Chaouki T. Abdallah

Dr. Chaouki T. Abdallah is the President of the Lebanese American University (LAU). Prior to this role, he served as Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR) at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he provided overall leadership fbor the institute's research, economic development and related support units. Reporting directly to President Ángel Cabrera and serving as a member of the president’s cabinet, Dr. Abdallah oversaw Georgia Tech’s more than $1 billion annual research enterprise, including the Georgia Tech Research Enterprise (GTRI). 

In addition to his leadership at Georgia Tech, Dr. Abdallah has held key positions on the executive committee of the Council on Research for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), the executive committee for the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable (GUIRR), and the advisory committee for the Center on Measuring University Performance (MUP). Dr. Abdallah joined Georgia Tech after a distinguished tenure at the University of New Mexico, where he served as the university’s 22nd president, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and department chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department. While at the University of New Mexico, he spearheaded initiatives focused on long-term academic planning, improving student success, retention and graduation rates.

A senior member of IEEE and a recipient of the organization’s Millennium Medal, Dr. Abdallah's research and teaching interests include systems theory with applications to control, communications and computing systems. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the US Naval Research Laboratory, and various national laboratories and companies.

Dr. Abdallah began his academic journey at the Faculté d’ingénierie of the Université Saint-Joseph in Lebanon before continuing his education in the United States. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) degree from Youngstown State University in 1981, followed by a Master of Science (MS) and a PhD in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech in 1982 and 1988, respectively.

Throughout his career, he has authored or co-authored eight books and more than 300 peer-reviewed papers, and has provided expert testimony before the US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Fluent in English, French and Arabic, Dr. Abdallah brings a wealth of international experience and academic leadership to his role, reinforcing his ongoing commitment to advancing higher education and research excellence.