Professor Aamir Farooq joined the Mechanical Engineering Program in the PhysicalSciences and Engineering Division at KAUST in 2010, and served as chair of the programfrom 2017 to 2024. A recognized expert in chemical kinetics laser-based sensors, Dr. Farooqhas received numerous distinguished recognitions for his contributions to the field. He hasauthored more than 250 refereed journal articles and given invited talks at a numberof international conferences. Farooq is also the inaugural director of the TechnologyInnovation and Entrepreneurship (TIE) Program at KAUST. In this role, he is dedicated toeducating a new generation of entrepreneurs, innovation leaders and startup founders. Thefirst of its kind in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, the TIE program offers an M.S. degreethat integrates technical expertise with an entrepreneurial mindset, and gives studentsopportunities to engage with both national and international partner entities. ​

Dr. Farooq’s research interests span energy sciences, propulsion, chemical kinetics, shockwaves, spectroscopy and laser-based sensors. He is the principal investigator of theFarooq Group for Advanced Sensing Technology and Energy Research (FASTER). Farooqis actively involved in the development of laser-based sensors for applications in energysystems, environmental monitoring and biomedical diagnostics. His lab specializes indeveloping and applying cutting-edge experimental techniques to investigate fundamentalprocesses in both traditional and renewable energy-conversion systems. This includesadvanced research on the chemistry of e-fuels, biofuels, low-carbon-fuels and zero-carbon-fuels using shock tubes, rapid compression machines, catalytic reactors and a range ofdiagnostic methods. ​