AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT
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or AUB as one of the leading teaching-centred research universities in the Middle East, providing education and research opportunities to more than 8,000 students, the importance of creating a safe and healthy environment for the students cannot be underestimated. For Farouk Merhebi, Director of Environmental Health, Safety, and Risk Management at the American University of Beirut (AUB), it is the very essence of his job to ensure that AUB not only complies with regulatory standards but exceeds them. “The mission of my department is a simple one,” he says. “To minimize risk by providing and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for all our community and ultimately, our students, staff, and faculty members.” Having previously graduated from AUB on three separate occasions, in chemistry, agriculture, and environmental engineering, Merhebi forged a career in environmental stewardship, ranging from wastewater design and environmental impact assessment to solid and hazardous waste management. J U LY 2 0 1 8
When he returned to AUB, this time as Director, he brought with him a wealth of experience that could help drive forward a number of sustainable initiatives across the organization. “Throughout my varied experience in the private and public sectors, I developed an understanding of working with complex projects and collaborating with a multitude of stakeholders and interested parties,” says Merhebi. “For me, being an alumnus, it was AUB’s work both for students and beyond into the wider community on environmental concerns and issues that attracted me to this role and to take on this responsibility.” As director, Merhebi oversees six key areas of operation: life and fire safety, environmental and chemical safety, biosafety and sanitation, radiation safety, occupational safety, and risk management. The task at hand for each area is one of compliance with national and international environmental and safety regulation standards. But despite this being a core ambition, Merhebi is keen to stress that AUB will continue to go above and beyond simple