Beirut, Lebanon — October 9, 2025

The Lebanese Academy is proud to announce the election of 18 distinguished members to its ranks for the year 2025, representing exceptional achievements across biomedical sciences, natural sciences, engineering, the arts, and the humanities.

These elections, conducted through a rigorous and competitive review process, recognize scholars and innovators whose work has had a transformative impact both in Lebanon and internationally. The new members embody the Academy’s mission to advance knowledge, promote scientific excellence, and strengthen Lebanon’s global intellectual and cultural presence.

Biomedical and Neural Sciences

• Dr. Toni K. Choueiri – Director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. A global leader in kidney cancer research whose clinical and translational work has defined modern therapeutic paradigms.
• Dr. William A. Zoghbi – Chair of the Department of Cardiology at Houston Methodist Hospital and Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College. A world authority in cardiovascular imaging and past President of both the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Echocardiography.
• Dr. Youssef Bakhach – President of the Lebanese Order of Physicians and Professor of Clinical Surgery at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. A pioneering plastic, reconstructive, and hand surgeon, he performed Lebanon’s first successful microsurgical toe-to-finger transfer and is recognized for his leadership in advancing medical practice and advocacy in Lebanon.

Natural Sciences

• Dr. Nada Abumrad – Dr. Robert C. Atkins Professor of Medicine and Obesity Research at Washington University in St. Louis, renowned for her discovery of the CD36 fatty acid transporter and her transformative research in metabolic disease.
• Dr. André Mégarbané – Professor and Chair of Human Genetics at the Lebanese American University, a leading figure in medical genetics whose work has illuminated the molecular basis of hereditary diseases in the Middle East.
• Dr. Niveen M. Khashab – Professor of Chemistry and Associate Dean at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, internationally acclaimed for her innovations in supramolecular chemistry and smart hybrid materials.

Technical and Environmental Sciences

• Amale Andraos, AIA, HFRAIC – Principal of WORKac and Professor & Dean Emeritus at Columbia University. An award-winning architect dedicated to sustainable and socially engaged design, currently leading the Beirut Museum of Art project.
• Dr. Eva Kanso – Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern California, globally recognized for her pioneering research in biophysical fluid dynamics and bioinspired motion.
• Dr. Rabab Kreidieh Ward – Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia, a world leader in signal and image processing, Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society of Canada, and recipient of the IEEE Fourier Award (2023).
• Dr. Pascal E. Saikaly – Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering at KAUST, a leading environmental engineer advancing microbial biotechnologies for sustainable water reuse and resource recovery.
• Dr. Rami Zurayk – Professor at the American University of Beirut, agronomist and advocate for sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty, integrating ecological and social dimensions of food systems.
• Dr. Tamara Elzein – Minister of Environment of Lebanon and former Secretary General of CNRS-L, acclaimed for her research in materials chemistry and for her leadership in promoting women in science and environmental policy reform.

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

• Dr. Farès el-Dahdah – Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the American University of Beirut and art historian whose work bridges architecture, digital humanities, and cultural heritage preservation.
• Prof. Nayla Tamraz – Professor of Literature and Art History at Saint Joseph University of Beirut, writer, curator, and scholar known for her research on art, memory, and narrative in post-war Lebanon.
• Prof. Ghassan Hage – Future Generation Professor at the University of Melbourne, a leading anthropologist and global authority on nationalism, racism, and the Lebanese diaspora.
• Prof. Nassim Nicholas Taleb – Distinguished risk scholar and author of The Black Swan and Antifragile, whose pioneering theories on uncertainty and antifragility have reshaped thinking in economics, philosophy, and science.
• Prof. Tarek El-Ariss – James Wright Professor and Chair of Middle Eastern Studies at Dartmouth College, literary scholar exploring modernity, digital culture, and Arab intellectual history.
• Dr. Ibrahim H. Osman – Husni Sawwaf Endowed Chair at the American University of Beirut, expert in decision systems and artificial intelligence, recognized among the top 2% of scientists worldwide.

With the election of the 2025 class, the Lebanese Academy reaffirms its dedication to recognizing distinguished achievement and fostering dialogue among Lebanese and diaspora scholars. The new members join a growing network committed to advancing research, culture, and innovation for the benefit of Lebanon and the wider region.

About the Lebanese Academy
The Lebanese Academy is an independent learned society committed to promoting science, arts, and culture in Lebanon and beyond. It brings together eminent scholars and innovators to advance research, inform policy, and foster international collaboration—serving as a bridge between Lebanon and its global intellectual community.