The American University of Bahrain’s Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Wafa Almansoori as President. The appointment follows her tenure as Interim President and Provost at the university.
Almansoori has more than 30 years of experience in higher education, including over 15 years in quality assurance and accreditation. She joined the American University of Bahrain in September 2019.
Wafa Almansoori brings higher education experience
Almansoori previously served as Provost and Interim President from July 2025 to October 2026. Before that, she was Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation from August 2023 to June 2025.
Earlier, she served as Director of Institutional Research and Assessment at the American University of Bahrain. Her responsibilities included assessing institutional performance, analysing data and preparing reports for management decision making.
Her earlier career also includes more than 12 years with the Education and Training Quality Authority. She served as Director of the Directorate of Higher Education Reviews and later the Directorate of Vocational Reviews.
Focus on academic quality and student success
In her new role, Almansoori will lead the university’s strategy to advance teaching, research and student success. The appointment announcement also identifies academic quality, student success, innovation and institutional performance as areas of focus.
Her professional background aligns with this remit. At the Education and Training Quality Authority, she led review functions and worked on frameworks for assessing education and training providers in Bahrain.
She has also served as an External Reviewer for the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority since 2010. In that role, she has participated in quality audits and standard assessment visits for higher education institutions.
Leadership across Bahrain’s education sector
Almansoori previously worked at the University of Bahrain as a faculty member in the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department. She spent nearly 20 years at the university, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate electronics and communication courses.
She also served as Vice Chairman of the Council for Regulating the Practice of Engineering Professions from 2016 to 2019. Before that, she was a board member from 2013 to 2016.
Her work has included higher education quality, institutional assessment, accreditation and engineering education. She is also a member of the Bahrain Society of Engineers and an External Reviewer for the Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education.
Wafa Almansoori Academic Qualifications
Almansoori holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University, completed in 1996. She also earned a Master’s degree in Microelectronic Systems and Communications from the University of Liverpool.
She completed her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Bahrain. Her listed professional skills include strategic planning, teaching and public speaking.
The appointment places a long-standing AUBH leader in the university’s top executive role, following her progression through senior academic and institutional effectiveness positions.
