​ Samer Samman has been appointed as the Interim Chief Administrative Officer of KAUST, effective May 1, 2024.

Samer joined KAUST in 2015 as an Investment Manager in the Innovation Fund within the Innovation & Economic Development Department. He has over 21 years of national and international experience, bringing to KAUST his expertise in operations, investment and business. Samer previously worked at Saudi Aramco and Cargill, before joining KAUST where he carried out a range of roles including as Manager of HR Support Services, Director of People Services and Chief Human Resources Officer. Samer’s roles at KAUST have positioned him to create an impact the University’s people in systems and technology, and he will continue to do so as the lead facilitator of operations at KAUST.

Samer serves as an independent director in the compensation and nomination committee and the investment committee of a publicly listed company on the Saudi Stock Exchange. He also served as a board member and observer on several startup companies.

Samer has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Columbia University.