MBZUAI Highlights Five Female AI Leaders For International Women’s Day 2024

In observance of International Women's Day 2024, the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) is spotlighting the achievements of five female leaders who are making strides in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. This initiative underscores MBZUAI's dedication to promoting gender equity within STEM fields. Currently, the university boasts a 28 percent female student body, alongside five full-time female faculty members, 40 female researchers, and a workforce that upholds gender balance.

Among these distinguished individuals is Dr. Farida Al Hosani, who holds the position of vice president on MBZUAI's Alumni Advisory Board. Dr. Al Hosani, an alumna of the MBZUAI Executive Programme and the executive director of communicable diseases at Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, has pioneered an AI-based healthcare solution targeting non-communicable diseases. Her work aims to enhance patient care through meticulous data analysis.

Dr. Hanan Aldarmaki, another trailblazer at MBZUAI, specializes in natural language processing (NLP). As an assistant professor, her research is pivotal in advancing automated speech recognition for languages with limited resources, with a particular focus on Arabic. Dr. Aldarmaki's journey in AI research began at UAE University and has included significant contributions to Statistics Center-Abu Dhabi and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.

Salma Alrashdi, a master's student with a keen interest in integrating machine learning with healthcare, is currently working on AI mechanisms to predict cancer evolution. Her research could lead to breakthroughs in creating more effective treatments based on genetic markers.

Karima Kadaoui, an alumna and current research assistant at MBZUAI, has dedicated her master's thesis to improving speech recognition for impaired speech patterns. Her ongoing work focuses on making NLP tasks more accessible for Arabic dialects, aiming to benefit disadvantaged communities through AI technology.

Hawua Olamide Toyin, representing the student body as president of the Graduate Student Council and a master's student from Nigeria, is exploring sustainable models in multimodal systems for speech recognition and synthesis in Arabic. Toyin's ambition extends to pursuing a Ph.D., where she plans to develop AI applications for treating speech disorders, particularly in developing countries.

The contributions of these five women at MBZUAI highlight the university's commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment that encourages innovation and leadership in AI among women. Their work spans various aspects of AI application, from healthcare solutions and speech recognition technologies to serving disadvantaged communities and addressing speech disorders. Through their achievements, MBZUAI continues to champion gender equity and nurture a community of influential decision-makers in the AI field.

With inputs from WAM