Dr. Maya Abou Zahr

Director at AUD Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center

Speaker

Maya is the Director of the AUD Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (AEIC), where she previously served as Interim Director. In this role, she fosters business innovation and supports startups by developing mentorship opportunities, designing entrepreneurship programs, and organizing workshops and hackathons. She has been an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at AUD since Fall 2024. Previously, she served as a Visiting Faculty Member in Political Science and Public Administration in the Department of Government and Society at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) from January 2022 to May 2024. During her academic career, Maya has taught more than 14 courses, including master's-level courses, and has supervised master's theses. Maya brings more than seven years of experience in higher education and entrepreneurship in the UAE, as well as over 15 years of managerial experience in the Lebanese public sector at the Ministry of Economy & Trade and the Court of Accounts. She is also an active researcher, author, book reviewer, editor, peer reviewer, and moderator. Her research and scholarly publications have addressed topics including sustainability, education in the UAE, medical tourism, youth empowerment in the UAE, feminism, and broader issues related to the Arab Gulf. Her work has been published in indexed academic journals. Maya is a member of the Dubai Quality Group, as well as several cultural and entrepreneurship organizations and book clubs. She has also contributed to the founding of one of these book clubs. She has participated in more than 80 seminars and conferences and has been actively involved in community-based sustainability initiatives. She has moderated several high profile panels, including sessions at AUD, the Knowledge Summit, and the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.