Faculty Profiles: Ali Haidar

Professor Ali Haidar

Newly-appointed Assistant Professor Ali Haidar is no stranger to the Geology Department; he has been a lecturer at AUB for the past ten years. However, it was the recent rise in oil prices that sparked student interest in Haidar's field, namely paleontology, so much so that a position was opened for further research on the subject. With a PHD in natural sciences, obtained from Switzerland (1997), expertise in oil exploration, consulting ability in geology, as well as over 15 years of teaching experience, Haidar is the best candidate for the new post.

Haidar enjoys imparting knowledge to the budding minds of students, who make ideal receptors not only for hard-core scientific information but also for the much-needed philosophical outlooks that spur the evolution of scientific thinking, and which an experienced mentor like Haidar can and does provide.

There are all kinds of students at AUB, says Haidar, but one thing all have in common is the zest for personal growth and development. Having taught at the University of Parma in Italy (1992-97), where he obtained his master's in geological sciences in 1990, Haidar has a special rapport with students and understands the value of good interactions in enhancing the effectiveness of teaching.

Haidar's research revolves around fossils, paleoceanography, and paleoenvironment, all of which enable the study of the earth as an ecosystem with a span of 4.5 billion years and a space covering the entire globe. Haidar believes that geologists, being unlimited in time and space, can give better answers about our planet, based on models that examine the overall behavior of the earth.

"Our planet has a feedback mechanism, manifested over the last 790,000 years, in which it goes through many climatic oscillations, whereby earth reaches a high temperature before it drops back down again," explains Haidar. "We are currently at the beginning of a new structure (not a catastrophic event), as ecosystems make latitudinal shifts."