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Long before there were leadership seminars, there were campfires. The best leadership wisdom rarely arrives in a slide deck. It comes from a mentor who told you the truth at the right moment, a grandmother's story you didn't understand until years later, a colleague who said the thing nobody else would say. This panel traces how that knowledge actually moves: person to person, generation to generation, story by story. Join our panelists as they explore the origins of their recently-published book Trinity of Leadership: Learners, Thinkers, Tinkerers (Akers Follett Press, 2026) and what they reveal about the oldest way wisdom has ever traveled. Panel Members Denise Nelson Nash, VP and Secretary of the Board, Scripps College; Partner, Akers Follett Press Trish Beck, Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU; Partner, Akers Follett Press Michael Miller, Associate Dean, CUNY, The Spitzer School of Architecture Herminio L. Perez, Assistant Dean for Campus Life, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine Lucas Welter, Chief Organization Development & Strategy Officer, AFS Intercultural Programs Sharon Counts, Assistant Professor, Parsons, The New School Moderated by Erica McGibbon, Senior Director of Academic Affairs, NYU School of Professional Studies

Around seven million years ago, Abu Dhabi was home to a very different landscape and remarkable animal life. Drawing on fossil discoveries from the Al Dhafra region, this presentation explores the making of a new gallery at the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi dedicated to the emirate’s Late Miocene past. Through fossils, scientific research, and detailed reconstructions, the gallery brings this prehistoric environment to life and highlights the significance of Abu Dhabi’s palaeontological heritage. Speaker Mark Jonathan Beech, Acting Geoscience Section Head, Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi In Collaboration with Natural History Museum

Depression is a common and disabling mental health condition that affects mood, thinking, and behaviour. This talk examines the biological mechanisms underlying depression, including changes in brain chemistry, stress response systems, and neural circuits. It also explores emerging research on the molecular and cellular pathways that may contribute to depression, with particular attention to the role of circadian rhythms and sleep. Increasingly recognized as important factors in the development and persistence of depressive symptoms, these processes offer new perspectives on the biology of depression and potential directions for future research. Dipesh Chaudhury, Associate Professor of Biology, NYUAD; Co-Director, Health & Cognition Theme, Center for Brain & Health

A single patient’s health leaves behind a scattered trail of data—medical images, health records, clinical notes, biosignals—that no clinician can take in at a glance. This talk asks whether artificial intelligence can draw those fragments into a single, more patient-centered picture. Drawing on recent developments in multimodal AI, Shamout considers how such systems might help clinicians monitor patient health, interpret complex information, and support clinical decision-making, while weighing the real-world challenges of reliability, fairness, and practical usefulness for patients and clinicians alike. Speaker Farah Shamout, Assistant Professor of Computer Engineering, NYUAD; Associated Faculty, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Compounding socio-ecological and economic damage from climate change, driven by intense rainfall, sea-level rise, crop failures, ocean warming, and severe coastal erosion makes Zanzibar one of the most climate-vulnerable places on Earth. Most top-down, centralized climate strategies fail or underperform in Zanzibar because of structural mismatches between high-level policymaking and the island's hyper-local socio-ecological realities. This interactive talk discusses a groundbreaking bottom-up climate adaptation initiative co-created by NYU, UNICEF Zanzibar, the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA), and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar. Speakers Chris Dickey, Clinical Associate Professor of Global Public Health, NYU School of Global Public Health Maëva-Edith Sassou Nguesso, Global Affairs Master's Candidate, NYU Jackie Roth, Public Administration Master's Candidate, NYU Sumayyah Muhammad, Master’s Candidate in International Development, NYU SPS

How do we understand the minds of others? This talk explores the foundations of "commonsense psychology" by comparing how infants, adults, and AI systems infer intentions from actions alone. By pitting human intuition against state-of-the-art neural networks, this work tackles foundational debates across psychology, philosophy, and computer science — revealing the origins of intelligence, the divide between natural and artificial minds, and what it will take to build truly human-like, trustworthy AI. Speaker Moira R. Dillon, Assistant Professor of Psychology, NYU

The talk explores the historical relationships that exist between the development and the evolution of embryos. What is the link between our developmental origin as individuals (a fertilized egg), on the one hand, and our evolutionary origin as a group of individuals (an ancestral population), on the other hand? And these embryos, are they really extraordinary constructions relying on carefully accumulated, multiple sets of precisely encoded instructions or instead, could they be the mere and only obligatory result of a chaotic program haphazardly built during the past hundreds million years? Speaker Denis Duboule, Professor of Genetics and Chair of Evolution of Development and Genomes, Collège de France, Paris Organized by Claude Desplan, Silver Professor of Biology and Neuroscience, Department of Biology, NYU

Engineering a solution is one thing; making it work in a high-stakes clinical environment is another. This panel discussion features the minds who build the tech and the hands that use it. Leading bioengineers and frontline clinicians from NYU, NYU Abu Dhabi, the University of Michigan and the University of Maine deconstruct the challenges of medical device innovation. The topics include glaucoma and other chronic diseases such as metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurologic diseases. The discussion also touches on AI, robotics, and wearable technology to improve patient care. Panel Members Andreas Hielscher, Professor of of Biomedical Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering Shy Shoham, Professor of Neuroscience and Ophthalmology, NYU School of Medicine and Tech4Health Giovanna Guidoboni, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Dean of Engineering and Computing, University of Maine Manjool Shah, Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Associate Chair of Innovation, University of Michigan Sefy Paulose Joshi, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, NYU Langone Health Moderated by Yong-Ak (Rafael) Song, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering and 19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellow, NYUAD

The Volatility and Risk Institute (VRI) explores the interplay between risks that shape our global economy. In this session, VRI Co-Directors Robert Engle and Richard Berner explain how the VRI measures complex global risks, focusing on the financial challenges posed by climate change and the effects of geopolitical risks on financial stability. As the VRI celebrates its recent expansion to NYU Abu Dhabi, this talk offers a unique look into how leading experts track systemic vulnerabilities and the future of global risk research. Speaker Richard Berner, Co-Director, The Volatility and Risk Institute and Clinical Professor Emeritus of Finance and Professor of Management Practice, NYU Stern School of Business

The FIFA World Cup 2026 represents a pivotal moment in the globalization of sport, as North America prepares for a tournament of unprecedented scale. This panel investigates the sociopolitical and structural dimensions of hosting a cross-continental mega-event. Panelists will discuss the intersection of international sports diplomacy, the evolution of regional athletic identity, and the challenges inherent in global tournament expansion. By examining the synergy between sports governance, media representation, and local community engagement, the discussion situates the 2026 World Cup within a broader discourse on the role of professional club development and sport in 21st-century global society. Speakers Sophia Cai, White House Reporter, Politico Bruce Revman, Co-Host City Manager, FIFA World Cup 2026 NYNJ Host Committee Irv Smalls Jr., President, FC HARLEM Moderated by Paul C. Hardart, Distinguished Clinical Professor and Director, Entertainment, Media and Technology Program and Academic Director, Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship, NYU Stern School of Business In collaboration with Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport, NYU School of Professional Studies

This talk focuses on the work of Dorothy Berry, author of The House Archives Built and Other Thoughts on Black Archival Possibilities (We Here Press, 2025), which is currently sold out in its third printing since being published in October 2025. Berry discusses family materials offered up to “the altar of higher learning” and struggles for access, accuracy, and locating joy in family photographs stewarded by institutional archives. Speaker Dorothy Berry, Archivist and Writer In conversation with Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, Documentary Photographer, Writer and Curator; Professor of Photography, Rutgers University–Newark Organized by Gregory Pardlo, Professor of Literature and Creative Writing and 19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellow, NYUAD Montana Ray, Clinical Assistant Professor of Liberal Studies, NYU; 19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellow, NYUAD In collaboration with 19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellows Program

What is African theatre today? Bob Vorlicky and Judy Miller have some answers to that question through their work as editors and translators of contemporary African plays. Vorlicky brings to light the otherwise neglected work of eight African women playwrights from seven different countries and linguistic spheres. He explores the politics of translating indigenous languages into English. Miller surveys exemplary works of Francophone African authors from the immediate post-colonial period to the present. She also addresses the difficulties of translating these works for the American stage. Speakers Robert H. Vorlicky, Author, “Speaking Our Selves: New Plays by African Women” (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2025); Professor of Theatre, NYUAD and Tisch School of the Arts, NYU Judith G. Miller, Author, “Contemporary Francophone African Plays: An Anthology” (Lewisburg: Bucknell University Press, 2024); Former Dean of Arts and Humanities, NYUAD; Professor of French Literature, NYU In conversation with Adam Ashraf Elsayigh, Playwright; NYUAD alumnus

We assume laws of nature govern the universe, but how exactly do abstract laws make concrete objects move? This talk explores three rival philosophical models and their surprising consequences. Does the past actually produce the future? Can laws exist without affecting anything? The answers challenge our basic intuitions about time, matter, and why nature behaves predictably. Speaker Mario Hubert, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich

By 2050, 70% of the world will live in cities, and those cities will be powered by the data centers we build today. Far from being isolated in the periphery, 97.5% of US data centers are hidden in plain sight within urban centers, driven primarily by electricity-grid capacity. Drawing on research from the recently launched Urban Institute at NYU Tandon, Professor Maurizio Porfiri demonstrates how we can leverage data science and AI to address these complex urban interdependencies—from climate change and grid stability to the needs of aging populations and economic volatility. This talk reveals how urban science is being used to safeguard grid stability and shape the resilient cities of tomorrow. Speaker Maurizio Porfiri, Director, NYU Urban Institute

This conversation explores a question that defines both professional and personal life: how to live with intention and purpose. Drawing on her work as a scholar, educator, and three-time New York Times–Bestselling Author, Suzy Welch introduces the Becoming You methodology, emphasizing the importance of surfacing core values and cultivating self-awareness in navigating contemporary careers. In conversation with Rob Salomon, Welch reflects on leadership, decision-making, and the pursuit of clarity in an increasingly complex professional landscape. Speaker Suzy Welch, New York Times Best-Selling Author; Professor of Management Practice, NYU Stern In conversation with Robert Salomon, Dean, Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi; Professor of International Management, NYU Stern School of Business; NEC Faculty Fellow, NYU Stern School of Business In collaboration with Stern at NYUAD