Academic staff

Dr. Cecilia Kindelán is Dean of the School of Communication and an Associate Professor at Canadian University Dubai, bringing over 25 years of academic leadership and international expertise to the School of Communication. 

Dr. Lakhdar Chadli is an Assistant Professor at Canadian University Dubai. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor at the American University in the Emirates, Al Bayan University in Abu Dhabi, the Regional School of Fine Arts at Mostaganem University in Algeria, and the Higher Institute for Performance and Audiovisual Arts (ISMAS) in Algiers. As a Media and Communication professor, he specializes in the development of film, television broadcasts, and interactive media works at the Institut National de l’Image et du Son (L'inis) in Montreal, Canada..  

Dr. Hadeel Alhaddadeh is an internationally trained scholar, educator, and communications strategist with more than a decade of experience bridging academia, media, and global organizations. She earned her Ph.D. in Mass Communication (Strategic Communication) from the University of Florida, where her dissertation examined Orientalism and Islamophobia in U.S. media coverage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Dr. Markus Rach is an applied marketing scientist specializing in the impact of technology on marketing functions, encompassing artificial intelligence, Web3 technologies, and emerging digital media formats.

His work focuses on generating value for both the academic community and marketing practitioners. He holds a doctoral degree from the Maastricht School of Management at Maastricht University and possesses four master’s degrees, including an MBA from the Queensland University of Technology, IE Business School, the Open University, and the Maastricht School of Management. 

Dr. Kiray M. Khoury is an Assistant Professor in the Communication and Media Department at Canadian University Dubai (CUD), bringing a wealth of teaching experience from the United Kingdom, Canada and Lebanon. She was awarded a full scholarship for her PhD at the University of East London, where her research centered on the adoption and adaptation of new technologies within Mass Media. Throughout her academic career, Dr.

Professor Arianna Mazzeo holds a Post-Doctorate from University of Toronto, Communication, Culture, Information, and Technology (CCIT), Canada. Throughout her career, Professor Arianna has held several senior academic leadership positions across universities in Europe, United States and Canada. She taught at Harvard University, MIT, among others, demonstrating a commitment to excellence in education, research, cross-cultural understanding and learning innovation.

Dr. Sanjeewa Pushpakumara is an internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan filmmaker, academic, and researcher, currently serving as Assistant Professor of Cinematography and Audiovisual Production at Canadian University Dubai. He holds a PhD in Film & Multimedia (Film and Media Production) and is the first Sri Lankan to earn a doctoral degree in film production. He also obtained his MFA in Film Direction as a Korean Government Scholarship recipient from Chung-Ang University, South Korea.