The University of Manchester appoints first Dubai-based faculty

Zawya

26-05-2025

Dubai – United Arab Emirates: The University of Manchester-Dubai (UoM-D), the Middle East branch of one of the world's top-ranked universities, has announced the appointment of its first Dubai-based teaching faculty and academic leads in key areas. Dr. Nada Jammoul Messaikeh has been appointed to the role of Senior Lecturer- Management and Organisational Studies & Associate Director of Research. Dr. Amin El-Kholy has been appointed Senior Lecturer - Financial Decision Making & Associate Director of Teaching and Learning.
Both appointees are highly experienced in higher education and academic research and have long associations with the University in Dubai and Manchester. The appointments follow the award of Institutional Licensure by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research UAE (MOHESR) to The University of Manchester-Dubai (UoM-D), and accreditation of all its academic programmes by The Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA).
Dr. Jammoul has forged a unique relationship with the University over the last 16 years. She first completed her DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) and became a senior alumna, Alumni Ambassador, student mentor, and adjunct faculty with Alliance Manchester Business School. She is the former Associate Vice Provost for Research Administration and Financial Planning at New York University Abu Dhabi where she led the research administration functions including sponsored programmes and internal research grants, post award, research ethics and compliance, undergraduate research programmes, and financial planning at the university. She played an instrumental role in building a research administration infrastructure at NYUAD, designed and implemented research programmes supporting faculty and students, and negotiated and secured funding to support the expansion of the academic and research programmes. From 2007 to 2011, Dr. Nada served as a Finance Director at Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC).
Dr. Amin El-Kholy was part of the first cohort of Global Part-time MBA students in Dubai, in 2006. He became a senior Alumni Ambassador, student mentor, and adjunct faculty, and served on the Global Advisory Board of Alliance Manchester Business School. Dr. El-Kholy is an experienced investment executive with a background in technology and academic research. He has built and led several highly successful asset management divisions in the UAE and currently serves as Chairman of Introspect Capital, a DIFC-based asset management company. He is also active in the startup space as advisor and angel investor. He holds an MEng in Software Engineering and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Imperial College London, as well as an MBA in Finance from Alliance Manchester Business School.
The Dubai-based faculty appointments follow the recent award of Institutional Licensure by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research UAE (MOHESR). Licensure helps pave the way for The University of Manchester to contribute more to the UAE and wider region, through joint academic research programmes. The University's Middle East operation, established in Dubai in 2006, has also been renamed as The University of Manchester-Dubai, reflecting its status as a branch of the University. The branch supports part-time master's students (all working professionals), as well as the wider regional alumni community and the University's corporate and social responsibility partners.
Randa Bessiso, Founding Director Middle East at The University of Manchester-Dubai, commented: 'We are delighted to announce our first Dubai-based faculty. Dr. Nada and Dr. Amin are exceptional teachers and leaders and have built successful and distinguished careers of their own. They bring outstanding professional experience and personal qualities to the team in Dubai and share the University's values and mission across teaching, research and social responsibility. The award of Institutional Licensure by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research UAE (MOHESR) will enable us to do more and our ambition is to connect the UAE and region with our world class faculty and research capabilities on campus in Manchester. It's an exciting prospect and we aim to make a bigger impact and a difference here, further enriching our student learning experience and alumni community, while developing research partnerships. Almost 20 years after launching the University's part-time master's programmes here, these appointments are the next major step in a new phase of our development in the UAE and wider region.'
Part of the prestigious Russell Group of universities, The University of Manchester is a centre of teaching excellence, world-class research, outstanding student experience, and social responsibility. Its research and innovation track record includes creating the world's first artificial nuclear reaction, building the modern computer, isolating graphene, pioneering development economics, and transforming cancer diagnosis and treatment across the world. The University celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2024.
Dr Nada Jammoul Messaikeh
Senior Lecturer - Management and Organisational Studies & Associate Director of Research, The University of Manchester-Dubai
Dr. Nada Jammoul Messaikeh is the co-founder and Managing Director of Impactiv, a social enterprise incubated and certified by Ma'an (The Authority for Social Contribution) that aims to drive human capital development and youth empowerment through tech-enabled mentoring programs. She is also an adjunct faculty at Alliance Manchester Business School and serves as a member of the Board of Injaz Lebanon. Her experience spans over three decades in academic leadership, financial management, and audit.
She is the former Associate Vice Provost for Research Administration and Financial Planning at New York University Abu Dhabi where she led the research administration functions including sponsored programs and internal research grants, post award, research ethics and compliance, undergraduate research programs, and financial planning at the university. She played an instrumental role in building a research administration infrastructure at NYUAD, designed and implemented research programs supporting faculty and students, and negotiated and secured funding to support the expansion of the academic and research programs.
From 2007 to 2011, Nada served as a Finance Director at Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC). This role provided her front row seat to a period of extraordinary transformation within the Education Sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Her contribution was pivotal in shaping the financial and budgetary policies and processes for the Education sector at large. She also engineered the financial and contractual aspects of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Project whose purpose was to transform and improve performance of public schools in Abu Dhabi. After that she joined Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi where she also led several reform initiatives including ERP and Student Information System implementation, HR transformation project, and implementation of performance management system.
Nada started her career in Audit where she spent more than 11 years with Deloitte M.E and Ernst and Young Beirut leading and managing audit and consultancy engagements in various industries including Banking, Airline, Telecommunication, and Education.
Nada is also very active in the research administration community. Between 2020 and 2022, she served as a member of the Select Committee on Global Affairs at the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA). She is also the contributing editor of the NCURA magazine since 2020 representing the MENA region. She has authored numerous articles and presented in various conferences.
She is a strong advocate of women empowerment, seeking throughout her career to support women in achieving their career aspirations while balancing their needs for a fulfilled personal life. She is the co- creator of 'Intersection', a career mentorship programs for young graduates and early career professionals with Injaz Lebanon and served as a mentor with UN Women and Nama supporting female entrepreneurs in the UAE.
Nada is a certified Public Accountant (CPA) from the state of Illinois. She completed her undergraduate and post graduate studies in Business Administration at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, and her Doctoral degree at the University of Manchester. Her research focused on health system reform in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the pivotal role of organisational culture as a concept to understand the human capital challenges facing this sector.
Dr. Amin El-Kholy
Senior Lecturer - Financial Decision Making & Associate Director of Teaching and Learning, The University of Manchester-Dubai
Dr. El-Kholy is an experienced investment executive with a background in technology and academic research. He has been involved in the financial services industry since 1997, starting in London and moving to Dubai in 2004. Throughout his career, Dr. El-Kholy has built and led several highly successful asset management divisions in the UAE, including roles at the National Bank of Dubai, Shuaa Capital, and Arqaam Capital. He currently serves as Chairman of Introspect Capital, a DIFC-based asset management company. He has been active in the startup space as advisor and angel investor since 2018.
Before transitioning to finance, Dr El-Kholy spent seven years at IC-Parc, a research and development centre at Imperial College London specialising in working with industry partners applying Artificial Intelligence techniques to solving complex business problems. During that time, he published several papers in Artificial Intelligence in the area of planning and scheduling. He gained experience in technology transfer and commercialisation of research while working with two spin-out companies from Imperial College, Parc Technologies and deltaDOT.
He holds an MEng in Software Engineering and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Imperial College London, as well as an MBA in Finance from Alliance Manchester Business School. In addition to his professional roles, Dr. El-Kholy is an active mentor on several programs aimed at empowering young people. He is an ICF Certified Coach, with a keen interest in team-building and individual and team motivation.
About The University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a member of the prestigious Russell Group and is one of the UK's largest single-site universities with more than 44,000 students on campus – including more than 10,000 international students. The University is consistently ranked among the world's elite institutions for graduate employability and world-class research across a diverse range of fields including cancer, advanced materials, global inequalities, energy and industrial biotechnology. 26 Nobel laureates have either worked or studied at the University, which is the only UK University to have social responsibility among its core strategic objectives, dedicated to making a positive difference in communities around the world.
About The University of Manchester-Dubai
The University's branch at Dubai Knowledge Park opened in 2006 and is the largest and fastest growing in the University's international network comprising five hubs in key business cities around the world. The branch has supported 3,600 Manchester Global Part-time master's students in the region and graduated over 2,650 MBA students. The branch also works in regional collaborations with a range of industry groups, professional bodies and companies, and supports a regional alumni base of over 5,500.
www.manchester.ac.ae
Issued on behalf of The University of Manchester-Dubai by WPR:
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