Having joined Emirates Aviation College in 2005, Professor Ahmad Al Ali was recently appointed Vice Chancellor. He follows in the footsteps of former Vice Chancellor Mohammad Al Budoor who sadly passed away. Al Ali spoke to Campus Notes about his appointment and the college's recent activities and achievements.
Head for numbers
"I'm actually an applied mathematician, which means that it blends into various areas of specialisation. A lot of people freak out when they hear the word ‘mathematics' but in fact we're very closely associated with aeronautical engineering, fluid dynamics and computational fluid dynamics as a research topic," he said.
He explained how applied mathematics is used by those manufacturing aircraft wings.
Describing himself as ‘purely an academic', he explains how he went to high school here in the UAE and then completed his A-levels in the UK. He then did a Bachelor's and a Master's degree at the University of London and a PhD at City University London.
In 1993, he joined UAE University as assistant professor, later becoming Associate Dean for Research.
"And then the late vice chancellor invited me to come here as Deputy Vice Chancellor in 2005," he said.
Achievements
The university has received a number of awards in recent years. and continues to be highly successful.
The tourism diploma is particularly popular. "We're now in talks with Cornell University as we hope to create a student exchange programme. They have an excellent tourism programme and we plan to overhaul our tourist undergraduate programme and have some sort of collaboration where there's an exchange of students or faculties for a semester. I think it gives an international flavour to our programme."
In September the college will launch new programmes that are licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority. "Basically a graduate of this programme will be able to work as a licensed aircraft mechanical engineer straightaway and that includes on-the-job training."
Degree
The degree, Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (LAME), will be a response to the demand for this type of skilled professional.
The college was also recently accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research for its three MBA programmes in aviation management, IT management and logistic and supply chain management.
According to Al Ali they are now collaborating with international universities in the UK and Singapore and are looking into research programmes. "We are engaged in PhD programmes with Coventry University, but it's only for our staff. It's a matter of time before it's offered to the public."
Aviation sector trends
LAME is the most popular programme. "That's because they can get a job straightaway," said Al Ali. "Others come into a higher diploma programme in aviation, aerospace engineering or avionics," he said.
He stressed that there will always be jobs in the aviation industry. "Personally I think the aviation industry is growing very fast and there will always be a shortage of professionals."
He added that about 10 per cent of the student population are Emiratis and usually join the college for undergraduate degrees in aeronautical engineering or aviation management.
