New faculty members bring expertise in AI, environmental humanities, digital media, and writing to Northwestern Qatar

Doha, Qatar - Northwestern University in Qatar is expanding its faculty with four new appointments for the 2026-27 academic year. Chafic Najem and Demet Yigitbilek will join at the beginning of the term, while Ghaleb Attrache and Mona Hedayati will start in January 2027. Their diverse expertise in artificial intelligence, environmental humanities, digital media, and writing will enhance teaching and scholarship across Northwestern Qatar's Communication and Liberal Arts programs, providing students with new perspectives from the Global South.

Dean Marwan M. Kraidy emphasized that these appointments reflect the university's commitment to academic excellence and building a distinctive intellectual community grounded in the Global South. He highlighted the transformative impact of AI, digital media, environmental change, and evolving roles of writing on human experience, noting that the new scholars will help students not only navigate change but also shape it with knowledge, creativity, and purpose.

Chafic Najem, an assistant professor in residence with joint appointments in Communication and Liberal Arts, brings expertise in Arab digital media and mobile communication studies. His work will contribute to Northwestern Qatar's growing engagement with digital cultures and communication in the Arab world, exploring the intersections of mobile technologies, digital platforms, social relations, culture, and communication practices.

In January 2027, Ghaleb Attrache will join the Liberal Arts program as an assistant professor in residence, focusing on environmental humanities and media technologies. By working at the intersection of environmental thought, culture, and technology, Attrache aims to broaden opportunities for students to consider how media technologies influence relationships between people, environments, infrastructures, and the natural world.

Mona Hedayati, another assistant professor in residence joining in January 2027, will strengthen Northwestern Qatar's teaching and scholarship on artificial intelligence. Her work will approach AI through humanistic and critical perspectives, emphasizing its cultural, political, ethical, and creative dimensions. At Northwestern Qatar, Hedayati will contribute to the institution's conversation about AI as a multifaceted phenomenon that transcends mere technological development.

Demet Yigitbilek, a lecturer in residence in writing studies, will join the Liberal Arts program in January 2027, further enriching Northwestern Qatar's emphasis on writing as a cornerstone of intellectual inquiry, communication, and storytelling.