Professor of Practice in Engineering and Entrepreneurship

Department: Industrial and Mechanical Engineering
Discipline: Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Campus: Byblos
Position: Instructor or Professor of Practice
Expected Start Date: Fall 2026 or Spring 2027

The Department of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering at the Lebanese American University School of Engineering, located in Byblos, Lebanon, invites applications for an Instructor or Professor of Practice position in the broad area of Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Applications will be reviewed continuously until the position is filled. The expected start date is September 2026 or January 2027. The appointment rank will depend on the candidate’s academic qualifications, professional experience, and demonstrated accomplishments.

Candidates must hold a BE/BS degree in engineering and at least a master’s degree in entrepreneurship, innovation, technology management, commercialization, or a closely related field. A doctoral degree is considered an asset but is not required. Candidates should demonstrate substantial professional experience and a record of achievement in technology entrepreneurship, innovation-program development, incubation, startup development, or research commercialization.

The successful candidate is expected to contribute to the development and operation of the School of Engineering’s entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives. Particular consideration will be given to candidates with demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Developing, managing, or contributing substantially to an incubator, accelerator, pre-incubation program, university innovation hub, or technology-transfer initiative;
• Designing and managing structured venture-development pipelines that support teams from idea generation through technical validation, prototyping, market validation, funding readiness, and venture launch;
• Recruiting, selecting, mentoring, and managing cohorts of student or faculty-led innovation teams;
• Preparing student teams for national, regional, and international innovation, entrepreneurship, startup, and engineering-design competitions;
• Coaching teams in prototype refinement, business-model development, market validation, written applications, financial planning, pitch-deck preparation, and live pitching;
• Organizing startup bootcamps, hackathons, demo days, pitch competitions, and industry-sponsored innovation challenges;
• Supporting the commercialization of university research and the development of market-ready technologies;
• Founding, co-founding, advising, or mentoring technology startups;
• Securing proof-of-concept, commercialization, industry-sponsored, or venture-development funding;
• Developing partnerships with industry, investors, alumni, entrepreneurs, accelerators, incubators, innovation hubs, technology-transfer offices, public agencies, and funding organizations;
• Transforming engineering concepts into validated prototypes and minimum viable products;
• Applying design thinking, rapid prototyping, product-development, hardware/software integration, and product-lifecycle principles;
• Assessing technical feasibility, commercial viability, intellectual-property potential, market opportunities, regulatory requirements, risk, valuation, and scaling strategies.

The successful candidate will be expected to cultivate an innovation-driven culture within engineering education and to equip students with the skills needed to transform ideas into viable products and ventures. The candidate will mentor students and faculty, supervise entrepreneurship- and commercialization-oriented projects, support engineering capstone teams with venture potential, and help establish a systematic pipeline for identifying and advancing promising innovations.

The candidate will also identify suitable competitions, funding opportunities, accelerator programs, and innovation challenges; select and prepare participating teams; and coordinate the development of prototypes, applications, business models, pitch decks, and presentations.

Teaching responsibilities may include undergraduate or graduate courses in engineering entrepreneurship, innovation management, product development, design thinking, technology commercialization, startup development, or related areas.

Candidates should demonstrate strong communication, mentoring, organizational, and partnership-development skills. Evidence of impact—such as incubators or programs established, ventures supported, student teams mentored, competition placements, funding secured, prototypes commercialized, or partnerships developed—will be highly valued.

The Lebanese American University is an Equal Opportunity Employer operating in Lebanon under a charter from the Regents of the State University of New York. Information about the University can be found at www.lau.edu.lb.

Interested candidates should apply electronically by sending an email to the School of Engineering Dean’s Office at dean.soe@lau.edu.lb with the subject line:

“SOE Position in Instructor or Professor of Practice in Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation”

Applications should include the following:

1. A letter of intent;
2. A curriculum vitae;
3. A brief portfolio or statement describing relevant accomplishments, including incubators or programs developed, ventures supported, competitions undertaken, funding secured, and ecosystem partnerships established;
4. A brief statement outlining the candidate’s proposed approach to developing engineering incubation, venture development, and student competition-readiness activities at LAU; and
5. The names and contact information of three references.
6.  Applicant should include the following “SOE Position in Professor of Practice in Engineering and Entrepreneurship”