Political science senior Ibrahim Elsharkawy was part of the official delegation representing Egypt at the High-Level Global Forum on Youth Peace and Security in Amman, Jordan. Elsharkawy contributed his original ideas and initiatives to the forum, where he advocated for youth as "champions of peace" and called for the introduction of peace education into schools.
“I was representing youth who are my age, and I felt that I was voicing their concerns to leaders from across the region..”
The forum discussed an Arab strategy for youth peace and security, built upon the official agenda launched by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 in 2015, which promotes youth participation in peacemaking. The resolution, and now the forum, has five main pillars: participation, protection prevention, partnerships, disengagement and reintegration.
Elsharkawy shared his recommendations to help curate the forum’s final strategy. One of his suggestions was to create youth councils in member states to enable youth participation in decision-making processes. The significance of this goal, according to Elsharkawy, is to allow for intergenerational dialogue. The forum discussed another of his ideas: disengaging youth from armed groups and reintegrating them back into society.
“I was representing youth who are my age, and I felt that I was voicing their concerns to leaders from across the region,” said Elsharkawy, who hopes to become a diplomat after he graduates. “I was able to put the skills I learned throughout my years at AUC to good use and fend for those who cannot fend for themselves.”
In addition to these contributions, Elsharkawy focused his speech on the need to “shift the narrative from perceiving youth as agents of chaos to champions of peace.” His emphasis on peace education, among his other initiatives, is a strong way to “raise a generation that is more tolerant and peaceful with each other in the future.”
"I was able to put the skills I learned throughout my years at AUC to good use and fend for those who cannot fend for themselves."
The forum was held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Crown Prince of Jordan Hussein bin Abdullah and the League of Arab States. Elsharkawy was part of the official Egyptian delegation headed by Egypt’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Ashraf Sobhy.
Marking the first time for the event to be held in Egypt, AUC is hosting the 2024 Digital Universities Arab World conference, which kicks off today. The event includes more than 300 industry leaders from over 24 countries spanning four continents, including 150 university representatives, along with industry partners, researchers and innovators from around the world.
"Our vision is to foster critical discussions on the potential and challenges of digital transformation in higher education,in our region, and to bring these essential conversations to Egypt and North Africa."
Organized in partnership with Times Higher Education (THE) and the American University of the Middle East (AUM), the Innovation for Sustainable Digital Higher Education conference will run through September 18, addressing opportunities and challenges of digital transformation in higher education and exploring ethical considerations as well as issues of accessibility.
“We are glad to co-organize and co-host this significant conference at AUC," said President Ahmad Dallal. "Our vision is to foster critical discussions on the potential and challenges of digital transformation in higher education in our region, and to bring these essential conversations to Egypt and North Africa." He added that AUC’s collaboration with Times Higher Education and the American University of the Middle East exemplifies the University’s dedication to creating impactful partnerships.
The event features over 60 speakers who will engage in in-depth discussions, share knowledge and analyze data-driven case studies on the impact of digital transformation, artificial intelligence and governance in higher education. Topics include how digital transformation can support universities in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the role of institutional leadership in driving digital transformation at universities, the optimum blended learning model to achieve the right balance of learning and accessibility for universities in the MENA region, student expectations from digital universities, the quality of online learning, development of student skills to ensure digital literacy, the potential of AI for higher education, academic integrity in the age of AI, the future of work in light of digital transformation, and the current and future status of online university course accreditation in the MENA region.
“Digital Universities Arab World is about showcasing innovation in education and providing practical examples of digital transformation from across the region. It's been a pleasure to co-host with The American University in Cairo, a leader in driving change and empowering the next generation of learners.”
These conversations aim to develop strategies for digital transformation in higher education that are inclusive, responsive and impactful while considering local, regional and global contexts, Dallal emphasized. “The digital transformation initiatives we choose to implement must be shaped by the specific contexts of our region, which faces rising geopolitical, economic and environmental challenges to sustainable development, as well as significant disparities in income and resource access.”
Charlotte Coles, director of event partnerships and engagement at THE, expressed her excitement about collaborating with AUC. “Digital Universities Arab World is about showcasing innovation in education and providing practical examples of digital transformation from across the region. It's been a pleasure to co-host with The American University in Cairo, a leader in driving change and empowering the next generation of learners.”
“The digital transformation initiatives we choose to implement must be shaped by the specific contexts of our region, which faces rising geopolitical, economic and environmental challenges to sustainable development, as well as significant disparities in income and resource access.”
The conference attracts speakers and attendees from several universities and higher education institutions, including AUC, Ajman University, Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, King Saud University, The University of Jordan, NYU Abu Dhabi, the American University of Beirut, the American University of the Middle East, University of Exter, Abu Dhabi University, The American University of Sharjah, Lebanese American University, Danish School of Education and the Mohamed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Speakers also hail from prominent national, regional and international organizations, including Zewail City of Science, Technology and Innovation; Times Higher Education; Egypt's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research; the Association of Arab Universities; the British Council; Macmillan Learning, Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation and others.
Welcome to our newest faculty members joining us this fall! The incoming faculty are bringing their diverse backgrounds and varied research interests to AUC, with studies ranging from development economics to archival ethics to Mamluk manuscript culture, and everything in between. We’re happy to welcome them to the University and get to know them through their video introductions.
Join us in welcoming our new AUC faculty members, who come from around the world and bring fresh perspectives to the classroom. Find out about their interests, passions, and sources of inspiration!
Assistant Professor of Law
Department of Law
Research Interests: Comparative and public law, law and technology
"I look at the regulation of social media firms, venture capital firms, and other contemporary issues to understand how global systems are trying to resolve these cases, especially from a public law perspective."
Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Research Interests: Computer hardware, specifically hardware security of heterogeneous computing platforms
"In the future, I plan to further explore systems design while still guaranteeing their hardware security."
Postdoctoral Fellow
J-Pal MENA
Research Interests: Development, agriculture and resource economics
"In development economics, I’m doing applied microeconomic research to study the impact of randomized interventions on the livelihood of people living in low-income or developing countries."
Associate Professor of Practice
Department of the Arts
Research Interests: Popular language, from traditions to vernacular languages
"I’m interested in languages that emerge from different communities or traditions. I’ve been working on the history of revolt, revolutions and protests across the world in the past, present and future."
Assistant Professor
Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering
Research Interests: Wireless communication, information theory
"My specialties are communication engineering, wireless communication and physical layer, security and privacy. And recently, I got into machine learning in communication."
Assistant Professor
Mohamed Shafik Gabr Department of Economics
Research Interests: Global value chains
"I’m researching the effect of international interlinkages on labor market outcomes and other development milestones like innovation."
Postdoctoral Fellow
J-Pal MENA
Research Interests: Development, gender and migration economics
"My recent research looked at the impact of male migration on female labor force participation in Egypt."
Associate Professor of Practice and Associate Director of Digital Education
Center for Learning and Teaching
Research Interests: Online and blended learning, AI in education
"My fields of interest are instructional design, educational technology, quality assurance, and online and distance education."
Assistant University Archivist for Records Management
Libraries and Learning Technologies
Research Interests: Integrated records management programs, archival ethics, open access and legislated documentary obligation
“At the start, I really loved puzzles. So I thought, how can I translate my love of puzzles into something more professional? That’s how I ended up working in archives.”
Assistant Professor of Islamic art and Architecture
Sheikh Hassan Abbas Sharbatly Department of Arab and Islamic Civilizations
Research Interests: Arabic calligraphy, manuscript illumination, art and architecture of Egypt and the Persian world
"My main research interests are the manuscript culture, architecture, and intellectual life of the Medieval Muslim world with a focus on the Mamluks."
Associate Professor
Mohamed Shafik Gabr Department of Economics
Research Interests: Institutions, social dynamics, migration and chaos theory
"I’m what you might consider a heterodox economist; I’m looking at alternative approaches to economics, working with social scientists and anthropologists. In addition to looking at institutions and groups, I’m interested in understanding why people do what they do, how individual behavior is defined, how individuals act as a larger part of society and how society evolves."
William K. Simpson and Marilyn M. Simpson Visiting Professor in Egyptology
Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology
Research Interests: Egyptology, archaeology and ancient history
"When I first came to Egypt, I fell in love — not only with the ancient monuments but also with the people and the landscape. Soon after, I decided that this was my life, that I wanted to be an Egyptologist. Now, I have been running an excavation down in Luxor for 23 years where we have discovered all sorts of amazing things. We have flower bouquets that were used as a farewell to the deceased 3,000 years ago, among other everyday objects. That’s why I wanted to become an Egyptologist; we share so much in common with the ancient Egyptians."
Associate Professor of Practice
Department of the Arts
“I’m coming from a professional background as a costume designer and am entering academia as a new beginning. I made the switch because I love engaging with students and I love the human element in teaching.”
Assistant Professor
Department of Architecture
Research Interests: Displacement and refugee camps, subversive aesthetics in art and architecture, critical heritage studies
Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
In an ode to AUC’s global citizenry and leadership in innovation, the University is offering a new cybersecurity specialization and welcomed the first cohort of its newly launched international joint degree program.
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
The computer science and engineering department has introduced a new specialization in cybersecurity, in addition to embedded systems and artificial intelligence, which were introduced over the past two years.
“These specializations are very well aligned with the local and international job needs,” said Sherif Aly '96, professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. “They position our graduates to land high-quality, higher-paying jobs in the marketplace.”
Aly further stressed the need for expertise in all three subject areas among fundamental industries, from transportation systems to healthcare to telecommunications.
“These specializations are very well aligned with the local and international job needs. They position our graduates to land high-quality, higher-paying jobs in the marketplace. All of the digital infrastructure out there needs protection, and there is a huge shortage of professionals to do this."
Emphasizing that the cybersecurity specialization will fill a much-needed niche, Aly noted, “All of the digital infrastructure out there needs protection, and there is a huge shortage of professionals to do this."
Master of Arts in Comparative and Middle East Politics and Society (CMEPS)
Currently in its inaugural year, CMEPS is a joint program offered by AUC and Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen in Germany. The joint-degree program comes after 10 years of successful collaboration between the two institutions, and its inception marks a milestone as AUC’s first official joint degree with another university.
“Applying for the CMEPS program was an excellent decision. The small cohort size allowed for close, meaningful interactions with professors, who were eager to provide valuable academic insights."
Students in the program will complete their studies between the two institutions, including an internship, a semester abroad at the partner institution, as well as Arabic and German studies. The program is the first of its kind, offering a political science degree that is accredited in both Germany and the United States.
“Applying for the CMEPS program was an excellent decision,” said CMEPS student Angelos Chatzigiannis, who was seeking a Middle East-focused master’s program. “Coming from the Tübingen side, I was impressed by the academically rigorous schedule that blended theory and practice. The small cohort size allowed for close, meaningful interactions with professors, who were eager to provide valuable academic insights."
