Dear colleagues,
Following the resignation of Professor Donal Bradley, I plan to launch an international open search for the next Vice President, Research, with more details in due course. During the transition, I am appointing Professor Pierre Magistretti as the Vice President, Research with full authority and accountability for the Office of Research, effective immediately. Pierre will work closely with myself, and other senior university leaders, to ensure business continuity.
Pierre is a KAUST Distinguished Professor, and a world-leading scholar known for his discovery of mechanisms that underlie the coupling between neuronal activity and energy consumption in the brain, specifically the key role that glial cells play. He is the author over 250 publications in international journals, placing him in the top 1% of world scientists in the Clarivate list. He has held various leadership positions at KAUST including Dean of the BESE Division, Director of the KAUST Smart Health Initiative and spearheaded the establishment of a Bio-Innovation Hub of the Saudi Industrial Cluster.
Pierre will be assisted in his role by three Associate Vice Presidents, one from each division, who are likewise distinguished members of the KAUST scholarly community: Prof. Slim Alouini, Prof. Andy Huang, and Prof. Samir Hamdan.
Pierre will continue as Director of the Smart Health Initiative and he’ll be further assisted in that role by Prof. Imed Gallouzi in his expanded role as Associate Director and Chief Operating Officer of the KAUST Smart Health Initiative.
As we welcome Pierre into this new role, I would like to again extend a warm thank you to Donal for his contribution to the Office of Research over the last three years, and also for his ongoing support to Pierre during this transition period.
I trust that you will all lend your support and cooperation to Pierre as the Vice President, Research during this time.
Kind Regards
Tony Chan
