January 29, 2015

New UOWD president appointed

Professor Mohamed Salem has been named as the new President of University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD).

A former IBM software engineer turned Higher Education leader, Professor Salem has a long-term commitment to the region and to UOWD, having held various positions at the University, including Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences at UOWD, since 2004. 

Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings said Professor Salem had been acting in the role since April 2014 and brings a wealth of international leadership and academic experience to the position of President. 

“Professor Salem has demonstrated a commitment to consolidating UOWD`s strengths while at the same time developing strategies for continuous improvement in teaching and learning and research,” Professor Wellings said. 

“He is passionate about raising the profile of the University through high-level engagement and networking with UAE businesses, government and educational bodies as well as leveraging close links with the University of Wollongong in Australia.” 

Professor Salem formerly held the position of Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences at UOWD. Prior to joining UOWD, Professor Salem worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow for IBM and the University of Waterloo and, as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Ottawa. Professor Salem holds a PhD in Computer Science and a Master of Science from the University of Montreal Canada and, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Jeddah and Baccalaureate major in Mathematics from Nouakchott. 

As President of UOWD, Professor Salem also holds the position of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Middle East and North Africa) reporting to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Strategy) Professor Joe Chicharo. 

Professor Salem`s appointment follows an extensive international search, which attracted several applicants from leading international universities.