Yousef Haj-Ahmad (BSc ’80, MSc ’82) has been investing in the future of Brock University’s students and programming since 1989.
After completing both an undergraduate and Master’s degree from Brock, Haj-Ahmad joined Brock faculty as a Professor of Biological Sciences at Brock in 1989, where he taught students for 24 years before retirement. During his time at Brock, Haj-Ahmad also founded Norgen Biotek Corp in 1998, a slow but steadily growing company advancing the field of biotechnology research and testing, which he continued to run after retirement from the University.
After retirement, Haj-Ahmad’s dedication to Brock and its students remained; Haj-Ahmad established a scholarship to provide financial support for students studying Biotechnology and Biological Sciences at Brock. Additionally, Norgen Biotek Corp continuously welcomes Brock co-op students and graduates, often giving them their first chance at industry through the lab.
“When nobody believed in me, Brock believed in me,” said Haj-Ahmad. “Now, I believe in the new graduates, we’ll happily take them in at Norgen Biotek Corp, and we’ll teach them.” Now, through a $5-million gift from The Yousef Haj-Ahmad Family Foundation, Haj-Ahmad will have another gamechanging impact on Brock students, the Niagara community and beyond. The transformational gift has established the Yousef Haj-Ahmad Department of Engineering at Brock University.
With three of Haj-Ahmad’s children also holding degrees from Brock, the family of alumni’s decision to make a visionary gift to the University is the result of the family’s lifelong collective connection to Brock, and their belief that their alma mater can play a major role in an emerging sector.
The new Integrated Engineering Department will offer Brock students unique, made-in-Niagara interdisciplinary programming, blurring the lines between traditional engineering disciplines. The Department will continue to expand its offerings, with a Bachelor of Engineering on the horizon for 2024 and Master’s and Doctoral programs to be launched shortly after.
“Brock University has been home since I moved to Canada in the mid-1970s” said Haj-Ahmad. He’s now making ‘home’ a place of excellence and possibility for teachers, researchers and students. In more ways than one, Haj-Ahmad is shaping the leaders of tomorrow and has continuously invested in Brock in support of job creation, business development, community development and social inclusion across the Niagara region and beyond.