Prof Ali Hilal Al Naqbi is currently the Chancellor of the University of Khorfakkan and a member of its Board of Trustees. Previously, he served as the Director of Abu Dhabi Polytechnic (ADPoly), focusing on inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities. He holds degrees in Engineering, is a research fellow at Harvard Medical School, a postdoctoral fellow at BWH, and earned a Distinction in Executive MBA from Suffolk University in Boston.

After joining UAE University in 2009 as an Assistant Professor, he was promoted to Associate Professor in 2014 and Full Professor in 2024. He has numerous publications in engineering and nanotechnology and is active in the Dubai Future Council for Medicine. Prof. Al Naqbi has registered five US patents and published over 60 high-impact papers. He raised more than $3 million in research grants and received the UAE First 43 Emirati Pioneers Award. Under his leadership at ADPoly, he achieved a 96% employment rate for graduates.