Professor Safwan Masri

Professor Safwan Masri

VP Global Centers, Columbia University

Professor Safwan M. Masri is Vice President for Global Centers at Columbia University. He has been a member of the Columbia Business School faculty since 1988 and was appointed Vice Dean in 1993, a position he held for thirteen years. Professor Masri has been Director of the Columbia Global Centers | Middle East since its founding in 2009. He was Visiting Professor at INSEAD in 1990 and 1991, and has also held teaching positions at Stanford University and Santa Clara University.

Professor Masri earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University in 1982; his Master of Science in Industrial Engineering also from Purdue in 1984; and his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management from Stanford University in 1988. He was honored with the Singhvi Professor of the Year for Scholarship in the Classroom Award in 1990, the Robert W. Lear Service Award in 1998, and the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence in a Core Course in 2000. He has also been honored with the 2003 American Service Award from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Professor Masri is Founding Chairman Emeritus of King’s Academy, Chairman of the Queen Rania Teacher Academy, Trustee of International College, Trustee of the National Children’s Museum in Jordan, Director of Endeavor Jordan, Director of the Luxury Education Foundation, and member of the advisory boards of the School of Business and the Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement at the American University in Cairo. He has also served as Advisor to Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah. Professor Masri’s area of expertise is in operations management, with a focus on supply chain management, technology change management in the financial services industry, and manufacturing flexibility. His recent work has focused on education and business development in the Middle East.