Throughout the past two years, Professor Baldwin has been instrumental in the rapid advancement of MBZUAI, holding pivotal roles such as Department Chair of the NLP Department, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, and Acting Provost.
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has appointed Professor Timothy Baldwin as its new Provost.
Professor Baldwin brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role, particularly in the field of natural language processing (NLP), where he is recognised globally for his groundbreaking contributions. His tenure at MBZUAI spans several key leadership positions, including Department Chair of the NLP Department, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, and Acting Provost, during which he played a pivotal role in the university’s rapid advancement over the past two years.
Under Professor Baldwin’s guidance, MBZUAI has seen remarkable growth and expansion. Notable achievements include the establishment of three new academic departments in robotics, computer science, and statistics and data science, as well as significant faculty recruitment efforts that have more than doubled the university’s size. Additionally, he oversaw the accreditation of new M.Sc. and PhD programmes, ensuring MBZUAI remains at the forefront of academic innovation in AI-related fields.
One of Professor Baldwin’s standout accomplishments is his involvement in the development of Jais, the world’s major Arabic large language model (LLM), showcasing MBZUAI’s dedication to advancing AI technologies with global relevance. He also initiated the highly successful Undergraduate Research Internship Program (UGRIP), providing students with invaluable research opportunities.
Alongside his administrative responsibilities, Professor Baldwin has maintained an exemplary academic record, publishing 23 papers in 2023 alone and receiving awards at prestigious conferences such as the European Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics (EACL) 2023 and *SEM 2023, further solidifying his reputation as a leading authority in the field of NLP.
Professor Eric Xing, MBZUAIs President and University Professor, said: “We are confident that Professor Timothy Baldwin’s leadership, dedication, and expertise will continue to propel MBZUAI to new heights of excellence. His appointment as Provost brings an exciting chapter for our university, and we look forward to the continued growth and success with his guidance.”
Professor Baldwin added: “I am delighted to formally take on this position, and work alongside the current and future generation of AI frontrunners in leading the academic development of this truly unique institution and contribute to establishing Abu Dhabi as a global leader of AI.”
