Barakat earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Kuwait University in 1989.
After leaving TAMU, Barakat held a professorship at the University of Texas at Tyler.
[1][2] In 2012, Barakat was elected to the World Federation of Engineering Organizations Anti-Corruption Committee.
[3] In 2022, he began serving a four-year term on the U.S. Fulbright Specialist Program Roster.
[4] The following year, Barakat was elected chair of the National Engineering Ethics Board.