Saif Rayyan was Assistant Director of Academic Programs at the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL). Saif was born in Amman, Jordan. He holds a BSc in electrical engineering from the University of Jordan and a PhD in Physics from Virginia Tech. He first joined MIT in 2009 as a postdoctoral associate in physics education research, with a focus on implementing and researching pedagogical innovations using digital tools and platforms. Following his postdoctoral work, Saif transitioned into the role of a Digital Learning Scientist in the physics department and MIT Open Learning.
Saif held positions of lecturer in the physics department, a member of the instructional team running the TEAL (Technology Enabled Active Learning) classroom. Saif was awarded the MIT Physics Department Buechner Faculty Teaching prize in 2015 and was also the co-recipient of the inaugural MITx Prize for Teaching and Learning with MOOCs for his work on the 8.01x series on Classical Mechanics.