Khaled Hassanein, a strong academic leader from within the DeGroote School of Business, has been named the new Dean of the Faculty of Business.

Hassanein is currently associate dean of graduate studies and research for the School of Business, director of the McMaster Digital Transformation Research Centre, and McMaster’s SSHRC Leader.

He will begin his term July 1, assuming the role from dean Leonard Waverman, who has led the faculty since 2013.

“Dr. Hassanein is perfectly positioned to help lead the School of Business through a dynamic time,” said Provost Susan Tighe, who led the selection committee for the dean’s role.

“He understands the role of the dean in helping to align the interests of the faculty and the university in order to do the ambitious things the DeGroote School of Business is focused on.”

Hassanein was the unanimous recommendation from the search committee, and the appointment has now been approved by both the Senate and the Board of Governors.

“I am deeply honoured to be selected as the next dean for the DeGroote School of Business,” said Hassanein. “Over the past 20 years I have been fortunate to serve DeGroote and McMaster in a number of senior administrative roles while working with amazing staff, faculty, students, and partners. I am grateful to Dean Waverman for his leadership and accomplishments over the past few years and look forward to working with all stakeholders to further the School’s strategic priorities in the years to come.”

The DeGroote School of Business is a leader in reimagining business education and continues to innovate in its programs and facilities. DeGroote’s graduate offerings include renowned MBA, EMBA, MHM, MSc. eHealth, and PhD programs. Its Bachelor of Commerce program is transforming to emphasize problem-based discovery, interdisciplinary study and interaction with business leaders to better prepare graduates.

The McLean Centre for Collaborative Discovery, a new addition to the DeGroote School of Business that is part of that reimagination, will provide a state-of-the-art collaboration, networking and study space outfitted with interactive tools to solve real-world problems.

Hassanein received his undergraduate education at Kuwait University and completed graduate degrees in engineering and business from the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University.

Hassanein joined McMaster’s faculty in 2000. His interdisciplinary research — funded by SSHRC NSERC and CFI — spans the areas of digital transformation; data analytics; human-computer interaction; e-Health; artificial intelligence; decision support systems and neuro-information systems. He has published over 125 peer-reviewed articles in leading conferences and journals and has received thousands of citations. Hassanein is a joint holder of several U.S. patents and a senior member of the IEEE.

He has served as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the American University in Cairo and at the School of Management, Universidad de los Andes in Colombia; taught at the EDHEC Business School in Lille, France; and delivered workshops with the Ontario Centres of Excellence. Before joining McMaster, Hassanein was a Senior Research Associate with NCR’s Payments Solutions division in Waterloo.