RIT Dubai graduate fuses careers in art and engineering

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai graduate, Zulfa Rasheed, has set out to challenge vocational traditions and prove that the worlds of art and engineering can unite in one career path. An exhibited artist and practising electrical engineer, Rasheed is pursuing her talents to build a name for herself in the two traditionally opposing industries.

Unwilling to give up on either one of her childhood passions, Zulfa has found herself following the example of famed Renaissance painter, Leonardo da Vinci, who saw science and art as allies, not opposites. Working as both an artist and an electrical engineer, Rasheed has transported da Vinci’s vision into the present day.

Rasheed explained: “In high school my dream was to become a design engineer or an architect; to work in any field that combined art and engineering, so that I could continue to do both. Yet I was often told that one day I would have to choose between the two careers, and I was confused about which direction to take. When I went to college, however, I discovered the parallels between the two disciplines; artists and engineers both aim to create something, it is just their thinking style that is different. I believe that by combining the two, we can make something truly unique.”

Having discovered that she can combine of both her passions, Rasheed aims to set her own example and demonstrate how the two disciplines can work together for a better future. She concludes: “The idea of combining engineering and art is not a new one, but it will be of growing importance in the future. Artistic expression brings a sense of balance and self-completion in a world increasingly driven by artificial intelligence. I believe that cross-disciplinary thinking will be vital in developing creative solutions to emerging societal challenges and so we must continue to encourage the union of art and engineering.”