Lutfi Al-Sharif received his Ph.D. in elevator traffic analysis in 1992 from the University of Manchester. He worked for 9 years for London Underground, London, United Kingdom in the area of lifts and escalators. In 2002, he formed Al-Sharif VTC Ltd, a vertical transportation consultancy based in London, United Kingdom.

In 2006, he co-founded the Mechatronics Engineering Department at the University of Jordan, Amman Jordan and progressed to full professor at the University of Jordan, where he spent 13 years as a faculty member, Mechatronics Engineering Department Head for six years and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs.

His research interests include elevator traffic analysis, elevator and escalator energy modelling, mechatronics education, coordinate measuring machines and linear electromagnetic actuators. He is co-inventor of four patents, has around 30 papers published in peer reviewed journals and is co-author of the 2nd edition of the elevator traffic handbook.

Professor Al-Sharif is currently Vice President of Al Hussein Technical University in Amman, Jordan, and a part-time consultant for Peters Research Ltd. He is also a member of the management committee of the lift and escalator symposium.