Provost Jonathan Holloway announced in a Tuesday release that Marwan Kraidy will be the new dean and CEO of Northwestern University in Qatar, effective July 1.

Kraidy is an associate dean for administration and professor of global communications at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. In his new position, he will also hold a named chair and tenure.

The Lebanon native’s knowledge of the Middle East made him an appropriate candidate for the role, the release said.

At UPenn, where Kraidy also serves as Annenberg’s associate dean for graduate studies, he founded and directs the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication, a research program that studies globalization with an emphasis on representation.

Through his research in identity, culture and geopolitics, Kraidy received fellowships from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and more.

“I am very excited to appoint Marwan Kraidy as the dean of NU-Q,” Holloway said in the release. “In our search for a leader to fill this vitally important role, it quickly became clear that Marwan was the right person to guide NU-Q in this critical time. I am thrilled for Marwan and for our Qatar campus. I have the utmost confidence in his ability to lead and to advocate for all members of the NU-Q community.”

The announcement came to the Northwestern community after months of vacancy. Former NU-Q Dean Everette Dennis stepped down on Jan. 1 to take family health leave. Dennis will return as a tenured faculty member at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. In Dennis’ absence, NU-Q’s professor in residence Craig LaMay served as acting dean.

Looking ahead, Kraidy said Northwestern’s presence and proximity to media industries and educational institutions put the University in a unique position to expand its impact in the world.

“I am honored and delighted to be the next NU-Q dean,” Kraidy told Northwestern Now. “The future of education is global, interdisciplinary, and digital. With its formidable faculty, talented staff and bright students, NU-Q is uniquely positioned to shape that future. I look forward to leading this special community to new heights, and deepen our impact on Northwestern and the world.”

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