Professor Waqar Ahmad is the President of Nazarbayev University (NU), the leading research-intensive university in Caucasus & Central Asia.
Under his leadership, NU is advancing its ambition to become a globally recognised research-intensive university, strengthening academic excellence, research and innovation, and expanding strategic international partnerships. NU is also a founding member of the Asian Universities Alliance, alongside leading institutions including Tsinghua University, Peking University, the University of Tokyo, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Before joining NU, Professor Ahmad served as Chancellor (President) of Abu Dhabi University from 2017 to 2023. A Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences, he has held senior academic and leadership positions at the Universities of Bradford, York, Leeds, and Middlesex, including serving as Deputy Vice Chancellor at Middlesex University.
Beyond academia, Professor Ahmad has contributed to national and international research and policy development, serving on the boards of the Economic and Social Research Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, and NHS R&D, and as Chief Social Scientist in the UK Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
He also holds visiting professorships at the London School of Economics (Social Policy) and the University of York (Sociology).