Ahmad Afara, MSc

Ahmad Afara is a highly experienced interior architect and industrial designer with a proven track record in the design and execution of commercial, residential, and industrial projects in the Middle East and the UK. He earned BA and MA degrees in Interior Architecture from the Institut des Beaux-Arts-Université Libanaise in Beirut, Lebanon, and he also earned a specialized Master’s degree in industrial design from Anadolu Üniversitesi in Turkey, where he was awarded a full scholarship. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education with a focus on design education from the University of Buckingham in the UK.

Afara’s research encompasses various design areas, focusing on human factors, user experience, innovation, physical environments, and their relationships with physical and mental wellbeing. In 2017, he received his MSc after presenting a thesis on “The Impact of the Design Studio’s Seating Elements on the Creative Performance and the Productivity of Students.” During his specialized Master’s degree studies, Afara worked as a senior interior designer at CMYK İç Mimarlık, was involved in academic-industrial projects, and worked as a teaching assistant.
He has received numerous awards in art and design, exhibiting his winning product design at Beirut Design Week 2016. In 2018, Afara was the only Middle Eastern person to be invited to contribute to the 5th International Furniture Congress, where he discussed furniture design and manufacturing in the MENA Region. Also, he published a paper in the Congress’s proceedings book.

Before joining AUK in 2019, Afara was the founder of Afara Design Studio and the co-founder and design director of Markit Lab in Lebanon.

Besides the day-to-day teaching and advising of students at AUK, Afara contributed to the creation of the curriculum currently followed by the Department of Design. He organized many design workshops and micro-webinars. Presently (and for the second consecutive academic year), he is serving as the chair of the Faculty Senate.