Sharjah, UAE, Monday, June 19, 2017- The College of Engineering (CEN) at American University of Sharjah (AUS) announced today three endowed chairs for faculty members to honor their efforts in teaching and mentorship, research and services. As an institution of higher education, AUS recognizes the continued contributions of its faculty members and endows chairs to push the frontiers of their scholarship and to propel research in addition to developing collaboration with international scholars.

“These three endowed chairs at the College of Engineering reinforce our commitment to appreciate and promote quality research at AUS. I am grateful to the sponsors for their support in helping our faculty members pursue valuable team-based research projects in various important areas,” said Dr. Björn Kjerfve, Chancellor of AUS.

Three donors have contributed towards creating and endowing the chairs. These include Riad T. Sadek, Member of the AUS Board of Trustees and Chairman of Al Habtoor Leighton Group; Ayman Asfari, Group Chief Executive of Petrofac Limited, a leading international service provider to the oil and gas industry; and Dr. Patrick Allman-Ward, international energy executive at Dana Gas.

Dr. Richard Schoephoerster, Dean of Engineering at AUS, expressed his pride in the college’s faculty members and said, “These chairs reiterate AUS’s position as one of the leading research centers in the field of engineering both in the UAE and the region. Such endowments also play an important role in helping attract and retain distinguished faculty members.”

Dr. Jamal Abdalla, Professor in Civil Engineering, has been appointed to serve as the Riad T. Sadik Chair; Dr. Rached Dhaouadi, Professor in Electrical Engineering, has been appointed to serve as the Petrofac Research Chair in Renewable Energy; and Dr. Ghaleb Husseini, Professor in Chemical Engineering has been appointed to serve as the Dana Gas Chair. 

Dr. Abdalla was awarded a PhD from University of California, Berkeley in 1989 and has been a faculty member at AUS since 2000. He served as the Chair/Head of the Department of Civil Engineering for a total of 10 years between 2001 and 2012, and currently chairs the CEN Strategic Planning Task Force. As the Riad T. Sadik Chair, he will lead team-based research programs in structures and materials, sustainability in materials and design, and integration of civil engineering constructed facilities into smart cities.

Dr. Dhaouadi received his PhD from the University of Minnesota and has been a faculty member at AUS since 2000. He has served as the Coordinator/Director of the Mechatronics Program for six years, and this past year chaired the CEN Faculty Evaluation Task Force. As the Petrofac Research Chair, he will lead team-based research programs in solar energy assessment for residential and industrial buildings, design and development of hybrid energy storage systems, design and development of alternative energy vehicles, and solar integration with the utility grid.

Dr. Husseini received his doctorate from Brigham Young University and has been a faculty member at AUS since 2004. He has received college awards for Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Research, and was a finalist in the Institute of Chemical Engineers Research Project of the Year. He has recently been appointed as the College of Engineering’s Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs. As the Dana Gas Chair, he will lead team-based research programs in cancer treatment.