MBZUAI’s Rawdha Almeraikhi on how Emirati women are driving innovation

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When I was growing up, conversations about science and technology were often framed as something “new” for Emirati women to explore.

Today, that feels outdated. Walk into a classroom, a lab, or even a boardroom in the UAE, and you will find women not only present but steering the conversation. In the UAE, women in STEM are moving from participants to decision-makers.

At MBZUAI, I see this shift every day. This year, our inaugural undergraduate class, where 35 per cent are women, alongside 29 per cent of women across our graduate programmes. These numbers reflect a national trend: women make up 70 per cent of all university graduates in the UAE, and an impressive 56 per cent of STEM graduates at government universities.

That means the so-called “pipeline problem” that exists elsewhere is less of an issue here. The talent is here. The real question is: how do we ensure women are empowered to shape where AI and emerging technologies take us?

My own career has given me a front-row seat to how that empowerment happens. Over the past 13 years, I have worked across Abu Dhabi’s most dynamic institutions. Each role showed me how innovation, policy, and entrepreneurship come together to drive progress.

Leadership is not about the title on the door

But for me, leadership has never been about the title on the door. It is about turning ideas into impact and building communities that last. That is why I have invested in projects outside of my formal roles, whether it is co-founding The Tutoring Center Abu Dhabi, creating Abu Dhabi Female Divers, or launching cultural initiatives like Soul and Brain Juice. They may seem far removed from AI, but they all speak to the same principle: when women lead, new possibilities open.

Still, the global picture shows how much work remains. Only 22 per cent of AI professionals worldwide are women, and in the MENA region the figure drops to 8 per cent. These gaps represent opportunities missed, voices absent, and innovations left unexplored.

Emirati women are empowered to lead

That is why the UAE’s approach is so important. Here, women are not just encouraged to study AI; they are empowered to lead in shaping its role in society. For us, that means developing researchers and innovators who are not only technically strong but also equipped to guide AI’s impact on industries, communities, and global challenges.

I view this moment as a pivotal handover in progress and responsibility. The generation before us fought to break barriers and prove that women belonged in STEM. Now, it is our turn to carry it forward, to lead global conversations, to build solutions the world urgently needs, and to ensure technology is guided by inclusion as much as innovation.

The future of AI is not just about algorithms

The future of AI will not be decided by algorithms alone. It will be defined by the values we embed in it, fairness, responsibility, human-centered progress. And in the UAE, those values are increasingly being shaped by women who see leadership not as a privilege, but as a responsibility.

We are no longer just part of the conversation, we are helping set the direction. And as the UAE advances its vision for a knowledge-based economy, Emirati women are stepping up with confidence.

Hand in hand, with our peers, our institutions, and our nation, we celebrate 50 years of progress, and we look ahead to the next 50 with the same spirit of ambition and possibility.

Rawdha Almeraikhi is director of Outreach at MBZUAI.

Read: Women in AI is a strategic advantage for UAE, says TII’s Dr Najwa Aaraj