H.E., Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi
Dear KAUST Community,
Recently, I informed the Board of Trustees, with deep regret, of President Jean-Lou Chameau's decision to retire on August 31, 2017. While I am saddened by this news, I deeply respect Jean-Lou's decision to retire so that Carol and he can focus on their wellbeing after many years of dedicated service to the academic community. I look forward to continuing to gain from his wisdom and guidance as a member of the Presidential Search Committee that was appointed by the Board to identify his successor. As I shared with my Board colleagues, Jean-Lou will remain an ardent supporter of KAUST after he retires.
As we all know, KAUST has made significant progress under Jean-Lou's exemplary leadership. The passion you encounter when you meet a faculty member, student, postdoc, staff member, or resident of KAUST is in no small part due to the culture of excellence solidified during his tenure. He has brought a level of maturity, reputation and depth of leadership across our academic and non-academic units that will serve us well in the future.
The Presidential Search Committee is composed of the following Board of Trustees members and KAUST leadership:
Chair of Search Committee:
Shirley Tilghman, President Emerita and Professor of Molecular Biology, Princeton UniversityMembers:
Alice Gast, President, Imperial College London
Andrew Gould, former Chairman and CEO, Schlumberger
Lubna Olayan, Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chairman, Olayan Financing Company
Henry Yang, Chancellor, University of California, Santa Barbara
Jean-Lou Chameau, President, KAUST
Nadhmi Al-Nasr, Executive Vice President, KAUST
If you would like to nominate someone you feel would be a good candidate for consideration as our next President, please send your suggestions or nominations directly to
presidentialsearch@kaust.edu.sa.
All submissions will be held in confidence and only shared with the Presidential Search Committee.
Again, thank you for your collective dedication to the vision of KAUST to become a destination for excellence in research and education. Together, we make KAUST great.
Sincerely,
H.E., Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi
Chairman, KAUST Board of Trustees