Distinguished Scholars Visiting Program

Each summer, the LAU School of Engineering welcomes distinguished international scholars to campus through its flagship SOE Distinguished Scholars Visiting Program (DSVP). This initiative brings leading academics and professionals to engage with our students and faculty through teaching, research collaboration, mentorship, and public lectures. The program reflects LAU’s commitment to academic excellence, global engagement, and regional impact through knowledge exchange.

Program Overview

The DSVP positions the School of Engineering as a hub for global academic collaboration. Visiting scholars contribute to the intellectual life of the university while exploring opportunities for sustained partnership.

Program Tracks

Track 1: Short-Term Global Scholars (2 Weeks)

Ideal For: High-impact scholars with limited availability

Purpose:

• Deliver distinguished lectures, seminars, or masterclasses
• Conduct faculty and graduate workshops
• Initiate collaborative research discussions

Key Activities:

• 1 public lecture (Mounir Khatib Engineering Lecture Series)
• 2–3 invited technical sessions or masterclasses
• 1 faculty/research workshop
• Informal mentorship with students

Timing: Flexible within the summer term (June to August)

Track 2: Summer Teaching Scholars (4–5 Weeks)

Ideal For: Scholars interested in deeper engagement and credit-course teaching

Purpose:

• Teach a summer course (for-credit)
• Mentor students on research projects
• Collaborate with faculty on research and academic development

Key Activities:

• Teach a 3-credit course
• Offer 1 public talk or technical seminar (Mounir Khatib Engineering Lecture Series)
• Participate in academic meetings or mentorship
• Optional research co-supervision or curriculum consultations

Timing: Aligned with LAU’s Summer Term (typically June to July)

Objectives

• The Distinguished Scholars Visiting Program aims at positioning the LAU School of Engineering as a vibrant hub for academic and cultural exchange.
• By inviting renowned international scholars to campus, the program provides a unique opportunity for our academic community to engage with global thought leaders, enriching the students’ learning experience and supporting faculty in meaningful international collaborations.
• Through teaching, mentoring, and research activities, these visits will catalyze long-term collaborations, expand the School’s global research networks, and enhance its academic standing.

Criteria and Expectations

SOE faculty are encouraged to identify renowned international scholars whose presence will bring added value to the School, complementing its ongoing academic and research initiatives and enhancing its global standing:

• Research Profile: Scholars should possess a distinguished research profile with international recognition in their field. Their research area must be contemporary and align with the strategic research interests of the School.
• Scholarly Engagement: Scholars are expected to participate in teaching, research, workshops, and public presentations at SOE, integrating into the School’s academic ecosystem and engaging actively with its constituents.
• Duration: Track-dependent – either 2 weeks (Track 1) or 4–5 weeks (Track 2) during the summer semester.

Mechanism

• SOE faculty should identify/propose scholars to the Dean’s office for the visiting program. Faculty are encouraged to propose scholars with whom they have established professional relationships or prior collaboration and assist in initiating contact.
• SOE will cover all expenses associated with the visit, including travel, accommodation, and teaching compensation.
• The concerned department will manage logistical aspects and provide support in organizing associated dissemination events and academic activities.
• The concerned department chairperson coordinates teaching activities, including course offerings and scheduling. New courses taught by visiting scholars require prior approval from relevant School bodies.

Benefits

For Scholars:

• Platform to share expertise with MENA-region students
• Opportunity to develop international collaborations
• Recognition as part of LAU’s flagship academic initiative

For LAU Community:

• Exposure to world-class thought leaders
• Enhanced curriculum and academic diversity
• Opportunities for long-term research and institutional collaboration

Featured Scholar – Summer 2025

We are honored to welcome Dr. Feras Batarseh, associate professor at Virginia Tech, as the inaugural Summer Teaching Scholar. Dr. Batarseh is an expert in AI and policy systems; his research spans the areas of AI and cyberbiosecurity for water systems and smart agriculture. Dr. Batarseh leads the Artificial Intelligence Assurance and Applications Lab (A3 Lab). Dr. Batarseh’s team develops AI applications and assurance algorithms to address persisting water security and agricultural public policy challenges, such as: protecting water supply systems, optimizing smart-farming and precision agriculture, and understanding the economic effects of outlier events on biological systems using data-driven methods. His expertise covers AI explainability, security, causality, trustworthiness, data bias, incompleteness, data democracy and dark data.

Dr. Batarseh will be teaching a new course on AI in Summer 2025. The new course, GNE336 Trustworthy and Secure AI, is designed to provide students with a comprehensive entry point into the exciting and rapidly evolving field of AI. This introductory-level course is open to students from all engineering majors. It is purposefully crafted to accommodate diverse academic backgrounds while offering foundational knowledge in key AI concepts, methods and applications.

As part of his visit, Dr. Batarseh will give a seminar in June 2025. The seminar is part of the School of Engineering Seminar Series, which features seminars and events designed to expose students and researchers from various disciplines to emerging topics in engineering. During his visit, Dr. Batarseh will be closely working with students on research topics related to AI.

Nominate a Scholar

We invite faculty and partners to recommend exceptional scholars who:

• Hold a distinguished academic or professional record
• Can commit to 2–5 weeks of on-campus engagement between June and August

To nominate, please email SOE Dean with:

• Full name and affiliation
• Field of expertise
• Short bio and CV

Program Highlights

Each visit is documented through:

• Photos and videos from events and classroom engagement
• Testimonials from students and faculty
• Summary brochures for outreach and promotion