Professor Waqar Ahmad is President of Nazarbayev University (NU), a leading research-intensive university in the CIS, Caucasus and Central Asia. Under his leadership, NU is advancing its ambition to become a globally recognised research-intensive university by strengthening academic excellence, research and innovation, and expanding strategic international partnerships. NU is 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 President of Abu Dhabi University from 2017 to 2023. A Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences, he has held senior leadership and academic positions at the Universities of Bradford, York, Leeds and Middlesex, including Deputy Vice Chancellor at Middlesex University. He has also contributed to national and international research and policy development through roles with UK higher education, research and public policy bodies.