The RHU Annual Alumni Award recognizes and celebrates the graduates who embody the core values that Rafik Hariri University upholds and fulfills and its culture of quality, innovation and transformation that impacts higher education. Established in 2015, this award is presented at the University Commencement to one or two alumni honoree(s) who have made meaningful contributions and achievements in academia and beyond.
Dr. Tarek Ghassan El Masri
Dr. Tarek El Masri received his Bachelor in Business Administration degree from the Rafik Hariri University, Hariri Canadian University back then, in 2002, his Master of Business Administration from the Olayan School of Business at the American University of Beirut, in 2005, and lastly his PhD in Business Administration, Accountancy, from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, in 2017.
In recognition of his high scholastic achievement, Dr. Tarek El Masri has been selected for lifetime membership in Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society for collegiate schools of business.
Most recently, in 2018, he has obtained the Ethical Leadership Certification from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy Center for the Public Trust, USA.
Currently, Dr. Tarek El Masri is an Assistant Professor of Accounting at the Lebanese American University. Along with teaching Financial and Managerial Accounting at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, he researches several topics related to governance with a particular focus on the corporate governance of family firms for what they represent in importance to the world economy. His research has won several awards in Canada such as the National Bank Initiative in Entrepreneurship and Family Business Award and the Bell Research Centre – Scholarship Award.
Moreover, Dr. El Masri’s research was published in international peer reviewed academic journals and presented in international conferences such as the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management, the International Management Control Conference, and the Canadian Academic Accounting Association Conference.
Dr. Nazek Mohamad El Atab (CE Computer and Communications Engineering Class 2012)
Dr. Nazek El-Atab was born in Paris, France, in 1991. She received her B.Sc. degree in Computer and Communications Engineering (with high-distinction) from the Rafik Hariri University, Lebanon, in 2012, her M.Sc. degree in Microsystems Engineering from the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE, in 2014, and her Ph.D. degree in Interdisciplinary Engineering from the Masdar Institute in 2017.
Dr. Nazek El-Atab is currently a Research Scientist with Professor Muhammad Mustafa Hussain at the MMH labs at KAUST. Her current research focuses on the design and fabrication of futuristic electronics. She received her B.Sc. degree in Computer and Communications Engineering from the Rafik Hariri University, Lebanon, in 2012, her M.Sc. degree in Microsystems Engineering from the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE, in 2014, and her Ph.D. degree in Interdisciplinary Engineering from the Masdar Institute in 2017, funded by the US office of Naval Research. During her PhD, she worked as a visiting researcher with Prof. Krishna Saraswat at Stanford University. She is a Senior IEEE Member and currently serves as the secretary of the Western Saudi Arabia IEEE chapter. She has received several awards for her research, including the 2015 For Women in Science Middle East Fellowship by L’Oreal-UNESCO, Best Paper Award in the Micro/Nano-systems section at the UAEGSRC 2016 conference, the 2016 IEEE Nanotechnology Student Travel Award in Japan, the 2017 International Rising Talents Award by L’Oreal-UNESCO, the 2018 “Hariri Canadian University” Alumni Award, and was portrayed in the 2019 “Remarkable Women in Technology” by UNESCO. Most recently, Dr. El-Atab was selected to attend the 70th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany. She has published over 30 papers in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, 40 conference presentations, 2 book chapters, 2 books and has 7 filed U.S. patents. She has served as a Jury member for the 2017 For Women in Science Middle East Fellowship by L’Oreal-UNESCO, a member of the Panel of Experts for the 2019 For Women in Science Awards by L’Oreal-UNESCO and a Jury member of the 2019 Regional Girls Coding competition by UNESCO. She is also a reviewer for several scientific journals including Applied Physics Letters, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, IEEE Electron Device Letters, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, ACS Applied Electronic Materials, and the Institute of Physics Nanotechnology. Her research has been highlighted extensively in international media including BBC, America’s Navy, National Geographic, Skynews Arabia, Nature research, Fast Company, IEEE Spectrum, MBC, etc.
Dr. Mahmoud Mohammad Ismail (CE Mechatronics Class 2006):
Dr. Mahmoud Ismail earned his BSc in Mechatronics Engineering from RHU and completed his MSc with honors in Computational Mechanics from TU-Munich, Germany and MSc with honors in Computational Sciences from Elite Network of Bavaria, Erlangen, Germany. He did his Ph.D. with Summa Cum Laude in Computation Biomechanics, TU-Munich, Germany and later on he pursued his MBA in general Management at the Collège des Ingénieurs, Paris, France. Dr. Ismail have been since 2014 working in the semiconductor industry, he started as a business project office for SAP master data governance. His first topic was centralization of the entire productive raw materials at Infineon Technologies AG (for all the sites worldwide). Shortly after that, he took over the team of Disruptive Innovation at Infineon developing business models and generating invention disclosures in the fields of Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Block Chain.
Dr. Mona Marwan Zanhour (CBA Management class 2002): Dr. Mona Zanhour is currently an Assistant Professor of Human Resource Management at California State University in Long Beach, California. In addition to her teaching, Dr. Zanhour researches work-family relationships. Her research seeks to understand the relationships between employees’ professional and personal lives, to help organizations support employees in balancing work and personal responsibilities. Dr. Zanhour also collaborates with researchers from such fields as Occupational Therapy and Kinesiology to research mental health in the workplace and the components of quality participation experiences in disability sports. Her previous research appeared in the Journal of Business Ethics and was presented in national and international conferences including the annual meetings of the Academy of Management, the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada, and the Work-Family Researchers Network. Dr. Zanhour completed her PhD in Management of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, at McMaster University in Canada. She was awarded provincial and national scholarships including the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and the Doctoral Fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. She defended her thesis in June 2015, titled “Organizational Work-Family Resources, Role Overload, and the Work-Family Interface: The Mediating Role of Balance Self-Efficacy”. Prior to pursuing her academic career, Dr. Zanhour worked as the Regional recruitment and development coordinator at PepsiCo International in Dubai, supporting the Human Resource Department in recruiting and developing managerial talent for the region. She also worked as a management consultant and had completed her Masters in Business Administration at the American University of Beirut.
Mr. Rachad Abdul Monhem Fakhoury (CE Mechatronics class 2007): Mr. Rachad Fakhouri is the European Facilities and Projects Manager at the World Bank. Over the last years he has received several project and leadership recognition awards. He graduated from RHU in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechatronics Engineering. He is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified from the US Green Building Council and holds a Masters in Property and Facilities Management from Ecole Speciale des Travaux Publics (ESTP) in Paris, a Masters Certificate in Project Management from Georges Washington University in Washington DC, and is currently finalizing his MBA at the Sorbonne University in Paris. Rachad lives in Paris with his wife and their son. In his spare time he is actively involved as a Vice President in charge of Operations and a team lead rescuer at the French Red Cross Paris delegation.
Mr. Amr Tarek El-Husseini (CBA Accounting / Finance class 2002): Mr. Amr El-Husseini is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Lodestone Advisory Group. Based in the US (Nashville, TN), he directly oversees the global operations of the company and execution of client mandates. Mr. El-Husseini advises clients located across the world in the areas of international expansion and market entry strategy, mergers and acquisitions, entrepreneurship, and corporate restructuring. Mr. El-Husseini is also a board member of an international banking subsidiary in the Qatar Islamic Bank Group, and a Senior Advisor to GSIS, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm specializing in data analytic and security. Mr. El-Husseini is a 2013 graduate of Harvard Business School’s General Management Program. He also received an MBA from the University of Wales in 2011.
Dr. Ing. Malak Nabil Baydoun (CE Mechatronics class 2006): Dr. Malak Baydoun received her PhD with great honor from Aachen Institute for Computational Engineering Science-RWTH Aachen, Germany in 2012 and her MS from Universität Stuttgart in 2009. Today she is a senior project engineer and simulation team leader for Vehicle Electronics and the Integration of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles at FEV Motorebtechnik GmbH Alsdorf, Germany. She also supervises master and PhD students and is engaged in research projects with the Institue of Combustion Engines (VKA) in RWTH Aachen, Germany. They were bestowed their honor awards on Saturday, May 23rd during the 2015 RHU Graduation Ceremony.