Dr. Shafik, an Egypt-born academic and economic policy expert, assumed the presidency of a prestigious Ivy League university in New York City in July 2023. She succeeded Lee C. Bollinger, who held the title of the longest-serving Ivy League president before stepping down, as reported by Columbia.
Dr. Shafik's family fled Egypt during the 1960s due to the political and economic unrest in the country. She spent her formative years in the American South, shaping her worldview and experiences.
Notably, Dr. Shafik made history as the youngest-ever vice president at the World Bank at the age of 36. Her career also includes significant roles at the UK's Department for International Development, the International Monetary Fund, and the Bank of England. In 2017, she transitioned back to academia, joining the London School of Economics.
Her academic journey began at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where she earned a degree in economics and politics. She later pursued a Master of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics and obtained a Ph.D. in Economics from Oxford University, solidifying her expertise in the field.
Since assuming her role as president, Dr. Shafik has been vocal about addressing barriers within elite universities. In a YouTube video introducing her as the university's president, she posed a thought-provoking question, 'How can you be an elite institution at the frontier of human knowledge while not being elitist?'
