From the Desk of Chancellor Seghir

A Monthly Statement Issued by the Chancellor of Ajman University

Earlier this year, Ajman University was ranked #117 worldwide in the 2026 Times Higher Education Interdisciplinary Rankings. Our prestigious place among the crème de la crème may have caught the competition off guard, but it came as no surprise to AU stakeholders.

Pushing limits, removing silos, tearing down walls, and forging collaborations apply to everyone and everything at Ajman University. It’s how we work, how we teach, how we learn, and how we rise. For years, we’ve been leveraging interdisciplinarity to unlock possibilities. We regard it as an institutional and intellectual imperative – not some new trend.

As a result, AU has become a bastion of academic discovery and a beacon of human development. Examples of which I’d like to share with you in this month’s message.

A Monthly Statement Issued by the Chancellor of Ajman University

Karim Seghir, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Ajman University

© Ajman University. All rights reserved.

University St., Al jerf 1, Ajman
United Arab Emirates

University St., Al jerf 1, Ajman
United Arab Emirates

April 2026

Colleges, colleagues, and coursework at AU know no bounds. Our doors are open to people of all races and places, of all abilities and backgrounds, of all histories and stories. As AU alumnus Lanciné Koné, CEO of Smart Africa, so beautifully articulated, we believe that someone’s origins do not limit their horizons.

Our campus is a melting pot of interests and insights – from which we all learn and grow. We believe humans are inherently multidisciplinary creatures; therefore, we seek to ensure there are no barriers to thinking and doing. With the launch of our Center for Inclusive Learning (CIL) two years ago and now the creation of Ajman University Executive Education, we’re demonstrating that everybody has a contribution to make. By expanding knowledge beyond traditional silos, AU is
feeding the UAE’s 2031 vision of a Forward Society, Forward Economy, Forward Diplomacy, and Forward Ecosystem.

What grows in a cross-pollinated environment? Imaginations and their potential for impact!

A recent initiative in the CIL turned the tables on learners when AU students with visual impairments started teaching sighted students how to read Braille. And the creation of a Materials Lab in the College of Architecture, Art and Design brings Engineering students into the collaborative mix.

Interdisciplinary learning is happening everywhere all the time. At dinner tables with new friends. In boardrooms. On airplanes. And AU is dedicated to making it happen anywhere we can. Our stakeholders are increasingly out and about in the world. Exploring where thought and practice intersect through industry internships and applied research. Discovering new worlds in themselves and others through community service.

But interdisciplinary experiences also show up in unscripted ways, which is why “putting yourself out there” is an essential part of learning and one AU encourages at every turn.

A great example lies in our Mangrove Planting Project, which went from providing students with firsthand experience in environmental stewardship to bringing volunteers from all walks of life together to help save our shorelines.

Communities Beyond Borders

The project's initial planting of 3,700 mangroves represents a potential to sequester between 66,000 and 990,000 tons of carbon dioxide over their lifetime. But beyond the remarkable sustainability impact lies the human one.

As it turns out, women have taken leadership roles in monitoring the project’s planning and strategy. And for marginalized young people, the planting sessions have been their first opportunity to connect directly with nature in a meaningful way. Turns out that friendship and stewardship are complementary and harmonious – capable of building an interdisciplinary stakeholder base from the ground up.

Learning Without Silos

Additionally, our College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is gaining notoriety for
facilitating Interprofessional Education (IPE) sessions. These programs bring together pharmacy, dental, and medical students to learn with, from, and about each other to improve patient care. The far-reaching results of these efforts were published in the Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare and are prompting action beyond discussion.

When the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 were published last month, AU had a total of six subjects recognized among the Top 350 worldwide and the Top 4 in the UAE.

Dentistry was ranked among the top 51–150 worldwide, placing #1 in the #UAE.
Pharmacy & Pharmacology was ranked among the top 151–200 worldwide, placing #2 in the UAE. Both are strong indicators of our expanding excellence in healthcare education and the value of our interdisciplinary approach to learning.

These are the lessons that give deep meaning to our lives. Pushing aside the notion of higher education as an Ivory Tower, where intellectual elites ruminate on the meaning of life.

Interdisciplinarity enriches us. By reaching across divides, we’ll solve problems and create shared prosperity. But there’s only one way to get there. And that’s together.

Sincerely,