Dear KAUST Community,
On this first day as President of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, I am exhilarated by the opportunity to join you and work with you. On the way to my office earlier today, my usual scenery of Californian olive trees may have been replaced by Saudi date palms, but I know that the institution’s commitment to excellence in education and research is the same here as it is at Caltech.
In recent weeks, Carol and I attended several emotional events organized by the Caltech community to wish us farewell. It was encouraging to receive genuine expressions of gratitude for our work at Caltech, and a very positive feeling toward our future at KAUST.
We are wholeheartedly looking forward to our work at KAUST. For personal and logistical reasons, we will be on campus only part-time in July, but will be here full-time starting on August 16. My priority in the coming months will be meeting faculty, as well as our graduate students and alumni, our staff, and members of the KAUST community. The principal tasks I have set for myself will be listening and learning from you.
Carol and I were privileged in recent years to live and work in an extraordinarily collaborative environment, where we found an unquenchable thirst for discovery, a strong sense of institutional pride, and a community that was every bit as supportive as it was diverse. We know that KAUST, its distinctive and truly global community and its aspirations for discovery and innovation, will offer us as much and more.
The decision to leave Caltech, though difficult, has provided this opportunity to help shape a young institution that can achieve a historic future. Let me assure you that I am excited by joining KAUST and will dedicate my energy and passion to its development. Carol feels the same and is looking forward to a great experience in the years to come. We are thrilled to make KAUST our new home.
Yours in discovery,
Jean-Lou