How UAE plans to build its next generation of AI faculty
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence has launched a flagship postdoctoral fellowship designed to transform Emirati Ph.D. graduates into the tenure-track AI faculty who will define the UAE’s research ecosystem for the next three decades.
The Ruwwad AI Scholars programme, announced this week, offers UAE nationals two-year fully funded postdoctoral positions at elite global research institutions with a singular goal: build the homegrown AI professoriate the country will need as it positions itself among the world’s leading AI nations by 2031.
“RAIS is more than a fellowship, it is a national investment in the scholars who will define the UAE's research identity for decades to come,” said Thamar Solorio, Vice Provost of Faculty Excellence and Advancement at MBZUAI. “We are building the foundations of a homegrown AI faculty that is globally competitive and deeply rooted in our national ambitions.”
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The programme targets Emirati Ph.D. graduates who completed their doctorates between spring 2024 and spring 2026 across disciplines spanning core AI and machine learning, physical and life sciences, engineering, and social sciences.
Completion of the fellowship strengthens eligibility for tenure-track faculty positions at MBZUAI and peer institutions, creating a direct pipeline from elite global research experience to academic leadership in the UAE.
Fellows receive comprehensive support including competitive stipend, research funding, insurance, pension match, family support, relocation allowance, and conference travel. Host institutions incur zero costs, removing a typical barrier to securing top-tier placements.
The package is designed to provide two years of uninterrupted focus on research that matters, guided by dual mentorship from host principal investigators and MBZUAI's program team.
Why is it called Ruwwad?
The programme's name carries deliberate cultural resonance. Ruwwad means pioneers while RAIS echoes Ra’is, meaning leader, reflecting the fellowship’s ambition to shape the UAE’s future research leaders.
Applications opened January 28 through Interfolio, with priority consideration given to submissions received by April 15 and offers expected in May for fellowships beginning fall 2026.
MBZUAI is casting a wide disciplinary net, welcoming scholars whose work engages AI, computational tools, or quantitative methods in any capacity. The selection committee values research independence, technical foundation, and alignment with MBZUAI’s research community.
Candidates need not be AI specialists today; they need to demonstrate excitement about becoming ones tomorrow through integration of computational and artificial intelligence methods into their existing expertise.
Bridging the gap
The fellowship addresses a critical gap in the UAE’s AI ambitions. While the country has invested heavily in AI infrastructure and attracted international talent, building a sustainable pipeline of Emirati faculty requires a different approach: sending the nation’s brightest researchers to the world’s leading labs, then bringing them home equipped to lead.
“Through our most promising Emirati minds at the world’s leading institutions, we are not just building careers, we are building the foundations of a homegrown AI faculty,” Solorio said.
Eligible candidates must confirm host principal investigator commitment at application submission. MBZUAI’s Office of Faculty Excellence and Advancement provides support for applicants navigating host institution outreach. Applications require curriculum vitae, research statement, personal statement, host PI letter of support, official transcripts, and two recommendation letters.
The inaugural cohort will join what MBZUAI describes as pioneer status: the UAE’s first computational research faculty scholars positioned to return and shape the institutions that sent them abroad.
