Muhammad Alagil Chair
The National University of Singapore (NUS) established in 2014 a professorship dedicated to Arabia Asia Studies with the generous support of Mr Muhammad Alagil, a Saudi Arabian businessman with a strong commitment to advancing research in the field. The Muhammad Alagil Distinguished Professorship in Arabia Asia Studies, or Muhammad Alagil Chair in short, was made part of the Asia Research Institute, a leader in research on inter-Asian connections and comparisons.
The Muhammad Alagil Chair is dedicated to promoting research in social, cultural, historical, and contemporary Arabia Asia relations that have shaped both Arabia and Asia profoundly. In the same breath, it aims to provide an authoritative academic view on the course such relations may take in the future.
To develop the field of study, the Muhammad Alagil Chair is committed to putting in place regular scholarly meetings to share research, learn from each other, collaborate, and, importantly, cultivate, mentor and support emerging scholars. It aims to inspire a new generation of academics in the field and prioritises those researchers with fewer institutional resources or access to the wider academic community.
Building Arabia Asia Studies at NUS is seen as a significant step toward expanding the field to other regions, especially in Arabia and Asia.