RIYADH: NEOM on Wednesday announced the appointment of Dr. Andreas Cangellaris as the founding president of NEOM U – the megacity city’s first university.
Dr. Cangellaris is joining NEOM from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he is the M. E. Van Valkenburg Professor in electrical and computer engineering and has been serving as vice-chancellor for academic affairs and provost since 2018.
Dr. Cangellaris will lead the development of NEOM U on its journey to become a pre-eminent knowledge institution that supports NEOM’s vision as an innovation hub. It will be a university without boundaries, leveraging next-generation educational technologies with on-site and online learning.
Commenting on the new appointment, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM, said: “Education is central to achieving NEOM’s vision and ambitious goals. I am delighted that we have attracted a person of the caliber of Dr. Cangellaris to lead one of the critical pillars of our education sector.
“NEOM U is our first step toward developing a postsecondary education that is accessible to all, attracting the brightest students from all over Kingdom and the world. We want it to be a differentiator and a powerful signal of NEOM’s commitment to pioneering ideas in a world inspired by innovation.”
Initial academic and research programs will cover computer science, engineering and design, media, art and entertainment, as well as business. One common theme will be a CS+X…