Dr. Diane Nauffal founded LAU's institutional research function in 2008 and has led it since; it is today the Department of Institutional Research and Analytics (DIRA), reporting directly to the President. DIRA serves as LAU's official source of institutional data, supporting strategic planning, policy development, accreditation, and institutional effectiveness across the university.

Dr. Nauffal sets the department's direction and oversees all of its activities. These span institutional reporting and key indicators, including the LAU Fact Book and the Common Data Set; executive dashboards, data integration, and data governance; university-wide surveys, course evaluations, and the assessment of academic and administrative units; student retention analytics and benchmarking; reporting for accreditation, rankings, and classifications; financial analysis for the President and Board of Trustees; and research studies, including labor market studies. She has turned several of these studies into journal publications. She also oversees the department's strategic data initiatives, including LAU's university-wide Sustainability Data and Reporting Framework.

A founding member and former President (2015–2020) of the Middle East and North Africa Association for Institutional Research (MENA-AIR), Dr. Nauffal has been a member of the US-based Association for Institutional Research (AIR) since 2007.

She is also Associate Professor of Education in the School of Arts and Sciences, where her research addresses governance, policy, and strategic planning in higher education, the contribution of universities to sustainable development and national economies, and student engagement. In 2017, she conducted a study of LAU's economic impact on the national economy, the first of its kind in the Arab world.

Beyond LAU, Dr. Nauffal has contributed to higher education reform in Lebanon and the Arab region. She was appointed by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to the committees drafting Lebanon's quality assurance law and qualifications framework, and to the National Taskforce for University Governance. She also co-authored a UNESCO-commissioned report mapping higher education across the Arab States and consulted for the World Bank on higher education policy and quality enhancement.

She holds a PhD in Education, with an emphasis on educational management and policy, from the University of Birmingham, UK, and a BS in Mathematics and an MA in Mathematics Education from the American University of Beirut.

Amal Sawaya is a Senior Data Scientist in LAU’s Department of Institutional Research and Analytics (DIRA). She brings together advanced data modeling, data analytics, and data integration to support university-wide reporting, strategic planning, and evidence-based decision-making, while strengthening data quality, governance, and institutional reporting frameworks.

Her responsibilities span developing institutional reports, datasets, and key indicators, as well as conducting advanced analytical studies. She also leads strategic data initiatives aimed at building scalable analytical and reporting capabilities, including shared data environments, institutional dashboards, and LAU’s university-wide Sustainability Data and Reporting Framework.

Amal has been with LAU since 2013 and brings extensive prior experience in information systems design and implementation, management consulting, and IT/MIS management. She holds a Master’s in Engineering Management and a B.E. in Computer and Communication Engineering from the American University of Beirut.

George serves as Senior Visualization & Reporting Specialist in LAU’s Department of Institutional Research and Analytics (DIRA), where he leads institutional reporting, data analytics, and executive dashboard architecture. He works with university-wide data systems to support evidence-based decision-making and institutional effectiveness across the University.

In this role, George oversees end-to-end analytics workflows, transforming complex administrative and survey data into actionable intelligence. He manages the administration and reporting of university-wide surveys and course evaluations, while spearheading key initiatives in enterprise data integration, pipeline automation, and interactive visual dashboards.

George brings extensive technical expertise in enterprise business intelligence, database integration, and modern AI-driven automation to advance DIRA’s analytical capabilities. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and brings valuable international enterprise experience from his prior work in Dubai and Africa.

Nadine Wehbe serves as Lead Assessment Analyst in LAU’s Department of Institutional Research and Analytics (DIRA), where she leads key areas of the university’s evaluation, assessment, and institutional reporting activities. A member of the department since 2009, she brings extensive experience in managing complex, university-wide assessment and reporting processes.

She oversees LAU’s surveys and evaluations calendar and leads the planning and implementation of evaluation activities across academic and administrative units. Her responsibilities include managing assessment systems and processes, guiding the development of evaluation tools, and ensuring consistent data collection, analysis, and reporting. Her portfolio also encompasses institutional reporting, particularly in the areas of human resources and financial data, as well as reporting for institutional and program accreditation.

Nadine holds a B.S. in Business with an emphasis in Management Information Systems and a Master of Business Administration, both from LAU.

Sirine Anouti serves as Lead Institutional Research Analyst in LAU’s Department of Institutional Research and Analytics (DIRA), where she contributes to institutional research, analytics, reporting, and benchmarking to support evidence-informed decision-making and continuous institutional improvement.

Since joining DIRA in November 2025, Sirine has contributed to research initiatives, including the LAU Labour Market Study, as well as analytical reporting, data visualization, and competitive benchmarking. Her work focuses on applying quantitative and qualitative methods to transform complex data into actionable insights that guide academic planning and strategic initiatives.

Sirine brings more than 10 years of multidisciplinary experience spanning academic research, applied biostatistics, and monitoring and evaluation. Her expertise includes statistical modeling, research design and methodology, academic writing, and data triangulation. She holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the American University of Beirut.

Joanna serves as Lead Assessment Coordinator in LAU’s Department of Institutional Research and Analytics (DIRA), overseeing institutional assessment, survey administration, data analysis, and reporting. She directs data collection for institutional surveys, including the Alumni and Exit Surveys, and prepares datasets, analyses, and reports supporting university reporting, decision making, accreditation, and rankings.

She manages recurring and ad-hoc assessment projects across academic and administrative units, including HR and ACE training evaluations, School of Pharmacy APPE and IPE evaluations, and evaluations of academic administrators. Joanna has specialized training and expertise in the Explorance Blue survey and assessment platform and has completed Power BI training, with an interest in expanding survey reporting through interactive dashboards.

Before joining LAU, Joanna gained experience in legal operations and human resources. She holds a BS in Business, with an emphasis in Banking and Finance, and an MBA, both from LAU.

Karen Raji serves as Institutional Research Coordinator in LAU’s Department of Institutional Research and Analytics (DIRA), where she contributes to institutional research, benchmarking, and reporting. She enjoys the behind-the-scenes work of getting data right, so that the story it tells is clear and consistent.

In this role, Karen supports recurring, ad hoc, and annual reporting, including the LAU Factbook, the DIRA Brochure, the Common Data Set, and more. She has worked on projects such as the DIRA website revamp, supervises student employment, tracks deliverables across the team, and brings ideas for streamlining workflows, working closely with academic and administrative units across LAU.

Her previous experience in fast-paced, start-up environments has given her transferable skills in research, analysis, and coordination, and helps her bring fresh ideas and new perspectives to the team. Always eager to learn, she is committed to continuously developing her expertise in institutional research and analytics. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Banking and Finance.