CAMS was founded in 1999 through the efforts of an international group of scientists with the primary goal of becoming the premier center of excellence for research in the mathematical sciences in the Middle East.

By creating opportunities for top-quality research and teaching, and by encouraging academic collaboration and interdisciplinary research at AUB and in the region, CAMS has served as flagship institute within AUB's academic plan to revitalize scholarship and research in the mathematical sciences.

CAMS has a unique role to play as the leading regional institute for research in the mathematical sciences.
 

The Center for Advanced Mathematical Sciences (CAMS) provides scientists at AUB and in Lebanon and the region with a vibrant intellectual environment for performing first-class research in the Mathematical Sciences. By creating opportunities for advanced research and teaching, and by serving as a catalyst for academic collaboration and interdisciplinary research, CAMS also plays a unique role in advancing the University’s vision and mission, and in attracting and retaining exceptional scholars as members of its intellectual community.

The objectives of CAMS are to:

• Promote original research in the Mathematical Sciences;

• Act as a focal point for collaborative research among mathematicians and scientists in the region, partly by hosting visitors for various intervals of time, and also by organizing topical meetings, workshops/seminars, and conferences in the Mathematical Sciences;

• Support pure and applied research programs in Mathematics, Computational Science, Climate Studies, Theoretical Physics, and Engineering at AUB and at other universities in Lebanon;

• Promote and contribute to Master’s and PhD programs in the Mathematical Sciences at AUB;

• Foster a multidisciplinary environment encompassing disciplines that make significant use of mathematical tools;

• Identify promising new fields of Science and Engineering with strong mathematical components, and encourage their integration within CAMS and the University.

AUB has gained some prominence in the international scientific arena through the many activities and contributions of the Center for Advanced Mathematical Sciences, including its scientific publications, international conferences, workshops and seminars, and summer programs. CAMS is seeking to encourage more AUB faculty members to play an active role in its research foci and in organizing activities at the center. For this reason, it is introducing some changes in the center’s governance, with the key changes summarized as follows:
 

• The appointment of CAMS fellows will be based on a submitted proposal targeting research or scholarly activities and including specific deliverables and a time line.

• A CAMS Steering Committee will be formed with a membership drawn from AUB faculty.

• Chaired by the director of CAMS, the Steering Committee will have the following functions:

A.    To assist the director in the review and ranking process of proposals submitted by faculty members to join CAMS as fellows;

B.     To prepare, review, and propose to the director quality scholarly activities that can be conducted or sponsored by CAMS;

C.     To assist in identifying funding resources to support CAMS activities, in promoting activities conducted by and at CAMS, and in engaging relevant and interested AUB departments in participating in the work of the center;

D.    To advise the director on academic, personnel, and any other matters at his/her request. 
 

The CAMS director is assisted by an internal Steering Committee composed of up to five senior AUB faculty members who are appointed by the provost for terms of two years, renewable. The committee assists in the review and ranking of scientific proposals submitted by faculty members seeking to join CAMS as fellows. It prepares, reviews, and proposes to the director quality scholarly activities that can be conducted or sponsored by CAMS. It assists in promoting activities conducted by and at CAMS, and in engaging relevant and interested AUB departments in participating in the work of the center. The committee also advises the director on academic, personnel, and any other matters at his/her request.

Committee meetings are chaired by the director. A secretary is appointed for the purpose of recording minutes, copies of which are forwarded to the Provost’s Office.

The members of the Steering Committee are:

• Wafic Sabra, Director;

• Fadl Moukalled, FEA Associate Dean;

• Hazar Abu Khuzam, Chair of the Department of Mathematics;

• Nabil Nassif, Department of Mathematics;

• Mazen Ghoul, Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Director of the Graduate Program in Computational Science;

• Leonid Klushin, Department of Physics.
   

The director is an academic who has achieved scholarly recognition in the field of mathematical sciences. The director reports to the provost and works in consultation with AUB administrators and with CAMS Steering Committee and International Advisory Committee. The director is responsible for the management of the unit including: developing research programs; planning and supporting activities; encouraging dialogue within and beyond AUB; integrating the activities of CAMS with faculties and programs at AUB; forging working relations with experts in the region; and developing relationships with other institutions and organizations throughout the region and the world. The director, in consultation with the steering committee, will create and recommend a development plan for fundraising to the provost; manage the operating budget, and propose and oversee strategic plans for the center’s development.
 

The International Advisory Committee of CAMS is an external committee made up of eminent scholars and scientists appointed by the president of the University. The purpose of the committee is to oversee the activities of CAMS; to assist it in planning; and to evaluate, on an annual basis, the center’s success in meeting its objectives with recommendations. Members of the Committee may also provide help in securing continued external funding for CAMS in accordance with the University’s fundraising policy. The provost of AUB is an ex-officio member of the committee who acts as its vice-chair and secretary. The current members of the International Advisory Committee are:

• Sir Michael Atiyah (Chair);

• Robbert Dijkgraaf (Distinguished University Professor of Mathematical Physics, University of Amsterdam, and President of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences);

• Phillip A. Griffiths (Professor Emeritus, School of Mathematics, IAS, Princeton);

• Nicola N. Khuri (Professor Emeritus, Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Rockefeller University); 

• Don B. Zagier (Director, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, and Professor at the Collège de France).