Dr. Luay Nakhleh ’98 will become the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering on Jan. 1, 2021.
Nakhleh earned his master’s degree in computer science from Texas A&M University in 1998 and his doctoral degree at The University of Texas at Austin. His first exposure to computer science came in high school when his computer science instructor taught his class how to solve logic problems. For three years he took classes in computer science when his school didn’t even own a computer. He then applied and was accepted to the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science and decided he wanted to pursue an academic career.
Nakhleh came to Texas from Israel in 1997 to further his education. He applied to several graduate schools in the United States and decided on Texas A&M. He fell in love with Texas, and after earning his master’s and doctoral degrees, he joined the Department of Computer Science at Rice University in 2004. While there he received many accolades, but Nakhleh said that his favorite part of his job has been working with students.
He enjoys interacting with students so much that he plans to shirk tradition and continue teaching. Nakhleh plans to continue to teach in the spring, despite his new role typically being a purely administrative role.
“If I find that the end of the semester that teaching made my schedule unsustainable, then I will rethink it for subsequent years, but I enjoy teaching, especially teaching freshman,” he said. “I feel it's at that point that we can make the most difference.”He offers this advice to engineering undergraduates. “Engineers need to realize that that they can play a huge role in confronting the crises that arise in our world,” he said. “COVID-19 is all the proof they require. From PPE and ventilators to health treatments and therapeutics, all of those things are engineered and have an impact wider than themselves.”
He also recommends that engineers should consider furthering their education.
“I hope more students think about graduate school,” he said. “It's a game of patience because engineers can often find a job that pays you well while graduate school won’t. But that thinking is short-term. In four or five years, one gets a Ph.D. and you have no idea how it can change your life.”
Nakhleh also gave advice to mid-level engineers who are considering pursuing leadership positions in the corporate world and academia.
“One thing I would say is that you should not listen to cynical people about leadership. Leadership is very rewarding when you think of the impact you can create and the changes you can make in the lives of students. The hard work is worth it,” he said. “I would also encourage those who are interested in leadership to prepare for it because it doesn’t just happen. Leadership is about communication skills.”
Office of Alumni Relations
The Texas A&M College of Engineering is proud of our former students, like Nakhleh, who display Aggie core values such as excellence, selfless service and leadership. If you know an Aggie who is celebrating an accomplishment and would like them to be recognized by the college, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations.