The Jury

Always armed with a dose of tough love, Professor Mrad never shies away from telling it like it is. His years of experience as an industrial product developer, academic researcher and thought leader make him an expert on technology and innovation in the Arab world. His current role as the Frontier Technologies Manager at the United Nations – ESCWA keeps him at the forefront of several industry trends. 

As the longest-tenured juror on the panel, Professor Mrad brings gravitas and know-how to Stars of Science.  Often one of the first jurors innovators meet during the casting phase, he is ‘The Instigator’ of their Stars of Science experience in so many ways. Since Season 1, he has been guiding the region’s brightest minds during every step of their innovation journey with his ‘firm but fair’ approach.  Professor Mrad received his Ph.D. and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in Indiana, USA after graduating with a BSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from State University of New York, Buffalo, USA. He started his professional career as an automation engineer in IBM’s Magnetic Storage Division in Minnesota, USA. Later, he moved to Beirut to serve as a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the American University of Beirut (AUB) until 2009. He liaised with many international organizations and governmental entities on technology transfer and development. 

Professor Mrad is an author and contributor to a wide variety of academic papers and journals. Through his work at the UN, he leads a team working with governmental agencies to effectively deploy policies that enable innovation throughout the region.   

“Without a culture of productive innovation, our communities will stumble in reaching the knowledge-based economies, even with the best policies, infrastructure, and support,” noted Professor Fouad. “Stars of Science has helped drive a cultural shift in the region by boosting our youth’s enthusiasm for scientific innovation and entrepreneurship. I am proud to contribute to the show’s lasting legacy.”