Five years ago, MBZUAI started with a bold ambition: to become a world-class research university dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence in service of society. At that time, we were a small institution, with only seven faculty members and our first 78 graduate students beginning their journeys in Abu Dhabi.
Today, we are a very different institution.
What began with a focus on machine learning and computer vision has expanded into a broad academic ecosystem, with new divisions spanning computing, engineering, life sciences, physical sciences, the humanities, and social sciences.
Our faculty has grown to more than 115 – joining us from leading institutions such as CMU, Stanford, Harvard, Cambridge, ETH Zurich and many others. Our student body has grown to 653, representing 54 nationalities. What began as a graduate-only institution has also now welcomed its first undergraduate cohort, reflecting both our academic maturity and our confidence in training talent at every stage.
But growth alone is not the measure of success. What matters more is what we have built together.
Over the past five years, MBZUAI has established itself as a leader in frontier AI research, releasing state-of-the-art foundation models, advancing robotics and computational biology, and building interdisciplinary programs that connect AI with health, climate, society, and more. Most importantly, we have built a culture that values curiosity, discipline, collaboration, and merit.
I’m excited for us to move into our second phase of growth, evolving MBZUAI into a comprehensive university with AI embedded across disciplines – a mission that reinforces our dedication to pursue AI for the good of all.
Eric Xing
MBZUAI President and University Professor
MBZUAI is established as the world’s first graduate-level, research-based AI university, with H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber appointed as Chair of its founding Board of Trustees.
faculty (45 from the top 100 AI institutions)
average faculty
Google Scholar h-index
Globally ranked in AI, CV, ML, NLP,
ROB, and Comp. Bio. (CSRankings)
countries represented in student body
publications in top journals and conferences
enrolled students
researchers and postdocs
Relive some of our most memorable moments and achievements over the past five years.
The University’s Special Collections and Art Collection together constitute a research-focused resource documenting the historical development of scientific, mathematical, and technological knowledge, and its cultural interpretation through artistic practice. Spanning early astronomy and mathematics, natural philosophy, experimental science, mechanical calculation, and the emergence of computation, the collections approach knowledge as both an intellectual tradition and a material practice.
The Special Collections comprise rare books, scientific instruments, and early computer hardware that record how scientific ideas were formalized, tested, calculated, and applied across different historical periods. The Art Collection offers a complementary perspective through works by artists who have engaged with geometry, systems, calculation, machines, natural sciences and digital processes.
Explore the collections
