Liya Harris is a senior teaching assistant in the Department of Statistics at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. She brings extensive experience in supporting undergraduate mathematics and statistics courses.
In addition to her instructional responsibilities, she serves as the Engineering Exam Coordinator, across the College of Engineering and Technology. She holds a postgraduate degree in mathematics and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. with a research focus on Special Functions. Her academic interests lie in mathematical modeling and analytical methods for solving real-world problems. Over the years, she has contributed to curriculum development and academic coordination.
Dr. Ljupcho Efremov is an associate professor in the Liberal Arts Department at the American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait, where he has served since September 2021. At AUM, he primarily teaches undergraduate courses within the General Education Department, focusing on Psychology, Soft Skills, Human Relations and Research. His responsibilities include lecture planning, student assessment, and curriculum development. Dr. Efremov holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Macedonia. He also earned his Master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and completed a four-year Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the same institution. In addition to his academic qualifications, Dr. Efremov has substantial professional experience in business research. He served as Research Manager at GfK Skopje, the Macedonian branch of the global research company GfK (now part of NielsenIQ). Following this, he continued his research career at Indago, the successor and partner of GfK Skopje.
His research interests and publications are centered on Industrial and Organizational Psychology, with a particular emphasis on safety, management, marketing, and small business. Dr. Efremov’s academic and professional portfolio demonstrates his longstanding commitment to excellence as a teacher and scholar.
Dr. Lorena Licenji is an assistant professor and team leader in the Liberal Arts Department at the American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait.
She earned her Ph.D. in Communication Sciences from Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, where she also completed her M.A. in Communication of Knowledge for Enterprises and Organizations and B.A. in Communication Sciences and Technologies.
With more than 12 years of teaching experience, Dr. Licenji’s academic interests span political communication, media systems, public relations strategies, and the impact of digital media on public opinion and electoral behavior.
Prior to joining AUM, she held academic positions at the University Aleksandër Moisiu and the European University of Tirana, contributing to both teaching and institutional quality assurance.
Her current focus lies in advancing research on the evolving dynamics between digital media, political communication, and public opinion, with particular interest in how emerging technologies shape civic engagement and strategic messaging in contemporary societies.
Dr. Louai Saker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems and Technology at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. He received his Engineering degree in Electronics and Telecommunications from the Lebanese University, Faculty of Engineering, Tripoli, Lebanon, in 2007. He earned a Master’s degree in Networking from Paris 6 University and Telecom ParisTech, Paris, France, in 2008, and a PhD in Computer Science and Telecommunications from Telecom SudParis and Orange Labs, Paris, France, in 2011. His research interests include networking technologies and machine learning.
Dr. Lucas Dbeiss is an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in collaboration with Grenoble Alpes University, where he specialized in power electronics and reliability engineering. His academic expertise spans renewable energy systems, photovoltaic power conversion, and advanced diagnostics for semiconductor devices. Before joining AUM, he served as an associate professor at Sorbonne University in Paris and worked extensively in industry as a research & development consultant manager within the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, where he led large-scale innovation projects in electric mobility. His research contributions include publications in IEEE Transactions and Microelectronics Reliability as well as two patented inventions in accelerated aging methods for power modules and health monitoring of inverter components. His current work integrates academic research with sustainable energy applications and industrial innovation.
Dr. Maen Takruri is a professor of electrical engineering at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait.
He holds a Ph.D. in Computing and Communications Engineering from the University of Technology, Sydney, where he specialized in data fusion for wireless sensor networks.
Dr. Takruri’s academic and administrative career spans institutions in Australia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Jordan. He has taught and coordinated a wide range of courses in electronics, communications, signal processing, and artificial intelligence. His research interests include the Internet of Things (IoT), AI and machine learning, signal and image processing for biomedical applications, and CubeSat technologies.
He has led interdisciplinary research initiatives and collaborated with partners from industry, research institutions, and academia. He has secured several competitive research grants, including funding to establish the AURAK AI Lab through a major ICT Fund grant. Dr. Takruri has published extensively and played a leading role in accreditation processes, including ABET, CAA, and SACSCOC. He is also the recipient of multiple research and academic service awards.
Dr. Magdy Helal is an Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. He holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and a Certificate in Quality Assurance from the University of Central Florida, USA, and M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Manufacturing Engineering Technology from Benha University, Egypt. Dr. Helal has gained rich academic experiences at public and private universities in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the USA, and Kuwait. His research focuses on production planning and control, machine learning applications, and simulation modeling. For over a decade, he has been involved in the ABET accreditation processes for the Industrial Enginnering Program at AUM. He currently serves as the Learning Quality and Accreditation Coordinator for the Industrial Engineering program.
Dr. Maha Zayoud is an Assistant Professor of Computer Engineering at AUM. She holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest and degrees in Computer Engineering from Kuwait University. With over 15 years of academic experience, her research focuses on healthcare systems, process mining, AI, machine learning, and wireless sensor networks. She is the author of Process Mining Techniques for Managing and Improving Healthcare Systems.
Dr. Marc Alatem is an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. He specializes in nanoelectronics and nanotechnologies.
He holds a Master’s degree in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnologies from Université Grenoble Alpes, France (2015), and earned his Ph.D. from INSA Lyon in 2018, where his research focused on advanced semiconductor devices. He later completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institut Photovoltaïque d’Île-de-France (IPVF) in Palaiseau, contributing to the development of next-generation solar cells and tandem systems.
Dr. Alatem also gained industry experience at Soitec, a global leader in semiconductor materials, where he was involved in research and development of advanced substrates for microelectronic applications.
His current research interests include emerging nanodevices, semiconductor materials, and photovoltaic technologies. With a strong background in both academia and industry, he brings a multidisciplinary perspective to teaching and research in electrical and electronic engineering.
Marc Azab received his Ph.D. in Materials and Fracture Mechanics from Universit? Grenoble Alpes, France, in 2016. He is currently an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. Since earning his Ph.D., Dr. Azab has held teaching and research positions at several international institutions, including INSA de Lyon and Cergy-Pontoise University in France, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology in China, and most recently AUM. His academic journey reflects a strong dedication to research and engineering education. He has published over 30 articles in leading journals and is known for his contributions in fracture mechanics, construction materials, and sustainability. Dr. Azab’s work focuses on developing innovative solutions to complex civil engineering problems, earning him recognition as a committed researcher and educator in his field. Additionally, Dr. Marc currently serves as the coordinator of graduation projects in the Civil Engineering department.