LAU President Chaouki T. Abdallah has announced the appointment of Dr. Gregory Heileman as the university’s Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, effective September 1, 2026.

This appointment is the result of an international executive search that marks “an important milestone in the ongoing strategic development of LAU and provides yet another testament to the relevance, endurance and appeal of LAU’s mission even within the current challenging context,” said Dr. Abdallah.

In his role at LAU, Dr. Heileman will ensure that LAU’s academic and research aspirations are strategically positioned within the evolving landscape of global higher education through a relentless drive for excellence and impact coupled with pragmatism, creativity, and optimal resource allocation.

He will be tasked with elevating LAU’s research productivity, both applied and theoretical, advancing interdisciplinary initiatives and entrepreneurship, and leading efforts in faculty recruitment, development, and retention. Dr. Heileman will also lead a digital transformation to integrate AI in enhancing teaching, research, and operations.

Dr. Heileman currently serves as the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and a professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Arizona, where he oversees the Divisions of Undergraduate Education and Academic Affairs. Since 2019, Dr. Heileman has progressed through several strategic academic roles at the University of Arizona, first as Associate Vice Provost for Academic Administration, then as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.

Starting in 2011, Professor Heileman served as the Associate Provost for Curriculum at the University of New Mexico (UNM). He subsequently became the Vice Provost for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation at UNM, where he coordinated campus-wide student academic success initiatives, and worked with key stakeholders to produce record retention and graduation rates.

Prior to joining the University of Arizona, Dr. Heileman served as Associate Provost for Student and Academic Life and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Kentucky in 2017, where he was also the university’s Chief Student Affairs Officer, and was responsible for providing vision, leadership, and strategic direction for campus-wide student success efforts.

His experience in higher education includes faculty development, institutional research, accreditation and academic program review, curriculum management, student success, budget and finance, economic development, policy and governance, information technology, data governance, and strategic planning.

Dr. Heileman has more than 200 peer-reviewed publications in the areas of machine learning and data analytics, information security, and student success in higher education. His research activities have generated more than $11 million in external funding, and he has served as the advisor for 50 master’s and PhD students.

In 2009, Dr. Heileman received the IEEE Albuquerque Section Outstanding Educator Award, adding to a distinguished record of recognition for excellence in teaching and service. He was twice honored with ECE’s Lawton-Ellis Award—in 2001 and again in 2009—for his combined achievements in teaching, research, and student and community involvement. Earlier in his career, he earned the School of Engineering’s Teaching Excellence Award in 1995, followed by the ECE Department Distinguished Teacher Award in 2000. His academic work also includes international research appointments, holding fellowships at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in 1998 and at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in 2005.

Dr. Heileman has a BA in Biology from Wake Forest University, an MS in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and a PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of Central Florida.

In his announcement, President Abdallah also expressed genuine gratitude to the current LAU provost, Dr. George E. Nasr.

“[Dr. Nasr’s] track record at LAU includes academic, strategic and even existential achievements,” said Dr. Abdallah. “From steering Strategic Plan IV and navigating multiple crises, to leading and consolidating several key accreditations, and advancing LAU’s academic excellence and research output, these are but a few of his many accomplishments, George has been an exemplary LAU academic and administrator, and LAU owes him profound recognition and appreciation.”