Ala Qubbaj

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg, TX | 2022

Ala Qubbaj Portrait Photo

Biography

Ala Qubbaj’s career in higher education spans more than 25 years, all at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Ala has served as a faculty member, Founding Vice Provost, and Dean of the UTRGV College of Engineering and Computer Science. As Founding Vice Provost for Faculty Success and Diversity and a professor of mechanical engineering, Ala led university-wide faculty success and diversity efforts to enhance the participation of women and underrepresented minorities (URMs) in STEM. He established several faculty diversity and development initiatives, with mentoring as a key component. Ala is the Principal Investigator for UTRGV’s NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation and INCLUDES grants, both of which focus on increasing the representation and advancement of women faculty, particularly Latinas, in STEM fields. His notable longtime efforts to support and mentor faculty, especially women and URMs, have been recognized by UTRGV’s Women’s Faculty Network and Faculty Senate. As Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Ala has leveraged those initiatives, doubling the number of women faculty in the college, hiring the first woman Chair and the first Latina Associate Dean, and increasing representation of Latina engineering students. His efforts are sustained and expanded at UTRGV and beyond through the creation of the Center for Equity in Engineering. Ala serves on national boards and councils that promote equity, diversity, and mentoring for URMs in STEM, including NSF ADVANCE, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and Alliance to Catalyze Change for Equity in STEM Success. Ala earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Jordan and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Oklahoma.

High-resolution version of the teacher profile photograph

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