Amir Abo-Shaeer received B.S. (1996), M.S. (1998), and M.Ed. (2001) degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He spent the first part of his career as a mechanical engineer in the aerospace and telecommunications industries, before returning to his alma mater, Dos Pueblos High School in Santa Barbara, to teach science in 2001. He has served as director of Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy since its founding in 2002.