Dr. Osamah Alqabandi is a distinguished associate professor of chemical engineering at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. His expertise spans over 31 years in the petrochemical field.
He earned his BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees in Glasgow, UK. A recipient of numerous awards—including “Best of the Best” employee in manufacturing—he is a Six Sigma Green Belt, ISO Auditor, and Certified Root Cause Analyst. At AUM, he developed and teaches the Petroleum Refining Technology course and has received accolades for student supervision, and won the AUM Most Sustainable Engineering Project in 2025. His research focuses on renewable energy, sustainability, nanotechnology, and nuclear energy. He is passionate about integrating academic knowledge with industry-driven innovations.
Dr. Osman Hatipoglu is an assistant professor of mathematics at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Mathematics from Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey and a Ph.D. in Pure Mathematics from the University of Porto, Portugal. Prior to joining AUM, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Taiwan. His research interests lie in Algebra and Representation Theory, and he has published six research articles in respected international journals.
Dr. Oumayma Hamlaoui is an assistant professor serving in the Department of Industrial Engineering at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. She holds a dual Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Cergy Pontoise Paris University (France) and the National Engineering School of Sfax (Tunisia), earned between 2018 and 2022. Her research focuses on the mechanical behavior of composite materials, particularly in damage modeling, material characterization, and finite element simulation. She previously earned an engineering degree in Mechanics from the National School of Engineering of Tunis (2017), specializing in Design and Integrated Production. Her foundational studies in Mathematics and Physics at the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis sharpened her analytical mindset. She also holds a diploma in English from the Bourguiba School of Languages.
Dr. Hamlaoui’s research interests lie at the intersection of material mechanics, process optimization, and sustainability. She explores the performance of advanced composites under mechanical and thermal stress, using experimental and numerical tools to enhance durability and functionality. She also investigates lean manufacturing, predictive modeling, and supply chain efficiency, with a focus on sustainable development and smart resource utilization. Her work bridges academic insight with industrial application, aiming to drive innovation in real-world engineering challenges.
Dr. Oussama Accouche is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. He earned his degree in Electrical Engineering from the Lebanese University, and completed both his Master’s and Ph.D. in Smart Grids at Université Grenoble Alpes in France.
Prior to joining AUM in 2018, Dr. Accouche gained international industry experience in France, Italy, and Japan, where he held supervisory engineering roles. His expertise spans smart grids, renewable energy systems, solar power integration, robotics, and engineering automation. His research also explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and energy systems.
Dr. Accouche is deeply committed to industry-aligned research and has contributed to the development of lab-based and simulation-oriented curricula. He actively promotes sustainability, innovation, and hands-on learning, aiming to bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world technological applications in engineering education.
Dr. Ozgen Yalcin is an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. She holds a Ph.D. from Middle East Technical University (METU), Turkey, and Lehigh University, USA, and BS and MS degrees from METU. Her research focuses on adsorption and catalysis, with expertise in both computational and experimental techniques. Her work aims to elucidate atomic-scale structure-function relationships for improved catalyst performance. She also teaches undergraduate courses and contributes to department research initiatives.
Dr. Ozgur Uysal is an assistant professor of industrial engineering at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Boğaziçi University, an M.S. from Fatih University, and a Ph.D. from Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkiye. He brings over 20 years of teaching experience to his role, with more than nine years of academic service in Kuwait, including positions at ACM and AUM. His teaching portfolio includes production planning and control, facility design, manufacturing processes, occupational health and safety, and ergonomics. Dr. Uysal’s research focuses on heuristic optimization, mathematical programming, multi-criteria decision-making, academic entrepreneurship, supply chain management, safety and usability analysis.
Pauly Awad 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 holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science and an M.Sc. in Didactics of Mathematics from the Lebanese University. Her academic interests include mathematical modeling, statistics, and the application of augmented reality in education. Beyond academia, she is a certified NLP Master Practitioner and life-coach, qualifications that support her commitment to student motivation and holistic development.
Dr. Petar Kaukov serves as an assistant professor in the Liberal Arts Department at the American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait, where he teaches and moderates theatre courses. He holds a Ph.D. in Theatre from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) in Sofia, Bulgaria, with a dissertation titled “The Comedies of Shakespeare – Stage Interpretation Issues.”
He also earned an MA in Stage Directing and a BA in Drama Acting from the same academy. Dr. Kaukov has staged over 25 professional theatre productions across Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia, many of which received national and international recognition. As an actor, he participated in Bulgarian theatre shows, TV series, and films. He previously served in management roles including Deputy Director of the Plovdiv Dramatic Theatre (1999-2006) and Youth Theatre in Sofia (2006-2014), and as Managing Director of the NATFA Theatre (2018-2021).
Academically, he has taught at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv, the National Academy of Arts, and NATFA. He has also participated in academic exchanges through the Erasmus+ EU Program with institutions in Romania and Croatia.
His research interests are in the fields of classical and contemporary playwriting and performance. He has published in scientific journals in Bulgaria, China, and Poland.
Dr. Pierre Abi-Char is an associate professor of computer engineering at the College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait.
He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Pierre et Marie Curie University (Paris VI) and Telecom SudParis, France. He also holds a D.E.A. degree in Computer Engineering and an M.S. degree in Electronics from the Lebanese University, Lebanon.
Prior to joining AUM, Dr. Abi-Char served as an assistant professor at the American University of Technology, Lebanon. His research interests include applied cryptography, security protocols, data security and privacy protection, key management, wireless network security, Internet of Things (IoT) security and privacy, cybersecurity, cloud computing security, and quantum cryptography.
Dr. Raafat Gabriel is an assistant professor in the Liberal Arts Department at the American University of the Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. He is a professional educator with expertise in ELT, ESL, EFL, ELT teacher training, and communication. He holds a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) from Aspen University, USA, and an M.A. in TEFL from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. With experience in applied linguistics, educational administration, supervision, instructional technology, curriculum design, and assessment. He has served as a Certified IELTS Speaking and Writing Examiner and a Certified Team Leader and Speaking Examiner for Cambridge ESOL International Tests. He is also a TESOL ESP-IS Member-at-Large for the Middle East Region. He is known for his strong communication, presentation, problem-solving, and leadership skills.