UTT gets new president

Al-Zubaidy assumed office on Monday.

Al Zubaidy, a chartered engineer and chartered environmentalist, is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, UK, the largest and most prestigious international learned mechanical engineering societies in the world.

He is also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Institution of Engineers Australia.

As an educational innovator and experienced administrator, Al-Zubaidy has taken the leadership position at UTT on the retirement of Professor Dyer Narinesingh, becoming the university’s third full president over the past 13 years. Narinesingh, the release said, served the university well throughout the last four years as president and acting provost for the last 18 months.

The UTT acknowledged Narinesingh’s contribution and thanked him for all that he has done to move the university forward and for providing a solid foundation for Al-Zubaidy. Professor Al-Zubaidy will continue the work Narinesingh has championed, ensuring stability for the university during a time of economic constraints and organisational transition, building closer relationships with stakeholders both internally and externally, ensuring that UTT’s programmes remain relevant to the needs of Trinidad and Tobago.

A Mechanical Engineer with over three decades of experience at both senior academic and administrative levels within international higher education institutions, Al-Zubaidy is widely published in leading peer-reviewed, high-impact factor journals and international conferences.

He was awarded the Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) in 2015 for a “sustained, effective record of strategic impact at the institutional, national and international level for his commitment to wider strategic leadership in teaching and enhancing the student learning experience.” He is familiar with the Caribbean, having worked in Jamaica for a few years.