The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships are prestigious European research grants aimed at supporting excellent researchers in further developing their careers and enhancing their international mobility. The grant provides an allowance to cover living, travel, and family costs.

The American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo (AUB Mediterraneo) in Paphos, Cyprus can support your MSCA application and host you in Europe, and our experienced faculty members can supervise your projects. AUB Mediterraneo is a twin campus of the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Beirut, Lebanon found in 1866 and globally ranked. AUB operates under a charter granted by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) which registers the university's degree programs.

• Competent researchers (of all nationalities) who hold a PhD or have successfully defended their thesis by September 2026.
• Applicants must have a maximum of eight years of research experience (from the date of the award of the PhD degree).
• Mobility is a requirement: the applicant should be able to travel to Europe, to an associated country, or to a country outside of Europe.
• It can fund all areas of research; please refer to our research themes below.
• As from 2026, resubmission restrictions apply for applications that received a score below 80% the previous year.

For more details on eligibility criteria, please check the website ​ here.

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Fellowship Types

There are two types of postdoctoral fellowships:

• European Fellowships: These are open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career. They last between 1 and 2 years.
• Global Fellowships: These fund the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Only nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.

In both fellowships, secondment(s) can be included to another organisation in any country worldwide (except during the return phase of the Global Fellowship).

In addition, a placement can be added at the end of your project with a non-academic partner for a maximum of 6 months, extending the duration of the fellowship.

Research Themes

Currently, we have the following research themes. We encourage interdisciplinary collaborations between our research themes. We invite you to contact relevant theme leaders to explore collaboration opportunities.

Faculty of Arts & Sciences

Advances in Large Language Models focusing on Low-resource languages

Theme Leader: Professor Wassim El Hajj ([email protected])

Department: Computer Science

External Collaborators: Dr. Shady Elbassuoni, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Theme: Large Language Models (LLMs) are advanced AI systems designed to understand and generate human language. LLMs have received a lot of attention from the research community. Focus has been given though to popular languages such as English. Work on low-resource languages such as Arabic, Greek, and many other European languages is progressing well but is still limited. The aim of this project is to enhance the research related to a specific low-resource language, taking into consideration cultural nuances and addressing gaps in training data and evaluation benchmarks.

Keywords: Large Language Models (LLMs), Low-Resource Languages, Natural Language Processing.

Nanomaterials and Thin Films

Theme Leader:Professor Malek Tabbal ([email protected])

Department: Physics

Theme: To investigate the dependence of the thermal and optical properties of nanomaterials on their structural characteristics such as nanoscale morphology, nanocrystal size and surface terminations.

Keywords: Nanomaterials, Thin films, Thermal and optical properties of materials, Functional materials, Nanoscale design.

Artificial Intelligence & Intelligent Robotics

Theme Leader:Dr Rafael Papallas([email protected])

Department: Computer Science

External Collaborators:Dr Bilal Kaddouh, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Theme: We study and develop intelligent robotic solutions with particular interest in intelligent robotic object manipulation. The main focus is on robot arm manipulators, but we are open for other applications of intelligent robotics, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and mobile robots.

Keywords:Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, Motion planning, Motion control, Robotic object manipulation, Non-prehensile manipulation, Autonomous systems, Warehouse automation, Home/Service robotics.

Intelligent Systems for Smart Cities: AI-Driven Digital Twins and IoT-Enabled Resource Optimization

Theme Leader: Dr Zinon Zinonos ([email protected])

Department: Computer Science

Theme: This topic focuses on the development of intelligent systems designed to enhance the management, efficiency, and sustainability of smart cities. In particular, it investigates the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Twin technologies, and Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructures as key enablers of data-driven urban environments. As a representative example, the topic explores how AI-enabled Digital Twins can leverage real-time data from IoT devices and LoRaWAN networks to support smarter decision-making in areas such as water management, mobility, and infrastructure maintenance. These intelligent systems allow city operators to monitor conditions, predict future needs, and optimize resources, contributing to more resilient and sustainable urban ecosystems. The topic also examines challenges related to data integration, interoperability, and the scalability of such systems, providing insights for the design and deployment of next-generation smart city solutions.

Keywords: Internet of Things (IoT), Intelligent Systems, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Twins, Smart Cities

Developmental Psychopathology, Antisocial Behavior, Prevention & Intervention

Theme Leader: Dr Chara Demetriou ([email protected])

Department: Psychology

Theme: This research theme focuses on understanding the developmental pathways of behavioral and emotional difficulties across childhood and adolescence, with a particular emphasis on antisocial behavior. Grounded in developmental psychopathology, it examines how individual, family, school, and broader socio-cultural factors interact over time to influence risk and resilience.

The research integrates perspectives from clinical and school psychology to investigate early behavioral problems, including externalizing behaviors, aggression, and conduct-related difficulties, and their progression across developmental stages. Particular attention is given to identifying modifiable risk and protective factors within family and educational contexts. A core component of this theme is the design, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based prevention and intervention programs. These include school-based and community-based approaches aimed at promoting social competence, reducing behaviora difficulties, and supporting inclusive educational environments. At the same time, contemporary approaches are not excluded, including neuropsychophysiological measurements and digital interventions.

Methodologically, the research combines quantitative and qualitative approaches, including longitudinal designs, program evaluation, and applied field-based research. The overall goal is to generate theoretically informed and practically applicable knowledge that can inform policy, improve educational and mental health practices, and support the well-being of children and families across diverse contexts.

Keywords: psychopathic traits, bullying,antisocial behavior, developmental psychopathology, school-based prevention and interventions, parental practices

Critical Geographies of Food in the Mediterranean South

Theme Leader:Dr Roland Riachi ([email protected])

Department: Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Theme: This project examines the uneven access to food and water across the Mediterranean South, encompassing South-Western Asia and North Africa, as well as the broader social, economic, and political legacies of this inequality. It traces how the restructuring of land tenure, the financialisation of agricultural production, the entanglement of regional economies with oil rents, and the subordination of food systems to export-oriented circuits have reconfigured the relationship between populations and the material bases of their subsistence. The project proceeds through an analysis of the historical processes and socio-political structures that have shaped contemporary food systems across the region, and a critical inquiry into their underlying political economy and political ecology. At its core, the project interrogates how the intertwined forces of dispossession, rentierism, and export-oriented accumulation have reshaped the control of land, water, and food across the Mediterranean South, and with what consequences for the possibilities of food sovereignty and re-commoning.

Keywords: Political economy, Political ecology, Agrarian studies, Food justice, Water sovereignty

Convivial Machines: Automation, Translation, and the Human in Heterogeneous Societies

Theme Leader:Dr Ana Ilievska ([email protected])

Department: Global Liberal Arts

Theme: This research project examines what happens to the human when automation enters heterogeneous linguistic, cultural, and social worlds. Bringing Mediterranean literature and thought, critical theory, and traditions of technics into dialogue, the project treats automation not as a neutral tool but as a culturally mediated process that reshapes agency, language, and work. Rather than assuming automation as a universal technological force, the project investigates how its meanings and effects emerge through processes of cultural "translation": integration, adaptation, and resistance within historically specific forms of life. It forms part of a broader collaborative research initiative with the American University of Beirut, contributing a Mediterranean and comparative literary perspective to the study of automation across diverse social contexts. It contributes to international research exchange and training by linking Mediterranean literary studies with global debates on technology, offering both conceptual innovation and context-sensitive approaches to human–machine relations.

Keywords: Political economy, Political ecology, Agrarian studies, Food justice, Water sovereignty

Faculty of Business

Navigating the Unknown & Future Making: Innovations in Learning Leadership for Ecosystemic Flourishing

Theme Leader:Professor Elena Antonacopoulou ([email protected])

Department: Department of Management and Business Intelligence

Collaborators:

• Dr Anthi Chrysanthou
• Dr Chara Demetriou

Theme: We explore future-making as learning to navigate the unknown. This process marks a leadership capacity to cultivate and activate practical wisdom, vulnerability trust, grace and hope. It also marks an invitation to advance leadership development and management education, to reframe disruption and crises from a focus on ‘error-based learning’ to a space for ecosystemic flourishing. We conduct research that examines leadership across units and levels of analysis (individual, group, community, organization, eco-system) to develop the reflexive learning capacity needed to navigate turbulent times and the VUCA conditions these often entail. Central to our focus is to explore how to foster responsibilization to serve the common good. We welcome theoretical and empirical studies, as well as methodological innovations, that demonstrate how to strengthen individual, collective and organizational capabilities for engaging with Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. Of particular interest are studies focused on understanding how to navigate the unknown through learning leadership that demonstrates phronesis.

Keywords: Future-making, Learning, Phronesis, Flourishing, Leadership, Impact

Generative AI-Driven Digital Transformation: Agents, Interactions, and Ecosystems

Theme Leader:Dr Yaozhi Zhang ([email protected])

Department: Department of Management and Business Intelligence

Theme: Generative AI systems are no longer limited to passive tools; they are increasingly becoming active interfaces, autonomous actors, and ecosystem participants that reshape how organizations operate, innovate, and create value. As generative AI becomes more agentic, interactive, and embedded in digital platforms and organizational processes, this project will examine how it drives digital transformation through the emergence of AI agents, adaptive interactions, and evolving ecosystems. Building on research on digital transformation and computer-mediated environments, the project will investigate how generative AI-driven digital transformation reshapes the roles of individuals, organizations, platforms, technologies, managers, policymakers, and regulators. It will explore contexts such as autonomous AI agents acting on behalf of users and organizations, AI-supported interactions, machine-driven personalization, decision-making, innovation processes, knowledge work, and interorganizational exchanges. By focusing on agents, interactions, and ecosystems, the project aims to develop a deeper understanding of how generative AI changes the ways digital activities and organizational processes should be re-designed, coordinated, and governed.

Keywords: Generative AI, Digital Transformation, AI Agents, Human–AI Interaction, Digital Ecosystems

Entrepreneurship

Theme Leader:Dr Alain Daou ([email protected])

Department:Department of Business Administration and Analytics

Collaborators:Dr Christodoulos Pavlou

Theme: We look at entrepreneurial ventures and ecosystems in different contexts, including social and sustainable entrepreneurship

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Social Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, Business Models, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems.

Faculty of Engineering

Digital Transformation

Theme Leader:Dr Claudia Franze ([email protected])

Departmemt: Industrial and Management Engineering

External Collaborators:

• Prof. Emilio Paolucci, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
• Prof. Chiara Ravetti, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
• Prof. Bijan Azad, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Theme: My research focuses on the intersection of digital transformation and strategic management and explores the organizational changes prompted by digital transformation in both manufacturing and service sectors, with a particular emphasis on how new forms of value creation emerge. A central stream of my work analyzes the integration of Artificial Intelligence, investigating its impact on redefining organizational roles, dynamics, and task allocation. Another key area of my research addresses the influence of digital transformation on sustainability.

Keywords: Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Management Engineering, Organizational Changes, Business Model Innovation, Sustainability Management, Regenerative Business Models, Strategic Management, Technological Innovation

Energy Geotechnics and Thermal Energy Storage

Theme Leader:Professor Salah Sadek ([email protected])

Department: Civil Engineering and Sustainable Design Program

Theme: We study and develop innovative solutions in energy geotechnics with a particular focus on seasonal thermal energy storage in geomaterials. Our main interest lies in the decarbonization of the building stock by investigating the thermal and mechanical behaviour of soils and rocks used for energy storage applications, including borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) and Tank Thermal Energy Storage (TTES) systems. We also investigate broader applications of energy geotechnics in renewable energy systems and sustainable infrastructure.

Keywords: Energy Geotechnics, Thermal Energy Storage, Renewable Energy, Sand Batteries, Borehole Thermal Energy Storage, Sustainable Solutions for Infrastructure, Seasonal Thermal Storage.

Decision-Making under Uncertainty for Pandemic Response and Healthcare Applications

Theme Leader:Dr Noura El Hassan ([email protected])

Department: Civil Engineering and Sustainable Design Program

Theme: We study and develop quantitative decision-making tools for healthcare systems, with a particular focus on pandemic preparedness. Our research centers on stochastic modeling and optimization, especially Markov Decision Processes (MDPs), to support robust decision-making under uncertainty. While the primary focus is on infectious disease preparedness and response, such as COVID-19, we are also interested in broader applications in healthcare operations.

Keywords: Stochastic Modeling, Optimization under Uncertainty, Decision Making under Uncertainty, Dynamic Programming, Markov Decision Processes, Pandemic Preparedness, Healthcare Operations

Decision-Making under Uncertainty: Real-world Applications

Theme Leader: Bonn Seranilla ([email protected])

Department: Industrial Engineering and Management

Theme: We focus on advancing the application of stochastic optimization to address complex and uncertain decision-making problems arising in humanitarian logistics, healthcare operations management, supply chain management, and energy systems. Our research leverages a range of Operations Research methodologies, including multi-stage stochastic programming, robust and distributionally robust optimization, and approximate dynamic programming, while also integrating modern Machine Learning techniques.

Keywords: Decision-making under uncertainty, Stochastic optimization, Machine Learning, Humanitarian Operations, Facility Location, Energy Systems

Support for Applicants

The American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo will assist you with your application. You will work directly with a faculty member of our university who will also act as your line-manager during the project. The university provides support for proposal writing via our Writing Center.

Express Your Interest

If you are interested, we suggest that you fill in the form here and one of the theme leaders will contact you if there is a match.

Deadline to express interest: June 6, 2026, 23:59

For general enquires about the call: please contact Ms Monica Tsartsali ([email protected]) or Dr Rafael Papallas

Submit your details via this link: ​https://forms.gle/ZWFLqrhm59SrtKLUA