Fawwaz Habbal is a senior lecturer on applied physics and executive dean for education and research of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. Prior to coming to Harvard, Habbal founded two companies specializing in semiconductor technology, and served as vice president and director of research for the Polaroid Corporation. He has published more than 80 papers and holds eight patents. He received his BS in mathematics and physics from the University of Damascus, his MS in experimental physics from the American University of Beirut, and his PhD in physics from the University of Cincinnati.