• Speaker highlights include UAE Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence His Excellency Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Director General of Sandooq Al Watan His Excellency Mohamed Al Qadhi, and Lebanese novelist Elias Khoury, among several others
• The Institute’s tenth anniversary program will run from October 7 - December 31
• Since its inception, The Institute has hosted more than 700 academic conferences and public events, and welcomed over 700 speakers from around the world

Abu Dhabi, September 30, 2018:   The NYU Abu Dhabi Institute is pleased to announce an exceptional program of talks, screenings, workshops, and an exhibition free of charge and open to the public to mark its upcoming tenth anniversary on October 7, 2018. 

Established in 2008 as a center of advanced research, scholarly, and creative activity in Abu Dhabi, The Institute assembles academics, professionals, and leaders from around the world to its academic conferences and public program to discuss research areas and topics of local and global significance.

The Institute’s tenth anniversary program will open with the return of Lebanese novelist Elias Khoury, The Institute’s first speaker in 2008. Taking place on October 7, the talk, entitled Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of The Institute, will discuss Khoury’s work and the evolution of the Arab literary scene over the past decade. The opening talk will also be accompanied by the launch of an archival photo exhibition that tracks The Institute’s history of ten years of programming in Abu Dhabi. 

The full program, which will run from October 7 – December 2018, will feature notable speakers including UAE Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence His Excellency Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Director General of Sandooq Al Watan His Excellency Mohamed Al Qadhi, and Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Rakesh Suri, among many others.

NYU Abu Dhabi Provost Fabio Piano said: “The NYU Abu Dhabi Institute has brought together critically acclaimed scholars, researchers, and renowned speakers from around the world to discuss some of the globe’s most pressing issues, contributing to critical global dialogue, and to the rich cultural and intellectual fabric of Abu Dhabi and the UAE. Celebrating The Institute’s tenth anniversary this October is a significant milestone for The Institute, and for NYU Abu Dhabi, and is a manifestation of our University’s commitment to deepening our engagement with the local community and bringing opportunities for knowledge production and top discourse to the region.”

NYU Abu Dhabi Institute Vice Provost for public programming Philip Kennedy said: 'From its inception, the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute has endeavored to ensure two things: first, the generation of conversations which we can periodically revisit, and, second, the organization of entirely new initiatives and programs. It is very satisfying, therefore, that we celebrate our tenth anniversary with, on the one hand, a conversation that brings novelist Elias Khoury back to The Institute podium after a ten-year absence and, on the other, by kicking off a new series on ‘Abu Dhabi Futures’ with some of the most distinguished members of the local community.' 

Since its inception, The Institute has hosted more than 700 academic conferences and public events, and welcomed over 700 speakers from around the world. Notable speakers have included former UK Prime Minister The Right Honorable Gordon Brown, internationally renowned Primatologist and Anthropologist Jane Goodall, Emirati Diplomat and Ambassador of the UAE to France His Excellency Omar Saif Ghobash, Emirati Commentator on Arab Affairs Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, American Actress and Comedian Maisoon Zayed, and Pakistani Novelist Mohsin Hamid, among many others.

To view the program, please visit NYU Abu Dhabi’s events page. RSVP is required to guarantee your attendance. Additional events throughout the months of November and December will be announced soon.