NYU Abu Dhabi appoints new provost after nine-month global search

Dr Arlie Petters is currently the Benjamin Powell professor of mathematics and a professor of physics and economics at Duke University. Courtesy: NYUAD

NYU Abu Dhabi has appointed its new provost after a nine-month international search to identify a strategic academic leader.

Dr Arlie Petters will begin the role in the capital from September 1.

“Arlie’s distinguished scholarly qualifications, leadership experience, knowledge of international education, research breadth, commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging, focus on students, deep understanding of academic excellence, and integrity and energy give me great confidence that he will serve the university well in his role as provost,” said Mariët Westermann, the vice chancellor.

“He will provide outstanding academic leadership as we embark on NYU Abu Dhabi’s second decade of growth and accomplishment. It will be inspiring and rewarding to work with Arlie as we advance our resolutely international model of liberal arts education and address the complex challenges we face today.”

Dr Petters is currently the Benjamin Powell professor of mathematics and a professor of physics and economics at Duke University, where he has been on the faculty since 1998.

Before joining Duke, he served as an assistant professor of mathematics at Princeton University and an instructor of pure mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

He received his PhD in mathematics from MIT, and has a BA and MA in mathematics and physics from Hunter College of the City University of New York.

The university’s current provost Fabio Piano, will return to genomics research at the Centre for Genomics and Systems Biology in Abu Dhabi and in New York after serving at NYUAD for the past decade.

Dr Petters’ principal research interests include mathematical physics and scientific methods in business administration, with a focus on mathematical finance and entrepreneurship and innovation in Stem fields in developing nations.