Prior to joining UofR, he worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico as a postdoctoral research associate. He earned his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University, under the supervision of professors Gregory Eyink, Ethan Vishniac, Charles Meneveau, and Shiyi Chen. Hussein grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, where he graduated from the American University of Beirut with a major in physics and a minor in mathematics. Hussein's favorite pastimes are outdoor sports activities in their many forms, live music, and swing dancing.