Professor Clyde Wilcox Steps Into Acting Dean Role at Georgetown University in Qatar

Professor of Government Clyde Wilcox has been appointed acting dean of Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), effective June 1, 2026, bringing experienced leadership to the university as the campus enters the second year of its renewed 10-year agreement with Qatar Foundation.

Wilcox previously served as interim dean from 2021-2022, and has been part of the Georgetown University community for nearly four decades. A political scientist, he has played a sustained role in the university’s academic life and development.

“I joined Georgetown because of its academic and research excellence, and I came to help build the Qatar campus because of the opportunity to engage with a diversity of students in a rich multiversity atmosphere,” said Dr. Wilcox, who has spent all or part of each academic year at the Doha campus since 2014.

He succeeds Safwan Masri, who, during the upcoming 2026-2027 academic year, will be on leave to focus on his research and writing. Over the course of his tenure as dean, Masri expanded GU-Q’s academic offerings, grew its faculty, and deepened Georgetown's relationships with the Qatar Foundation and other academic institutions in Education City. “On behalf of all of us at Georgetown, we thank Dr. Masri for his energetic and imaginative leadership as Dean of GU-Q,” said Wilcox.

Georgetown University in Qatar is in a strong position as Wilcox moves into the Dean’s office. GU-Q faculty engage in cutting-edge and socially-meaningful scholarship, and are equally dedicated to teaching.  In this time of regional and world conflict, GU-Q faculty routinely provide expert commentary on local and international radio and TV newscasts and podcasts, and are interviewed and write guest commentary pieces about the most salient issues of the day–from Palestine, to the Iran war, regional conflicts in Sudan and Yemen, Ukraine, U.S. politics, and the recent elections in Hungary–for Qatar’s and the world’s leading English- and Arabic-language newspapers.

“Our staff are talented and work tirelessly to help us achieve our mission. And our students are smart and curious, and learn from not only the faculty but from each other. It has been a joy to teach them, and it will be my task to help ensure that GU-Q continues to help them develop critical thinking and understanding of diverse faiths and beliefs, while nurturing their spiritual growth and commitment to service,” said Wilcox.  “When societies face division, uncertainty, and anxiety, the knowledge, values, and skills that Georgetown instills in our students are vitally important,” he added.