RHU is pleased to announce that Dr. Nasser Yassin, a Professor, Researcher, and Policymaker in Lebanon, will be the 2024 Commencement Keynote Speaker. Dr. Nasser Yassin is currently the Minister of Environment in Lebanon and a professor of policy, planning, and strategy.
Before his appointment in the cabinet, he was a professor and administrator at the American University of Beirut (AUB). At AUB, he led the Health Management & Policy Department. He served as the Director of Research at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs from 2014 to 2020. Additionally, he co-chaired the AUBRefugees Initiative, which brought together faculty at AUB to respond to refugee crises.
In 2020, he founded and directed the Crisis Observatory, an organization dedicated to tracking the repercussions of crises and providing evidence and systematic analysis of various facets of crises.
Dr. Nasser Yassin holds a Ph.D. from University College London (UCL), an MSc from the London School of Economics (LSE), and an MSc and BSc from AUB. His research and practice interests lie in development planning and policymaking in fragile and transition states. He focuses on policy and social innovation, particularly in refugee, youth, and health policies and programs. He has authored more than 60 internationally published peer-reviewed articles and books, and his research has been featured in various media channels, including Al-Jazeera, BBC, The Economist, New York Times, and Deutsche Welle.