American University of Beirut
Department of Nutrition and Food Science
Beirut, Lebanon
Dr. Abiad is an Assistant Professor of food processing and packaging at the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut (AUB), and an adjunct faculty member in the School of Packaging beginning 2012. Dr. Abiad earned his BE in civil engineering from the American University of Beirut, MBA from the Lebanese American University, and MSE and PhD in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Purdue University. He is also an IoPP Certified Packaging Professional.
Dr. Abiad was involved in the development of award-winning innovative products such as soy-based and corn-based cork-like materials as well as a powder testing cell for which he holds two provisional patents. His research areas include: processing and packaging of traditional and local foods; developing functional membranes and active packaging systems; studying the rheology of polymers, food and bio materials; investigating food safety and consumer behavior; as well as investigating issues related to sustainability, recycling and climate change.
In collaboration with Dr. Rafael Auras, School of Packaging, Michigan State University, he is currently working on utilizing metal organic frameworks from edible resources in food packaging applications. At AUB, Dr. Abiad is involved in several projects addressing issues on food safety via measures related to food processing and packaging, including food safety assessment as well as consumers’ perception and willingness-to-pay for safer food.