Dr. Al-Najdawi is the Chief of Staff at Khalifa University of Science and Technology (KU). In his role, he manages matters of institutional and strategic importance on behalf of the President and works closely with the senior leadership team, government officials and community leaders. Dr. Al-Najdawi oversees the Office of the President’s organizational units and is responsible for inter-governmental relations, international cooperation, and strategic partnership development. At KU, he is also an adjunct lecturer at the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, where he specializes in complex system architectures.
Prior to joining Khalifa University, Dr. Al-Najdawi held key positions at the Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), which governs public and private schools and higher education in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. At ADEK, he was responsible for developing a comprehensive plan for establishing research funding agency, advising the Abu Dhabi government on higher education institutions’ strategic plans and research program performance, and setting up higher education policies. He played a crucial role in drawing strategic roadmaps for fostering the R&D ecosystem in Abu Dhabi. Dr. Al-Najdawi led the global strategic partnerships portfolio at ADEK’s Office of Planning and Strategic Affairs, managing mega strategic projects such as the Sorbonne University-Abu Dhabi and the INSEAD School of Business.
Prior to Joining ADEK, Dr. Al-Najdawi worked across the United Kingdom and the European Union, specializing in innovation and business support. Dr. Al-Najdawi managed and led several projects funded under the UK’s Technology Strategy Board (currently Innovate UK), and the European Union’s 7th Framework-Programme for Research and Technological Development- FP7, the European Union’s main instrument for funding research and development (currently Horizon 2020).
Dr. Al-Najdawi holds a PhD degree from the Research School of Systems Engineering at Loughborough University, United Kingdom, a Master’s degree (with Distinction) in Information and Communications Engineering from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, and a BSc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Jordan. Dr. Al-Najdawi has completed professional development programs such as the “INSEAD Executive Leadership Development Program” by INSEAD Business School, and the “Grants Management Certificate Program” in Washington DC, United States of America.
