The School of Engineering Honors Outstanding Faculty at Inaugural Awards Ceremony
The School of Engineering hosted its first Faculty Awards on May 26, 2025, at the Byblos campus, celebrating faculty members for their achievements in research, teaching, and service. This inaugural edition recognized exemplary work that reflects the school’s mission to promote academic excellence, innovation, and community engagement.
The awards covered three categories: the Research Impact Award, recognizing research excellence based on publication quantity, quality, impact, and international collaboration; the Service and Outreach Award, honoring meaningful contributions to institutional advancement, student engagement, industry partnerships, and community initiatives; and the Innovation in Engineering Education Award, which celebrates faculty who implement transformative teaching strategies through technology integration, experiential learning, and industry collaboration to enhance student outcomes.
Taking home the Research Impact Award, Assistant Professor Charbel Tawk was recognized for his outstanding research performance over the past three years. Dr. Tawk published seven indexed journal papers—five of which rank in the top 10 percentile—alongside two conference papers. His work has garnered 359 citations, achieved a Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) of 2.77, and involved 11 international collaborations. He received a $1,000 cash prize.
In the Service and Outreach category, two faculty members were acknowledged for their exceptional efforts. Assistant Professor Noel Maalouf was commended for his pioneering outreach initiatives, including organizing the Robotics and AI Summer School and collaborating with Luxeed Robotics, Centre Harika, and the Lebanese Autism Society on projects spanning modular laser de-weeding, low-cost bionic prosthetics, and assistive robots for children with autism.
Equally recognized, Associate Professor Marc Haddad was honored for his leadership in launching and managing the Online MS in Engineering Management program, as well as for his impactful endeavors to national policy through collaborations with the Ministry of Environment and the Public Procurement Authority of Lebanon.
Since no recipient was selected for the Innovation in Engineering Education Award this year, the award’s monetary prize was redirected, to support the joint recognition of both Dr. Maalouf and Dr. Haddad, who received $1,000 each.
These awards underscore the school’s commitment to recognizing faculty who drive forward-thinking research, foster learning innovation, and engage meaningfully with the community.