Dr. Abdulrahman Obaid Al-Youbi has been the president of King Abdul Aziz University (KAU) in Jeddah since 2016, and is also the chairman of the university’s Prince Khalid Al-Faisal Center for Moderation.

Recently, Al-Youbi signed a memorandum of cooperation to promote a culture of moderation and to combat terrorism, extremism, and racism, with Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, president of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.

Al-Youbi previously served as KAU’s vice president, as dean of its faculty of science, and as a part-time consultant at the Ministry of Higher Education.

Al-Youbi is also involved in committees at several other universities around the Kingdom, including Taibah University, the University of Tabuk, Jazan University and Northern Border University.

He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from KAU, and received a scholarship to complete his education in the UK, where he gained his doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of Essex in 1986.

Al-Youbi began working at KAU in 1981. He was made an assistant professor of physical chemistry in 1986, an associate professor in 1992, and became a full professor in 2000.

The memorandum of cooperation includes a number of objectives aimed at mainstreaming the approach of moderation in society, combating extremist and terrorist ideologies, and enhancing intellectual awareness through conducting joint scientific research and applied and field studies on mainstreaming the approach of moderation, developing intellectual awareness and protecting society from extremism.