Impact Stories

Although she graduated only three years ago, Aya Mouallem (BE Computer and Communications Engineering ’20) is already making a significant contribution to the field of educational technology. Her research is opening new horizons of innovation and accessibility.

After graduating from AUB’s Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Aya was selected to join the 2020 cohort of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program at Stanford University where she is pursuing her PhD in electrical engineering. Her PhD research, which was recently featured in StanfordReport, is focused on enhancing the experience of learners with disabilities by building new accessibility technology to support equitable access to engineering education. She says that she chose this research topic because “I wanted to work on research that pushed the envelope academically and gave me the chance to work with communities, to amplify their voices, and to build something that people could use in their everyday lives.” She is currently working closely with people from the blind and low-vision community. Mouallem recognized that as a sighted individual, she wouldn’t be the most effective designer for a tool for blind and low-vision users. “I had to co-design with the community,” she says.

Mouallem has received numerous awards and recognitions including the Diana Award, Penrose Award, and the Salwa Siniora Baassiri Exceptional Volunteer of the Year Award. She has also been recognized by The New York Times as one of ten women transforming the landscape of leadership. Her advocacy work at AUB and at Stanford has been featured in prestigious publications like Forbes and Cosmopolitan Middle East, and she has completed advocacy fellowships with UN Women, Women Deliver, and Johnson & Johnson. And there’s more. “I co-founded an award-winning initiative, All Girls Code, that runs intensive technology and leadership programs in the Middle East, and I set up a fellowship program, LebNet Fellows, to support the next generation of young technologists in my home country, Lebanon.” Mouallem has also taught and guest lectured around the world with programs such as Code for Albania and Design for Bangladesh. In addition, she has interviewed leading figures Melinda Gates and Malala Yousafzai on girls’ education.

Mouallem says that she still considers herself an engineer, although she is now focused on interdisciplinary research efforts, blending human-centered design, accessibility, and education research as well. “I’m still at the lab, building hardware and soldering. I’m still very much in engineering. But now, I’m directly seeing its impact on people.”

During her time at AUB, Aya was well-known for her activism, for being civically engaged, and for her academic prowess that ultimately led to her graduating with high distinction. As an undergraduate, Mouallem received support from AUB’s financial aid program and from the Dr. Saad Hamdi AlZaim and Family Scholarship. “I was the first person in my extended family to have had the opportunity to attend AUB. It was a dream for my parents and for me. I’m thankful for the support that AUB donors generously extended to enable me to pursue a truly transformative education at AUB. There are so many students out there like me, especially during this catastrophic economic crisis, who do not have any political connections or external affiliations to rely on, so our only hope is that AUB will be able to support us and foster our ambitions.”

Mouallem adds, “I do not think I would be where I am today without AUB’s mark on my journey – from supporting my idea to co-found a now award-winning initiative, to connecting me with the most remarkable mentor figures in my life, such as Dr. Rouwaida Kanj in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. I truly hope that such an exceptional educational experience remains accessible to many future AUBites, regardless of their financial means.”