Prof. Dr. Fady Michel

Fady Michel is a future-focused academic leader, innovation strategist, and AI solution architect working at the intersection of foresight, design, and human behavior. He serves as Associate Professor and Assistant Provost for Innovative Learning Experiences at The American University in Cairo (AUC), where he leads institution-wide initiatives in curriculum innovation, AI integration, future readiness, and challenge-based experiential learning. His work brings together diverse stakeholders to design learning ecosystems that are rigorous, relevant, and responsive to emerging realities. Fady has led major USAID-funded and institutionally backed initiatives in higher-education transformation, leadership development, and analytics architectures that strengthen institutional effectiveness and data-informed decision-making.

Alongside his academic role, Fady is the Founder and Managing Director of ERGO, a human-centered strategy and innovation firm that helps organizations navigate complexity and design for what comes next. Through ERGO, he partners with universities, companies, ministries, and development organizations across the MENA region to build future-ready strategies, learning platforms, and market-ready ventures grounded in real human needs, local context, and robust evidence. His track record spans large-scale transformations and targeted interventions alike, with a consistent aim: enabling organizations to anticipate change, unlock new growth, and design meaningful, equitable futures rather than simply react to disruption.

A space mission designer by training, Fady holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Space Mission and Spacecraft Design from the University of Southern California and a Ph.D. in Astrodynamics from The University of Texas at Austin. His early career at NASA earned multiple distinctions, including the NASA Exceptional Award, NASA Software of the Year Award (2021), the NASA JSC Exceptional Software Award (2009), and the NASA Space Act Award for Innovative and Creative Development (2007).