Top 100 Arabs 2025

89. Rayyanah Barnawi

Astronaut

Origin: Saudi Arabia

Residence: Saudi Arabia

Sector: Space

2024 Rank: 87

The first Saudi female astronaut to go to space on May 21, 2023, and one of the first Saudi astronauts to visit the International Space Station (ISS), Barnawi is a biomedical researcher with almost a decade of experience in cancer stemcell research.

She worked at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre and holds a bachelor’s degree in genetic engineering and tissue development from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.

She also has a master’s degree in biomedical sciences from Alfaisal University in Riyadh. Barnawi was a mission specialist aboard Axiom Space’s second private astronaut mission (Ax-2) to the ISS.

She was accompanied by fellow Saudi Ali Al-Qarni. During her time on the space station, Barnawi dedicated herself to carrying out scientific research for Saudi Arabia, focusing on critical areas such as stem cell and breast cancer studies.

Zaid S Al Khayyat

Ons Jabeur