Dr. Konstantinos Koutras is an associate professor in the College of Engineering and Technology at the American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering and a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece.
His research interests are rooted in Theoretical Computer Science, with a particular focus on the application of Mathematical Logic in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, especially in Knowledge Representation. He is also interested in Computational Complexity and its connections to modern Cryptography.
Dr. Konstantinos Pitychoutis is an assistant professor of applied linguistics at the American University of the Middle East, Kuwait. He holds a doctorate in Applied Linguistics from Middlesex University London. A Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, the Royal Society of Arts, and the Chartered Institute of Linguists (also a Chartered Linguist), he has taught and held academic leadership roles across institutions in the Arabian Gulf and Europe. His research focuses on TESOL, teacher education, educational technology, and intercultural communication in Arab educational contexts. A former Chair of TESOL Greece (2008–2010) and member of the TESOL International Professional Development Committee (2014–2016), he has served as a conference chair, journal editor, and mentor within the global TESOL community, and currently sits on the editorial and advisory boards of several international journals.
Dr. Krayyem Al-Hajaya is an associate professor of accounting at the American University of the Middle East (AUM). He holds a Ph.D. in Accounting from Liverpool John Moores University (UK) and brings over a decade of experience in teaching, research, and professional training at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Throughout his career, he has held departmental and postgraduate leadership roles. His research focuses on financial reporting, auditing, Islamic accounting/finance, sustainability accounting, and digital transformation in accounting and auditing, including emerging technologies such as AI and analytics. He has published in peer-reviewed journals, serves as a guest editor for a special issue of the Journal of Risk and Financial Management, and is an active reviewer for leading academic journals. He also contributes to academic service through conference organization and is a co-founder and steering-committee member of the International Conference of Applied Management and Business Advances (UK).
Dr. Lama Obeidat is an Assistant Professor of Accounting at the College of Business Administration at the American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. She holds a PhD in Accounting from the University of Leeds (UK), as well as a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from Purdue University (USA). Dr. Obeidat has over seven years of academic experience in Jordan. She is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA – Guam, US). In addition to her academic career, she has five years of professional experience as a Transaction Advisory Officer and External Assurance Officer at Ernst & Young – Amman, one of the Big Four international accounting firms. Her research interests include tax avoidance, earnings management, financial reporting, integrated reporting, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility.
Dr. Larry Lee serves as an assistant professor in the Liberal Arts Department at the American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait, specializing in liberal arts and general education. With a background in psychology, marriage & family counselling, education and systemic reform, he integrates academic research with real world advocacy. He is the developer of the variable defensive processing model and and founder of the quiet revolution initiative, an effort to promote structural reform, democratic renewal and economic justice in the united states and beyond. His work spans counseling models, innovative psychological approaches in education settings, media literacy and political messaging, emphasizing unity, historical truth and strategic resistance to elite manipulation.
Dr. Lasha Khojanashvili is an assistant professor in the Liberal Arts Department at the American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. He is an educational psychologist specializing in applied psychology, adult education, forensic psychology, and higher education management. He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. His research interests include achievement motivation, student retention in higher education, and the transitional challenges students face when progressing from school to university. He has authored articles in international peer-reviewed journals and contributed to EU-funded initiatives such as the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Project and the Academic Swiss Caucasus Net (ASCN). With over a decade of academic and professional experience, Dr. Khojanashvili has led training programs for governmental and international institutions in the areas of applied psychology, forensic psychology, conflict management, and leadership development.
Dr. Layal Kallach is an assistant professor in the Human Resource Management (HRM) Department at the College of Business Administration, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from Grenoble Ecole de Management, France, and an MBA and BS from the Lebanese American University (LAU), Beirut. Her research interests include leadership, management, organizational behavior, luxury products, consumer behavior, and employee performance. Dr. Kallach has contributed to student engagement initiatives, including participation in the Babson Collaborative Student Challenge, and has served as HRM and Marketing Leader for the department within the ACM for over two years. She is currently working on publications that integrate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and is committed to advancing business education through impactful research.
Layla Al-Najjar is a laboratory instructor in Civil Engineering at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. She holds a master’s degree in structural earthquake engineering and a bachelor’s in civil engineering. Her expertise encompasses structural design, dynamics, and seismic resilience, with professional experience managing construction projects and quality control. Her research focuses on improving the performance and rehabilitation of concrete and steel structures in seismic zones, with an emphasis on sustainability and resilience. Layla is dedicated to fostering student engagement through practical, hands-on learning.
Dr. Lilia Mezghani is an assistant professor of English in the Liberal Arts Department at the American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. She previously served as a teaching assistant at the University of Toulouse II, France. She earned her PhD from the University of Toulouse with a dissertation on neo-characterization of female protagonists in contemporary Anglophone fiction. Her research focuses on feminist, gender, and postcolonial studies in modern literature. She introduced the concept of the "Neo-New Woman," a theoretical framework for 21st-century Anglophone narratives.
Lina Khader is a senior laboratory instructor in the Department of Chemistry at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. She holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Chemistry from the University of Jordan. Her graduate research focused on luminescent zinc complexes for potential use in OLED technology.
At AUM, she teaches undergraduate labs in general and organic chemistry, integrating hands-on instruction with modern AI tools to enhance student learning outcomes. She contributed to the ABET accreditation efforts within the department and to events such as Chemistry Fun Day and Robotex LEGO Sumo Competition.
Her research interests include physical chemistry, environmental geochemistry, and machine learning, with published work on force field predictions using machine learning and lignin degradation modeling.