the American University of Cairo Press.
PhD in the Humanities, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, United States of America
Visiting From: Regents Professor of Art History, Department of Art History, University of North Texas, USA
Owen Flanagan is James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Neurobiology emeritus at Duke University. He is the author of 13 books on the nature of consciousness, the self, the relation of psychology to neuroscience, artificial intelligence, the emotions; addiction; and cross-cultural ethics. His interdisciplinary work bridges philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience, with notable titles including Consciousness Reconsidered, The Really Hard Problem, The Geography of Morals, and How to Do Things with Emotions.
Flanagan has recently held research fellowships at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and the National Humanities Center. He has held leadership roles such as President of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology (1993–94) and received the prestigious Romanell National Phi Beta Kappa award in 1998 for his contributions to philosophy and public intellectual life.
His research interests center on mind, morals, and the meaning(s) of lives. Flanagan has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica, which he has nonetheless visited.
PhD in Philosophy, Boston University, USA
Visiting From: James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Duke University, USA
Saul J. Takahashi is an international human rights and humanitarian lawyer whose research focuses on human rights in Palestine, third-world approaches to international law, and Islamophobia in Europe. He began his career with Amnesty International in Japan and London, later joining the United Nations. From 2009 to 2014, he served as Deputy Head of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Occupied Palestine, working across the West Bank and Gaza on monitoring the documentation of human rights violations.
Takahashi holds an LLM in international human rights law from the University of Essex and is a Senior Non-resident Fellow at the Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies, University Malaya. He is the author of several books in English and Japanese, including Civil and Political Rights in Japan (Routledge, ed.), Human Rights and Drug Control: The False Dichotomy (Hart), and The Palestinian People Continue to Suffer (in Japanese, Gendai Jinbun-sha). He is currently writing on forms of sumud in Palestine.
His research interests center on International human rights law; International humanitarian law; Palestine; third-world approaches to international law; Islamophobia.
LLM in International Human Rights Law, University of Essex, UK
Visiting From: Professor, Human Rights and Peace Studies,
Osaka Jogakuin University, Japan
Tim Mackintosh-Smith is an Arabist, historian, translator, novelist, and author of prize-winning, genre-bending books that explore time, place, and culture through travel.
At Oxford University, he studied Classics, followed by Arabic language and Islamic history. He has lived in the Arab world for over forty years, much of it in the Old City of Sana’a, Yemen.
Mackintosh-Smith’s books include a trilogy of travels with Ibn Battutah. His edition-translations for the NYUAD Library of Arabic Literature began with the oldest Arabic travel book, Accounts of China and India. A foray into fiction produced Bloodstone, a thriller set in the Alhambra. His monumental 2019 Arabs: A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes and Empires examines history and identity through the lenses of language and mobility, and has been translated into a dozen languages. His film and TV work include a major BBC television series on Ibn Battutah.
Mackintosh-Smith has been a Senior Research Fellow of the NYUAD Library of Arabic Literature in 2018 and 2023-2025. He is working on a new edition and first complete translation of Ibn Khaldun’s autobiography, a book about Gibraltar, and several projects for the screen.
MA in Oriental Studies: Arabic, University of Oxford, UK
Previously: Senior Research Fellow at the Library of Arabic Literature (LAL), NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE
Miguel Syjuco
Visiting Associate Arts Professor of Literature and Creative Writing
Miguel Syjuco is a Filipino author, journalist, civil society advocate, and professor of literature and creative writing at New York University Abu Dhabi. He is best known for his debut novel Ilustrado, which won the Man Asian Literary Prize and the Palanca Grand Prize, and was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. His latest novel, I Was the President’s Mistress!!, was published internationally in 2022 to critical acclaim.
Syjuco’s writing and commentary on politics, literature, and global affairs have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, and other major publications. Currently an Assistant Professor of Practice, Literature, and Creative Writing at New York University Abu Dhabi, Syjuco was a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University and the International Writer-in-Residence at Singapore’s Nanyang University. Both his fiction and non-fiction focus on politics, history, inequality, cultural identity, literature, and formal experimentation. He calls Manila home.
His research interests include politics, history, inequality, cultural identity, literature, and formal experimentation
PhD University of Adelaide, Australia
Previously: Associate Professor of Practice, Literature and Creative Writing
Cristina Ioan
Visiting Assistant Professor of Music
Cristina Ioan is an accomplished flutist, educator, and researcher with a diverse international background. She holds a PhD in Music Performance from Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal. Her academic journey also includes an MA in Music Performance from the same institution and a BM in Flute Performance from the National University of Music in Bucharest, Romania. Her research, presented at international music conferences and festivals, explores the integration of voice within flute repertoire as a means to expand technical and creative possibilities for both performers and composers. Notably, her lecture recital, "New Levels of Singing and Flute Playing Technique," at the Crosswinds: Collaborative Creativity as Transformative Practice conference in Portugal (2023) showcased innovative approaches to contemporary music practice. An advocate for contemporary music, she has premiered numerous pieces written for her by composers such as Dimitris Andrikopoulos, Carlos Guedes, Cristóbal MarYán, Matthew Quayle, and David Lesser. Dr. Ioan’s scholarly pursuits have been recognized through numerous grants and awards, including a doctoral scholarship from Portugal's Fundação da Ciência e Tecnologia.
PhD in Music Performance, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal
Previously: Adjunct Instructor of Music Performance, NYUAD, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Fadi Wahbeh
Visiting Assistant Professor of Practice of Film and New Media
Fadi Wahbeh is an Assistant Professor of Film Practice. He holds an MFA in Documentary Production and Studies from the University of North Texas. Wahbeh is a filmmaker and producer known for blending fiction and nonfiction forms, utilizing personal archives, reenactments, and genre-crossing methods to explore stories rooted in Arab histories and experiences. His current research and creative practice investigate themes of migration, oral traditions, and political memory — examining how cinema can recover and reframe marginalized narratives. He is also exploring the ethical integration of artificial intelligence in filmmaking, including applications in voice cloning, character simulation, and archival reconstruction. Wahbeh is currently completing a documentary trilogy set for release in 2026. Prior to his faculty appointment, Wahbeh served as Film Production Supervisor at NYU Abu Dhabi from 2016, mentoring capstone students and contributing to the development of the Film and New Media curriculum. He has led numerous national and international filmmaking workshops and remains committed to empowering Arab voices in cinema, reexamining historical narratives, and fostering innovative storytelling through education.
His research interests include hybrid storytelling, oral history, AI in filmmaking, ethics of AI in media, experimental documentary, migration narratives.
MFA in Documentary Production, University of North Texas, USA
Previously: Instructor in Film and New Media Program and Film Production Supervisor, NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE
Halla Khalil
Visiting Assistant Professor of Literature and Creative Writing
Halla Khalil is a PhD candidate in English, specializing in early modern literature, Shakespeare, identity studies, and Renaissance lyric. She holds an MA in English from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where she also earned her BA in English and Philosophy, graduating summa cum laude. Khalil has extensive teaching experience, having designed and instructed a range of literature and writing courses such as, "Acting Human: Shakespeare and the Drama of Identity,” “Inventing Western Literature,” and “The Art of Literature.” Her research explores intersections of love and epistemological skepticism in Shakespeare's plays and poems. Khalil’s academic achievements include the Alan S. Ryan Award for Best MA Thesis and the Flagship Fellowship at the University of Maryland.
PhD Candidate in English, University of Maryland, USA
Visiting From: Instructor, University of Maryland, USA
Jack Du
Visiting Assistant Professor of Practice of Interactive Media
Jack B. Du is an artist, researcher, and educator whose practice centers around the experimentation of code as a creative medium. He holds a Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Interactive Telecommunications from NYU Tisch and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Science and Interactive Media Arts from NYU Shanghai.
Du’s research focuses on computational motion graphics, algorithmic design and fabrication, and human-computer interaction. His experimental motion graphics research has been published in the Proceedings of the 16th International Symposium on Visual Information Communication and Interaction (VINCI '23). His creative work has been exhibited internationally at ARTECHOUSE NYC (USA, 2025), NYC Resistor (USA, 2025), C3 Dev Festival (Netherlands, 2024), Sikka Art and Design Festival (UAE, 2022), and Shenzhen Design Week (China, 2018). Prior to joining NYU Abu Dhabi, Jack taught as an adjunct professor at NYU Tisch. He has led workshops at institutions such as Harvard University (USA, 2025) and DigitalFUTURES (online/global, 2023), and was a featured speaker at Zaojiu (China, 2018)
His research interests include computer graphics, motion graphics, algorithmic design and fabrication, human-computer interaction, and machine learning.
MPS in Interactive Telecommunications, NYU Tisch, USA
Visiting From: Adjunct Professor of Interactive Telecommunications Program / Interactive Media Arts, NYU Tisch, New York, USA
Joe Davies
Visiting Assistant Professor of Music
Joe Davies is Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at New York University Abu Dhabi. He holds a DPhil and MSt in Musicology from the University of Oxford and a BMus from King’s College London. He has taught at the University of Oxford, Maynooth University, Ireland, and the University of California, Irvine. A committed public musicologist, he co-founded (with Yvonne Liao) the Women in Global Music Research and Industry Network (WIGM), and has chaired five international conferences, most recently “Women at the Piano 1848–1970.” He has served on the Council of the Society for Musicology in Ireland and in 2024, was elected as Chair of the Schubert Institute United Kingdom. He has received grants from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Irish Research Council, and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellowship from the European Commission.
His research is driven by a fascination with interdisciplinary approaches to music and death, women in music, and global song and piano culture. He is currently writing about the impact of widowhood on women’s creativity in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His publications include The Gothic Imagination in the Music of Franz Schubert (Boydell & Brewer, 2024); Clara and Robert Schumann in Context (Cambridge University Press, 2025, co-edited with Roe-Min Kok); Clara Schumann Studies (Cambridge University Press, 2021); and Drama in the Music of Franz Schubert (Boydell & Brewer, 2019, co-edited with James Sobaskie). With Nicole Grimes, he guest-edited the special issue “Clara Schumann: Changing Identities and Legacies” (Nineteenth-Century Music Review, 2024); and with Natasha Loges, he is co-editing Global Perspectives on Women Pianists (Boydell & Brewer) and In a New Key: Studies of Women Pianists (Oxford University Press).
His research interests include nineteenth-century studies, aesthetics, gender, women in music, piano culture, and global musicology.
PhD in Musicology, University of Oxford, UK
Visiting From: Visiting Lecturer in Musicology, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, and Founder, Women in Global Music Network
Ume Hussain
Visiting Assistant Professor of Interactive Media
Ume Hussain is a scholar, interdisciplinary artist, and educator whose work bridges philosophy and arts practice. She holds an MFA in Studio Art from the Maryland Institute College of Art and is a current PhD candidate in Philosophy at the University of Sheffield.
As a researcher, her work centers on a comparative analysis of Neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics and ancient Arab philosophical texts to understand virtue in the modern world. Her investigation involves synthesizing an epistemological framework for Islamic virtue and character, critically examining the moral-ethical implications of technology's integration into daily life, and bridging ancient philosophical principles with contemporary virtuous living.
Complementing her academic inquiry, her artistic practice utilizes video, sound, installation, and interactive media to create immersive environments that challenge perceptual thresholds. Through these environments, she explores the reconciliation of tangible, outward identity with the ever-shifting, intangible internal landscape.
MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art, USA
Previously: Instructor of Interactive Media, NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE
Vinicius Sordi Libardoni
Visiting Assistant Arts Professor with a specialization in printmaking
Vinicius Libardoni is a Visiting Assistant Arts Professor with a specialization in Printmaking. His practice poetically weaves together architecture, memory, and the tactile resonance of matter. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (Brazil), and both an MFA and a PhD in Fine Arts from the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wroclaw (Poland). His work evokes a suspended moment in the life of structures, where inked impressions on concrete confront viewers with the poignancy of absence and presence.
Libardoni’s research delves into the poetic interplay of architecture, memory, and materiality, using printmaking as an archaeological tool to reclaim the presence of lost structures and the narratives they once held. His signature MEMENTO series have been presented at the Museum of Architecture in Wroclaw, the ZODIAK Warsaw Pavilion of Architecture, the City Museum in Tychy and Traffic Design Gallery in Poland, Osijek Cultural Center in Croatia, and Galeria Gravura Brasileira in São Paulo.
Libardoni’s innovative approach has also been showcased in major international printmaking events, including The International Print Triennial in Cracow (2021) and the Polish Print Triennal in Katowice. His work has garnered a distinguished array of awards and honours in the international arena, such as the Grand Prix at the 14th Poznań Graphic Arts Biennale (2025), the Premio Internacional de Gráfica Emergente in Bilbao (2023), the Second Prize at the Biennale di Grafica Contemporanea Diego Donati in Perugia (2022).
His research interests are architecture, printmaking, sculpture, installation, memory, materiality.
PhD in the Field of Art in the Discipline of Fine Arts and Art Conservation, The Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design, Wrocław, Poland
Visiting From: Assistant Professor, Department of Printmaking, Faculty of Graphics and Media Art; The Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design, Poland
Renad Younes
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Practice of Legal Studies
Renad Younes is Partner-in-Charge of the Abu Dhabi office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, a leading global law firm. She plays a prominent role in the firm’s Projects and Infrastructure and Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Groups, advising on high-value, cross-border transactions and strategic initiatives in sectors including energy, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, defence, and space.
Younes earned her Master of Laws (LLM) from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2004. She is a Solicitor admitted in England and Wales, and is widely recognized for her solution-oriented legal practice. Her work has helped establish innovative legal frameworks and new market-facing entities in emerging industries. She has received top-tier rankings from Chambers and The Legal 500 in both M&A and energy, and is listed in The Legal 500 EMEA's “Hall of Fame” for UAE Oil, Gas, and Natural Resources. She has also been named among IFLR 1000’s Women Leaders, recognizing her as a “highly regarded” lawyer worldwide.
Younes’s primary research and professional interests center around international mergers and acquisitions, project development, and strategic transactions across sectors such as energy, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and space.
LLM, London School of Economics & Political Science, UK
Currently: Lawyer and Partner In-Charge, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, UAE
Ahmad Bin Thaneya
Assistant Professor/Emerging Scholar of Civil and Urban Engineering
Ahmad Bin Thaneya earned his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2023. His research focuses on environmental management of infrastructure systems, air quality engineering, human exposure assessment and mitigation, climate change mitigation, and life cycle assessment. His doctoral work explored reducing human exposure to fine particulate matter using infrastructure optimization models.
PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Previously: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Prabodh Panindre holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from New York University. His scholarly focus includes artificial intelligence, fire science and firefighter safety research, optics, heat transfer, nanotechnology, and microfluidics. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers.
His research group has received several grants (more than $8.5 million) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for fire prevention and safety research. He led a team of NYU researchers on the "Wind-Driven High-Rise Fires" project with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which produced revolutionary changes in many of FDNY’s long-established tactics. The new firefighting procedures developed through this research have been implemented by FDNY in several real-life fires in New York City. This research was featured on the cover page of the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineering) Magazine.
He also led the research that developed an innovative training methodology to disseminate firefighter safety research, and to educate firefighters in the most effective manner. This training has been used by more than 75,000 firefighters from all 50 US states and officially adopted by more than 1,000 fire departments nationwide. He has been featured on more than 500 newswires across the globe, including the New York Times, NY Daily News, Yahoo, Reuters, United Press International, and National Volunteer Fire Council. He has been interviewed by several TV news channels, including NBC News, ABC News, News 12, and PIX 11 News.
PhD in Mechanical Engineering, New York University, USA
Previously: Research Scientist; Research Assistant Professor, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, NYU
Hazım Kemal Ekenel is a visiting professor from ITU Department of Computer Engineering, where he leads the Smart Interaction and Machine Intelligence Technologies (SiMiT) Lab. His aim is to leverage computer vision, machine learning, and deep learning techniques to build interactive and intelligent systems that ease people's lives and enhance their social interactions. He also focuses on assistive technologies for people with disabilities and healthcare applications.
Ekenel has over twenty years of experience in computer vision and machine learning with a focus on face analysis and human perception. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in prestigious international journals, conferences, and workshops in related fields, which have received over 6,000 citations.
His research achievements have been recognized by several national and international foundations. Ekenel received the IEEE Research Award in 2019, the Parlar Foundation Research Award, and the Outstanding Young Scientist (BAGEP) Award from the Science Academy, Turkiye in 2018. In 2008, Ekenel received the EBF European Biometric Research Award for his contributions to the field of face recognition during his doctoral studies and, with his team, the Best Demo Award at the IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture Recognition.
PhD in Computer Engineering, University of Karlsruhe (TH), Germany
Visiting From: Professor, Deaprtment of Computer Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey
Alan Cornell is a Professor of physics in theoretical particle physics, having obtained his PhD from the University of Melbourne, Australia. He has previously worked at the Korean Institute for Advanced Studies (Seoul, Korea), the Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics (Kyoto, Japan), the Institut de Physique Nucléaire de Lyon (France), and the University of the Witwatersrand. He is a member of the SA-CERN programme, the Inter-experimental Machine Learning working group at CERN, the Future Circular Collider collaboration, and the chair of the Theoretical and Computational Physics division at the SAIP.
PhD in Physics, University of Melbourne, Australia
Visiting From: Professor of Physics in Theoretical Particle Physics, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Francesco Haardt
Visiting Professor of Physics
Francesco Haardt is an astrophysicist and cosmologist with three major research fields of interest, high energy astrophysics, cosmic evolution of massive black holes, and physical cosmology. On these topics he has published more than 130 papers on main referred international journals. He is the first or second author in all his first eight most cited papers, all with a total authors of three or fewer; h-index=52. His early studies were mainly focused on the high-energy emission from accreting black holes, both of stellar and super-massive variety, and during his PhD, he obtained breakthrough results proposing an innovative model of accretion disk corona successful in explaining the main features of the X-ray emissions from accreting black holes.
Research activity focused on the cosmic ionising background, the physics of the intergalactic medium, and the characterisation of the diverse cosmic populations of UV emitters, galaxies, and active galactic nuclei. Haardt's studies of the IGM and the UVB models he proposed in 1996, 2001, and more recently in 2012 became the standard input in most of the cosmological simulations and studies of QSO absorption systems performed in the last 15 years. In the last 15 years, he started to work on the cosmic evolution of massive black holes, mentoring as PhD advisor to several proven successful young researchers.
PhD in Astrophysics, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, Trieste, Italy
Visiting From: Professor of Astrophysics and Cosmology, Universita' dell'Insubria, Italy
Luca Amendola is a Professor of Physics at the Institute of Theoretical Physics in Heidelberg, Germany. His area of research is Cosmology and Astrophysics. Currently, he is working mainly on topics related to Dark Energy, Large Scale Structure, Cosmic Microwave Background, and Statistics.
PhD in Astronomy, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy
Visiting From: Professor of Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Spiros Pergantis is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Crete with extensive experience in analytical and environmental chemistry. His career spans roles at the US EPA, Utrecht University, and Birkbeck College, University of London. His research focuses on the development and application of advanced mass spectrometric techniques for metal speciation, particularly arsenic, selenium, and antimony. He specializes in both targeted and non-targeted analysis, studies metal-biomolecule interactions, and develops methods for nanoparticle detection using single particle ICP-MS. He has also contributed to innovations in sonic-spray ionization and collaborates on diverse projects involving molecular and atomic mass spectrometry in environmental, biological, food, and archaeological contexts.
PhD Degree in Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Canada.
Visiting From: Professor of Analytical Chemistry, University of Crete, Greece.
Gabriel Falcão is an Assistant Professor at the University of Coimbra with a background in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He holds a PhD in Telecommunications and Electronics, recognized by the Fraunhofer Portugal Challenge. His research focuses on energy-efficient parallel algorithms and architectures, particularly for LDPC codes, software-defined radio (SDR), and next-generation ultrasound imaging systems. He also explores low-power computing solutions for AI-related image recognition tasks. Gabriel has been a Visiting Professor at EPFL, collaborates with the University of Hong Kong on ultrasound technologies, and is a senior member of IEEE and the HiPEAC network.
PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Coimbra, Portugal
Visiting From: Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, FCTUC, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Portugal
John Parrington is an Associate Professor in Pharmacology at the University of Oxford and a Tutorial Fellow in Medicine and Joint Head of Research at Worcester College, Oxford. He has a BA and an MA in Zoology from the University of Cambridge, an MA in Pharmacology from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in Cancer Research from the University of London. His main laboratory research interest is studying the mechanisms of action and pathophysiological roles of cell signalling proteins. He was a co-discoverer of PLCzeta, the sperm protein that activates the egg and kickstarts embryo development.
He has published over 110 scientific articles (H-Index 54) in internationally-reputed journals including Nature, Current Biology, Journal of Cell Biology, Journal of Clinical Investigation, The EMBO Journal, Development, Developmental Biology, and Human Reproduction. He is the author of the books The Deeper Genome (Oxford University Press, 2015), Redesigning Life (Oxford University Press, 2016), Mind Shift (Oxford University Press, 2021), Consciousness (Icon Books, 2023), and Cognitive Science – A Primer (World Scientific, 2025).
His research interests include Cell Signalling, Cell Biology, Genetics, Pharmacology, and Cognitive Science.
PhD in Cell Signalling, University of London, UK
Visiting From: Associate Professor in Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Worcester College -University of Oxford, UK
Valentina Corradi obtained her PhD in Economics in 1994 from the University of California, San Diego. She has held academic positions at the University of Pennsylvania, Queen Mary University of London, the University of Exeter, and the University of Warwick. Her research has been published in leading journals such as the Journal of Econometrics, Econometric Theory, the Journal of the American Statistical Association, the Review of Economic Studies, the International Economic Review, and the Journal of Monetary Economics. Her current research focuses on modeling and testing for jumps in financial assets, evaluating trading strategies, and investigating financial analysts' bias. She is also interested in bandwidth selection for non-stationary processes, moment inequalities, and the measurement error in child mortality data.
Valentina's areas of expertise include econometric theory, financial econometrics, time series analysis, predictive evaluation, realized measures and jumps, data-driven procedures for bandwidth selection, and factor models like the conditional CAPM.
PhD in Economics, University of California, San Diego, USA
Previously: Professor of Econometrics, University of Surrey, United Kingdom
Benjamin Rosche
Assistant Professor of Social Research and Public Policy and of Computational Social Science
Ben Rosche joined NYU Abu Dhabi in 2025 as an Assistant Professor of Computational Social Science in the Social Research and Public Policy program. Prior to NYUAD, he was a Postdoctoral Associate at Princeton University’s Office of Population Research. He holds a PhD in Sociology with a minor in Computer Science from Cornell University, two MSc degrees in Methods & Statistics and Sociology & Social Research from Utrecht University, and a BA in Sociology with a minor in Economics from Mannheim University. His interdisciplinary background spans sociology, economics, statistics, and computer science, with a strong foundation in quantitative and computational methods. His research focuses on social inequality, social networks, family demography, and political sociology. His work has been published in the Annual Review of Sociology, received invitations to revise and resubmit at the American Sociological Review and Political Analysis, and secured a three-year, USD 240,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Rosche develops and applies statistical and computational tools to study how friendship, family, political, and climate dynamics shape individual life chances and aggregate patterns of inequality. Methodologically, his expertise includes causal inference, relational dynamics, multilevel analysis, and modeling group heterogeneity.
PhD in Sociology and Computer Science, Cornell University, USA
Previously: Postdoctoral Research Associate, the Office of Population Research, Princeton University, USA
Shuo Liu is an Associate Professor of Economics at the Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, and a visiting faculty member at NYU Abu Dhabi for the 2025–2026 academic year. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Zurich, an MSc in Economic Theory and Econometrics from the Toulouse School of Economics, and a BA in Economics from Shenzhen University. His research lies at the intersection of game theory, organizational economics, and information economics, with a focus on incentives, competition, and bounded rationality.
His work has been published in leading economics and management journals such as the American Economic Review, Management Science, Theoretical Economics, Journal of Economic Theory, Economic Journal, and the RAND Journal of Economics. He is a recipient of several prestigious grants and honors, including the Excellent Young Scientist Fund from the NSF of China, the Peking University Teaching Excellence Award (2023), and the Wu Jiapei Award from the China Information Economics Society (2022).
Shuo's research interests include Information Economics; Organizational Economics; Behavioral Economics; Game Theory
PhD in Economics, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Visiting From: Associate Professor in Economics (without tenure), Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, China
Luis Rojas is a Lecturer at the University of Barcelona, has been an Adjunct Professor at UAB, and Affiliated Professor of the BSE. He is a participating researcher in ADEMU (A Dynamic Economic and Monetary Union), a European research project in the framework of the Horizon 2020 Program.
From 2007-2011, he was an economist in the Macroeconomic Models Department of the Central Bank of Colombia, where he worked on the development of macroeconomic models for policy analysis and forecasting.
His current research includes "Obsolescence of Workers, Job-less recoveries and the Interest Rate" (Joint with Evi Pappa and Juan Dolado); "The Credit Ratings Agencies Business" (Joint with Nicolas Aragon); and "Innovation and Inequality: The Consumption Relative Prices Channel."
PhD in Economics, European University Institute, Italy
Visiting From: Lecturer, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
Sabarish Suresh completed his JSD from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York, where he wrote a thesis on the partition of India and its effect on the making of the Indian Constitution.
At NUS Law, Professor Suresh is working on British colonial cartography and its relationship to the development and expansion of the English Common Law in the Indian subcontinent.
JSD, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York, USA
Visiting From: Postdoctoral Fellow, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Manu Munoz-Herrera is a behavioral scientist at LISER, and the co-founder and research director of the Social Bee Lab. He uses lab, online, and field experiments to study how social connections and group identities may lead to inequalities in the access to opportunities. He also evaluates how different policies can help overcome these barriers and promote social and economic mobility.
PhD in Sociology, University of Groningen, Netherlands
Visiting From: Behavioral Scientist and Research Associate, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-economic Research, Luxembourg
Sara Musaifer
Visiting Lecturer of Social Research and Public Policy
Sara Musaifer is a visionary education strategist with a PhD in Comparative and International Development Education and extensive experience driving impactful initiatives in education policy, diversity and equity, and curriculum innovation. Dr. Musaifer is proficient at fostering cross-sector collaborations locally, nationally, and internationally; designing inclusive educational frameworks; and leveraging research insights to address systemic challenges in diverse and underserved communities.
PhD in Comparative and International Development Education, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, USA
Previously: Post-Doctoral Associate, Division of Social Science, NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE
Jean Fares
Adjunct Professor of Practice of Economics
Jean Fares is a seasoned economist and policy expert with over 25 years of experience in multinational environments. He has held senior positions in Canada, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, building a reputation for innovative strategic thinking and deep knowledge of economic and government affairs. Jean currently serves as CEO for Investopia, a new investment platform supporting the global investment ecosystem. He is also the Senior Advisor to the UAE Minister of Economy, providing policy advice and contributing to economic policy formulation. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi.
Prior to his current roles, Jean spent eight years as a senior advisor in the UAE Prime Minister’s Office, focusing on national strategy and policy development, governance, and global partnerships. He led the development and launch of the UAE Government Accelerators, various national strategies, the Global Policy Platform of the World Government Summit, and the partnership efforts with multilaterals like the OECD, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and other global organizations.
PhD in Economics, Universite De Montreal, Canada
Currently: Senior Advisor to the UAE Minister of Economy, UAE
Nisha Renjen is a seasoned professional in the sustainable investing space, with over 10 years of experience in asset management and consulting in both New York and Dubai. She was most recently a Senior Manager/Expert Consultant in Boston Consulting Group’s Dubai office, where she focused on leading decarbonization and sustainable investing strategies for Middle East sovereign wealth funds and their portfolio companies. Prior to this, she had leading roles at asset management firms like BlackRock and Nuveen, focused on building and implementing sustainable investing strategies across asset classes. Renjen has vast experience creating and implementing sustainability frameworks, working directly with investment teams on sustainable investing strategies, working cross-collaboratively to launch investment products, and helping convert client mandates to sustainability. Her previous work has helped her develop forward-thinking research and perspectives on sustainable investing topics, including ESG, impact, climate risk, and decarbonization topics to bring cutting-edge capabilities and value to clients. Nisha holds a Master's of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor's of Science in Finance (BS) from NYU Stern School of Business.
MBA, Finance and Social Enterprise, Columbia Business School, USA
Currently: Senior Manager/Expert Consultant, Sustainable Investing, Boston Consulting Group Dubai, UAE
Kanika Sharma
Adjunct Lecturer of Social Research and Public Policy
Kanika Sharma holds a PhD in Sociology from Emory University. Her research focuses on gender, health, social inequality. She holds an MA in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and an MPhil in Social Sciences in Health from Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she explored gendered experiences of pain.
Kanika’s interdisciplinary work bridges sociology, public health, and gender studies. Her recent publication, Gender, Time-Use, and Health: A Scoping Review, explores the intersections of time-use and health, gender dynamics in public policy discourse, and the sociopolitical impacts of COVID-19 in India and the Southeastern United States. She has also contributed essays on rural women’s health and labor to The India Forum.
PhD in Sociology, Emory University, USA
Currently: Instructor, Department of Sociology, Emory University, USA