Hassan Diab was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1959. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in communications engineering, which he received from Leeds Metropolitan University in 1981. He also holds an M.Sc with Distinction in Systems Engineering from the University of Surrey, and a PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of Bath, UK. He is a chartered engineer in the UK Engineering Council and a registered Chartered Professional Engineer in the National Professional Engineers Register of Australia.
Prior to entering politics, Diab pursued a career in academia, eventually becoming Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at the American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon. In 2004, he was appointed as Founding President and Dean of the College of Engineering of Dhofar University in Oman. In 2006, he was appointed AUB's vice-president of Regional External Programs (REP), the university's consulting and professional development arm.
Diab has over 30 years of experience in the academic field. He has over 130 publications for national and international journals, and has led over to 30 research projects sponsored through local and international grants. He has also served as a member of over 50 organizing committees of international conferences, and is an honorary member of the Advisory Board in several international biographical organizations.
Diab has received 13 international and regional awards, including the Fulbright Research Award in 1988, and the Young Arab Scientists Shuman Prize in Engineering in 1992. Diab is also a Founding Member of the first Arab Computer Society established in 2001, as well as the Founding Member of the IEEE Student Branch at AUB in 2001. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers, UK and the Institute of Engineers, Australia as well as a Senior Member in the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers, USA.
In 2011, he was appointed the Minister of Education and High Education of Lebanon under then Prime Minister Najib Mikati, a position he held until February 2011. According to a 2018 biography, Mr Diab is one of only a few non-party affiliated technocrats to have been a minister in Lebanon. He was also the first Lebanese education minister to have a professional background in higher education. After leaving office, he returned to his teaching and administrative roles at AUB.
Diab was designed the next Prime Minister of Lebanon succeeding Saad Hariri on December 19, 2019, against the backdrop of nationwide protests against the country’s ruling elite that caused the resignation of Hariri. Diab’s candidacy won the support of 69 members of the Lebanese parliament, a simple majority; his support came from parties that co-form the March 8 alliance. Diab vowed to swiftly form a new government to “focus on stopping the collapse and restoring confidence.” But the new premier faces an uphill battle. He has the onerous task of steering Lebanon out of long-building financial crisis which has made it one of the world’s most indebted countries. His task is further complicated by the opposition from Sunni, Christian and Druze parties who view him as a political appointee of Iran-backed Hezbollah. In Lebanon’s sect-based political system, the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim, and Diab’s appointment was unique in that his backing came not from fellow Sunnis but from Christian and Shiite parties. The latter includes Hezbollah, the militant group that the United States and other countries have designated a terrorist organization. Some analysts doubt Diab’s appointment would be enough to address the country’s simultaneous crises, questioning the qualifications he brought to the difficult job.
