Alaa Abd-El-Aziz
2012 St. John's Speaker
Alaa Abd-El-Aziz
Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz assumed his responsibilities as the sixth president and vice-chancellor of the University of Prince Edward Island on July 1, 2011. An accomplished chemist and fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada, Dr. Abd-El-Aziz received his BSc and MSc degrees from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt, and his PhD from the University of Saskatchewan.
After completing an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto, he joined the chemistry department of the University of Winnipeg. While there, he served as dean of science, associate vice-president, Research and Graduate Studies, and vice-president, Research, International & External Affairs, and was the recipient of several distinguished teaching and research awards.
Most recently, Dr. Abd-El-Aziz was provost of the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus in Kelowna. As provost, he provided leadership and direction in the areas of planning, policy development, and resource management. His responsibilities also encompassed the academic and research mandates.
Throughout his administrative career, he has remained actively engaged in chemistry, making significant contributions to research and teaching in his field of inorganic and organometallic polymers and materials. Dr. Abd-El-Aziz will continue his research while at UPEI.
The University of Prince Edward Island, the province’s only university, is home to almost 4,600 students and offers programs in arts, business, science, veterinary medicine, nursing, and education.