Our team

Office of the Vice President

Kevin Cullen

Vice President for Innovation

Catherine Montiano

Executive Secretary

Dr. Kevin Cullen was appointed as Vice President for Innovation at KAUST in 2018. Kevin is a leader in global innovation with expertise in both economic development and industrial engagement. As Vice President of KAUST Innovation, he leads the University’s intellectual property portfolio, help create and support new businesses, joint ventures, and collaborations with industry partners, and continue to foster a strong culture of entrepreneurship in the Kingdom.

Dr. Cullen has over 20 years of experience in academic innovation and business development. Throughout his career he has helped elevate university-based innovation enterprises that have led to the launch of more than 250 startup companies as well as numerous products and services.

Prior to joining KAUST, Kevin spent six years as CEO of Innovations at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia. He helped transform UNSW from a traditional commercialization unit into an innovation hub by supporting a broad range of university priorities including economic development and social impact.

Operations & Strategy

Noor Fianti

Head, Operations & Strategic Initiatives

Business & Finance

Hadeel Al-Sulaimany

Business & Finance Manager

Hattan M. Ahmed

Business Analyst

Amal Eleuch

Business and Finance Coordinator

Amro Ahil Jazzar

Manager, Partnership Development

Marketing & Outreach

Aurelie Arsouze

Head, Innovation Marketing

Sara Brady

Senior Graphic Designer

Malak Sabahi

Creative Lead

Amirah Alqahtani

Digital Marketing Specialist

Wanyi Li

Marketing Assistant 

Rahaf Aljammal

Social Media Producer

Dina Al-Qawasmeh

Marketing Project Specialist

Bayan Qashqari

Marketing and Communications Specialist

KAUST Research & Technology Park

Reem Philby

Acting Head, KAUST Research & Technology Park Tenants Affairs

Norani Nordin

KAUST Research & Technology Park Account Specialist

Zyad Kamakhi

KAUST Research & Technology Park Operations Specialist

Enass Dahman

Tenant Relations Officer

Ahmad Bohliqa

KAUST Research & Technology Park Operations Officer

Salem Alyafie

Startup Service Center Manager 

Ahmed Mohammed Jeffery

KAUST Research and Technology Park Account Specialist

SME innovation services

Strategic Innovation Partnerships Office

Sami Sarhan

Head, SME Innovation Services
Acting Head of Innovation Partnerships

Contact us about

  • Joining our industry collaboration program
  • Hiring KAUST graduates and students
  • Conducting corporate R&D at KAUST
  • Establishing physical presence at the KRTP

Omar Kutbi

SME Engagement Manager

Osama Madkhali

SME Program Coordinator

Abdulrahman Khogeer

SME Program Coordinator

Maaz Khawaji

KICP Manager

Maha Aljahdali

KICP Officer

Belal Fayad

Industry Engagement Manager

Manal Alotaibi

Business Development Coordinator

Fatima Alkhalaf

Business Administrator

Entrepreneurship Center

Hattan Ahmed

Entrepreneurship Director

Contact us about

  • Corporate innovation programs
  • Business plan development
  • Accelerators and mentorship

Jerry Faldas

Team Admin

Startup Accelerator

Arwa Shafi

Startup Accelerator Lead

Maryam Barradh

Startup Associate

Rahaf Alrashidi

Startup Data Analyst

Omar Khasawneh

Startup Incubation Lead

Mohamad B. Alwan

Financial Startup Analyst 

Aseel Banjar

Program Associate

MOOCs ONLINE LEARNING

Haitham R. Alhumsi

Online Learning Manager

Ali M. Siddiqui

Business Systems Specialist

Dawood K. Mohanna

Digital Experience Specialist

Hibah Y. Atiah

Innovation Associate

Bashayer Hindi

Learning Systems Analyst

Alhasan H. Naita

Events & Logistics Coordinator

TEACHING

Lama Hakem

Educational Programs Lead

Bülent Erbilgin

Visiting Professor

Kenneth C. Singer

Visiting Faculty

Lamaa Ghryani

Events & Logistics Associate

Innovation Ventures

Gary Rubin

Head, KAUST Innovation Ventures

Contact us about

  • Investing in startups
  • Pitching a business plan

Francois Pichot

Investment Manager

Enaam Tamboosi

Portfolio Coordination Analyst

Nadine Mojadidi

Financial Analyst

Asim Danish

Business Advisory Manager 

Ehab Abbas

Business Planning Advisor

Maryam Mohammed

Admin Assistant

Malak Alotaibi

Financial Analyst

Nisrin Albakri

Investment Manager

Technology Commercialization

Sean Flanigan

Director of Technology Transfer

Contact us about

  • Licensing KAUST technology
  • Reporting an invention

Technology Discovery

Kok Yong

Head, Technology Portfolio

Hind Al-Johani

Technology Portfolio Manager

Saida Djebili

Technology Portfolio Manager

Haifa Al Mayman

IP, Patent & Contracts Manager

Merlyn Lim

Technology Transfer Compliance Consultant

Wasiu Afolabi

Technology Portfolio Manager

Technology Development

Izaro Garcia

Head, Technology Development

Jeffrey Bissette

Technology Development Specialist

Warren Duffy

Technology Development Specialist

Salahud Din

Technology Development Specialist

Technology Deployment

Riddhi Shukla

Technology Deployment Manager

Hadi Zulfiqar

Technology Deployment Specialist

Nisreen Mostareeh

Technology Deployment Specialist