Dr. Al-Assaf had his PhD from Oxford University and leadership training from Cornell University. He is a widely published and academic and senior education management professional with extensive international experience.
He is currently President of Rochester Institute of Technology- Dubai, a leading not for profit international branch of RIT Rochester, New York. RIT Dubai University is established in conjunction with the Dubai Government in Dubai Silicon Oasis. Prior to this he was Dean of the College of Engineering at the American University of Sharjah where he was one of the founding members of the electrical engineering and computer engineering programs.
During his tenure at RIT Dubai, he has ensured that the university plays a major role in the ecosystem of Dubai Silicon Oasis and supporting the achievements of Dubai vision. Introduced a number of new programs, certifications and initiatives to meet the needs of public and technology partners including: Smart City Sciences, Data Analytics, Emerging Technologies, Future Foresight and Planning, organizational leadership and Innovation, digital Transformation and AI, Cyber Security and Sustainability among others.
Dr. Al-Assaf led the establishment of the new campus ecosystem for Rochester Institute of Technology- Dubai in which all stakeholders contribute to empowerment of graduates and community and diversification of the economy. The campus themes are: smart, innovative, sustainable and connected campus.
Dr. Al-Assaf’s research focuses on using soft computing to model and control various industrial, business and medical systems. Applications include materials modeling and classification, prostheses control, industrial quality control and optimization. His industrial experience is in the areas of adaptive and predictive control, soft computing and industrial instrumentation and control. His last contribution is a co-authored book in Arabic entitled “ New Digital Deal: How to utilize digitalization for the benefits of our cities and communities”
