Jean-Lou Chameau, president of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is leaving his position to become the new head of the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST).

Below is an Associated Press report carried in The Washington Post. KAUST carries its announcement here.

Caltech President Jean-Lou Chameau to step down, take position in Saudi Arabia

PASADENA, Calif. — California Institute of Technology President Jean-Lou Chameau plans to step down from the top job at the prestigious institute to lead a new Saudi Arabian university.

Caltech announced Chameau’s decision in a letter Tuesday, with officials thanking him for his commitment to expanding resources for “high-risk, high-reward research.”

In his resignation letter to the community, Chameau said there’s historical significance to his new job as president of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

With significant resources and a lofty mission, Chameau’s new role will have him leading a school poised to “have a dramatic impact on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and the world,” he said in a statement Tuesday.
…

Curious minds wonder if Chameau’s name had anything to do with it, or whether it’s just a wonderful coincidence?