Guest Articles

61% of STEM graduates in the UAE are women, compared to about one-third in North America and Europe.

Following a thought-provoking conversation at one of the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai (BCCD) networking event and in the lead up to IWD, Dr. Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan, Chairman of United Trademark & Patent Services, and I were invited by the BCCD to share insights into remarkable female scientists in the region and their groundbreaking work. 

In this article we proudly share a world-class list of researchers, inventors, and astronauts from past and present across the MENA region, hoping to shine more light on the formidable and indispensable female figures in STEM in the UAE and the world.

These are just a few of the remarkable female scientists from the UAE, GCC, and MENA region who have made - and continue to make - a lasting impact on the global STEM landscape.

Noura Al-Matrooshi

Four years ago, Noura, born in 1993, made history when she was announced by UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum as the UAE’s first female astronaut.

She was chosen with Mohammed Al-Mulla, among over 4,000 candidates, to join the UAE's Mohammed Bin Rashid (MBR) Space Centre astronaut program, a Dubai Government organisation working on the UAE space program.

Noura holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the United Arab Emirates University. In 2024, she graduated from the NASA Astronaut Candidate Class training programme (the first Arab woman to graduate from the programme) becoming a fully qualified astronaut prepared for future space missions.

Dr. Habiba Alsafar

Habiba is an Emirati research scholar and biomedical engineer. She is the Director of Biotechnology Center, Associate Dean for Student Affair and an Associate Professor of Genetics and Molecular Biology at the College of Medicine and Health Science at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Her research focuses on constructing genomic profiles of individuals of Arab descent to identify disease-related genetic segments, particularly those affecting the UAE's local communities. Dr Habiba Alsafar holds a PhD in Forensics and Medical Sciences from the University of Western Australia and Master’s Degree in Medical Engineering from the University of Liverpool.

Habiba was one of outstanding Arab women scientists to win the International L'Oréal-UNESCO Fellowship for Women in Science. She was also awarded the UAE first honour model from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for being one of the pioneers in her field.

Hayat Sindi

Born in Saudi Arabia, Hayat is a leading biotechnologist and Goodwill ambassador for Sciences at UNESCO. She worked against the odds to become the first female from the Arabian Gulf to earn a PhD in biotechnology from the University of Cambridge. She also holds a BA degree from King’s College London and has completed programmes at MIT and Harvard.

As a global role model in Science, she has been nominated in 2012 and 2013 as a member of the Nifty Fifty program of the prestigious USA Science and Engineering Festival. In 2018, she was listed by the BCC as one of 100 most inspiring and influential women from around the world.

In an interview with UNESCO, Sindi said, "If anything, I would like to think that I have inspired girls to pursue a career in science if that is what interests them."

Maryam Mirzakhani

Maryam was an Iranian mathematician and a professor of mathematics at Stanford University. 

She made several discoveries in the fields of geometry, topology and dynamics. She was the first woman to win the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics.

The citation for her award recognised “her outstanding contributions to the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces.”

Jenan Al-Shehaba

Born in Kuwait, Jenan Jenan is an award-winning electrical engineer, founder and current Chief Technology Officer of Electrodis Tech.

Established in 2016, Jenan’s business venture was considered the first of its kind in the region. The start-up manufactures electromagnetic cells to provide power to electronics in general. In July 2019, she received a patent from the United States Patent Office (USPTO) for her invention "Wireless Power transmission System."

After finishing her bachelor’s in electrical engineering, Jenan pursued a master’s degree in systems and process control graduating in 2021. When her grandmother was diagnosed with diabetes and suffered from a diabetic coma, Jenan designed a device that alerts doctors of a patient’s impending hypoglycemic coma. The medical tester is developed with diagnostic and predictive capabilities. Jenan’s fundamental idea was to create a device with the potential of saving lives.

Amina Al-Hawaj

Amina Al Hawaj was named as the first Bahrain’s female inventor. She creates medical devices to improve physiotherapy for patients.

She is currently a PhD candidate in Innovation at the University of Central Lancashire.

“People say I’m the first female inventor in Bahrain, but I certainly don’t want to be the only one,” she said. “Any workshop you go to, you hear ‘innovation,’ ‘women,’ ‘innovation.’ But we are really just doing what is necessary.”

Reem Al Marzooqi

Reem Al Marzooqi is a young female engineer and the first citizen of the UAE to be granted a patent in the United States of America for designing a car that can be driven without hands.

She recently received global recognition for her work and became part of the Bentley Extraordinary Women initiative.

When asked what advice she would give to young women looking to enter the automotive industry, she said “Think of it as a bigger scale of toys and try to enjoy your journey, there is always a place for women in this field and mastering it will boost your self-esteem more than anything.”

Mariam Al Astrulabiyya

Born in Aleppo, Syria, in the 10th century, Mariam took the science of astrolabes to the next level. 

The significant contributions of Mariam in astronomy were officially recognised when the main-belt asteroid, 7060 Al-Ijliyye, was named after her in 1990.

She was named an extraordinary woman from the Islamic Golden Age by 1001 Inventions.

Author: Madina Aylen, Head of Client Development at United Trademark & Patent Services (UTPS).  United Trademark & Patent Services is an international law firm specialising in intellectual property rights protection in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia since 1949.

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