Wissam Sammouri: “No matter your field of work, in the future, you’ll need to become an architect of digital technologies.”

With experience in various domains, including R&D, data science, IoT, digital marketing, growth hacking and of course, education, Wissam Sammouri became the director of 42 Beirut when the campus opened, in 2024. With the campus having undergone major challenges in its first year only, we sat down with him to reflect on his first year as director of a 42 campus.

Can you please talk to us about your background? What is your education and what were you doing before 42?

I have a background in industrial engineering with a masters in system security, a PhD in predictive data mining and many years of experience in the field.

I started my career as an R&D engineer in data science and IoT, and then I shifted to entrepreneurship and consulting in data science, digital marketing and growth hacking for several years.

Since 2012, I have been deeply involved in education, establishing, leading, and teaching in various academic programs at universities in Lebanon and France, including Université Paris Descartes, Paris Dauphine, ECE, Université Saint-Joseph, the American University of Beirut, the Lebanese American University, and the French Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA). Currently, on top of being the director of 42 Beirut, I am a professor of data analytics at the Lebanese American University.

Beyond that, I’ve been fortunate to have my work in education and entrepreneurship recognized internationally, receiving awards such as the French Tech International Prize, Vivatech Positive Impact Award in Education, and the European Youth Award, as well as an Expo Dubai 2020 grant. I was also honored to be featured in CDO Magazine’s 2021 list of leading academic data leaders.

What do you like about your position at your campus?

Lebanon has long relied on its knowledge economy as a backbone for growth. Unfortunately, in recent years, the country has experienced a severe brain drain, with many tech talents leaving due to the economic crisis. As a result, both the private and public sectors now face a critical shortage of experts across various fields — from data analysis and cybersecurity to cloud engineering and beyond.

42 Beirut is stepping up to bridge this gap. On one hand, we are educating and upskilling future generations in Lebanon. On the other, we are raising the bar for tech talent, ensuring they not only meet but surpass market expectations.

This mission deeply resonates with me. My role at 42 Beirut aligns with my lifelong commitment to empowering Lebanese youth — helping them code the future of their country while addressing the needs of both the private and public sectors.

What’s your vision for the future of education?

I believe the future of education lies in embracing LLMs, prioritizing problem-solving and systems thinking skills, and recognizing that recruiters will continue to raise their expectations for tech professionals.

Whether you’re a developer, data analyst, AI specialist, or cloud engineer, you’ll need to become an architect of digital technologies — deeply understanding how the various technologies in your field work, how to fine-tune and tweak their outputs to meet business requirements, and how to seamlessly integrate and link those tools together.

Last question: according to you, why is your campus one of the best in the network?

Simply: An empowering community with a strong sense of belonging.
I can’t express enough how proud I am of our students. They support each other, motivate each other and refer each other to opportunities. Their dedication, commitment, teamwork and solidarity, in the most turbulent of times, are truly inspiring. I remember a night during one of the Piscines last spring when a power outage plunged the entire area into darkness. In the midst of it all, the only light on the street was coming from our campus.

That night, we sent a message to our students on Slack:
“Tonight, the light in Beirut is coming from you.”

It was more than just a phrase — it made them proud and hopeful for the bright future ahead. This is what truly sets 42 Beirut’s community apart — resilience, relentless dedication, and an unstoppable spirit.