The Zaha Hadid Foundation, the London-based cultural charity established by the late architect Dame Zaha Hadid, is pleased to announce the establishment of the Zaha Hadid Scholars Program at the American University of Beirut (AUB). The program will honour the life and legacy of Hadid, a prominent educator, and her wish to support students of architecture.
Beginning in September 2025 and for each of the next three academic years, the Zaha Hadid Scholars Program will fully fund and provide additional support to two architecture students for the five years of their undergraduate education at the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at AUB. The students will be selected based on need and merit.
Commenting on the establishment of the program, AUB President Fadlo Khuri, MD, said, “The visionary work of our alumna, Zaha Hadid, continues to inspire current generations of students. We are very proud to partner with the Zaha Hadid Foundation on this initiative benefiting bright and deserving architecture students at our university."
The Board of Trustees of the Zaha Hadid Foundation commented, “We are thrilled to be able to honor Zaha's commitment to emerging and future architectural talent by supporting these students and AUB, a university that was so close to Zaha's heart. We hope this will be just the beginning of a deepening relationship."
Zaha Hadid studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut in 1968-69 and received an Honorary Doctorate from the university in 2006. One of her projects is the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs Building at AUB, which she completed in 2014.
In addition to developing its own programs, the Zaha Hadid Foundation is currently undertaking partnerships with the Architectural Association, Serpentine Galleries and others, with more details to be released shortly.
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Notes to editors:
About the Zaha Hadid FoundationThe Zaha Hadid Foundation (ZHF) is a charitable organisation founded in 2013 by the globally renowned architect, designer and artist Dame Zaha Hadid. Fully launched in 2022, and based in its two buildings at 10 Bowling Green and Shad Thames in London, the founding purpose of ZHF is to preserve and make publicly available the full range of Hadid's extraordinary output, and more broadly to advance research, learning, and the enjoyment of related areas of modern architecture, art and design.
About the American University of Beirut
Founded in 1866, the American University of Beirut bases its educational philosophy, standards, and practices on the American liberal arts model of higher education. Its mission is “to provide excellence in education, to participate in the advancement of knowledge through research, and to serve the peoples of the Middle East and beyond." AUB is governed by a private and autonomous Board of Trustees and is an accredited institution by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).