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UAE: This Emirati woman is breaking barriers in the tech world

Dr Ebtesam Almazrouei is first Emirati to hold a PhD in artificial intelligence for wireless communication engineering and computer science

Dr Ebtesam Almazrouei is a glowing example of the evolution of Emirati women in tech leadership roles, which men traditionally dominate. Dr Ebtesam currently serves as the director of the Artificial Intelligence-Cross Center Unit (AICCU) of the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) in Abu Dhabi.

“In the UAE, we are blessed to thrive with the immense support of the country’s visionary leadership that considers women equal to men in every sense and empowers women, no matter which field they choose to pursue,” Dr Ebtesam told Khaleej Times ahead of the Emirati Women’s Day.

Dr Ebtesam is the first Emirati to hold a PhD in artificial intelligence for wireless communication engineering and computer science. She did her PhD and master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Khalifa University of Science and Technology, and BSc in communication and electrical engineering from the United Arab Emirates University.

“I was always interested in future-focused technologies and kept an eye on what was happening around the world. I saw that AI and the Internet of Things (IoTs) were the next breakthrough technologies that will drive the digital economy and decided to steer my career along this path. The UAE government’s initiative of launching its national AI strategy in 2017 reiterated the importance of technological advancements through AI.”

Dr Ebtesam brings to her role at TII an experience in innovation in advanced technologies and ability to realise the adaptation of AI solutions, big data, IoTs, and wireless emerging technologies for multiple industrial applications.

“At TII, which is a leading global scientific research centre and the applied research pillar of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), we work at the intersection of science to shape breakthrough solutions to future-proof tomorrow. We have incredible women researchers and scientists, who are at the frontlines of the country’s march into a new era of tech leadership.”

As the AICCU director, she is responsible for overseeing the unit’s mandate of designing and delivering new AI methodologies, technologies, solutions, and systems that address core challenges across multiple sectors of the economy. Earlier this year, she led the team behind building Noor, the world’s largest Arabic natural language processing (NLP) model.

“Within AICCU, we have already marked some incredible milestones, including the launch of the world’s largest Arabic language NLP model, Noor, in addition to designing new computing paradigms and delivering new AI methodologies, technologies, and solutions in a very short span. And in all these projects, women play an equal and crucial role in bringing them to fruition.”

Dr Ebtesam is the first Emirati to be elected as a member on the worldwide steering board committee of the Wireless World Research Forum (WWRF). She is elected to co-lead the working group on big data in the AI expert group subcommittee of the UAE Council for AI and Blockchain.

Dr Ebtesam is a scientific author at top-ranking conferences and leading journals. In June, she was among the speakers at the AI Summit in London.

She delivers big data and AI training courses for various entities across the UAE and has led multiple projects in partnership with British Telecommunications in the UK, as well as Etisalat and Khalifa University in the UAE. She is also initiating communities like the ‘AI and Advanced Science’ and the ‘Women in AI and Science’.

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