"To people in Pittsburgh, I was a friend with my scarf, not a stranger," Dr al Ghaferi says of her university days.
"To people in Pittsburgh, I was a friend with my scarf, not a stranger," Dr al Ghaferi says of her university days.

Professor professes desire to be role model



The first female Emirati faculty member of the Masdar Institute reflects on her substantial achievements and sets her sights on being an example to other UAE nationals to drive them towards their own fulfilling career. She graduated with a physics degree, travelled to the US to earn a PhD and gain "life experience" and while there went out of her way to build bridges in an uneasy post-September 11 climate.

It was an interest in technology that drew Dr Amal al Ghaferi to research science and led her to become the first female Emirati faculty member at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, the research arm of the carbon-neutral Masdar City. Now she has an even bigger goal: to become an inspiration to other UAE nationals, proving by her own success that they too can have a fulfilling career that pushes the boundaries of knowledge.

Dr al Ghaferi, an assistant professor, says: "I think the Masdar Institute is a unique place in the world and I think people from the UAE need a role model. It is important to show them an example of a researcher." After studying at UAE University in Al Ain, Dr al Ghaferi earned her PhD in materials science and engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. It was difficult at times, adjusting from the quiet charm of Al Ain to a foreign land, and the big city bustle - she found the sirens of ambulances particularly alarming - but the transition was made easier by Dr al Ghaferi's parents, who lived with her during the first year.

Indeed Dr al Ghaferi's parents have always been keen for their high-flying daughter to push academic boundaries. "I come from an educated family and my father was the first to encourage me to get my PhD, and my mother pushed me the whole time to get my PhD before the age of 30," she says, with a smile. Dr al Ghaferi had been in the US a year when the September 11 attacks happened. Afterwards, she made sure to connect with Americans, hoping with gentle persuasion she could defuse potential tensions.

"I did more outreach with people so they changed their ideas about Arab Muslims and the UAE," she says. "I remember I was wearing my hijab there and just to show them our religion is respectful of other religions, I joined people in Sunday mass. It was a nice experience for me. I sat with them and talked about how people in the end are like each other and are not different from each other." Indeed, Dr al Ghaferi found that her hijab made her more recognisable in Pittsburgh and this helped strengthen friendships.

"To people in Pittsburgh, I was a friend with my scarf, not a stranger," she says. "People knew me as a friend. And every year I made sure I got a Thanksgiving invitation." Before getting too settled at Masdar, she will spend another year studying in the US, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and then return to set up her own research group. She plans to investigate nanoparticles, and how the minuscule components can be used to make better-performing solar materials.

The importance of Masdar, Dr al Ghaferi believes, extends beyond the goal of energy savings by using alternative energy sources. She says the project, which is being spearheaded by Mubadala, should be seen as a template for the UAE and beyond. "I think Masdar is just the beginning of this thing in the UAE," she says. "I think Masdar will be able to drive renewable energy sources in the whole of the UAE and hopefully the whole of the Middle East and the world."

The Masdar Institute's outreach work, which connects it to the country's ministries, is crucial in driving this, she said. With her second stint in America imminent, Dr al Ghaferi is looking to the future and what she hopes to achieve with her research group when she returns. Working alongside her will be a postdoctoral researcher and PhD and master's students. "I think I will have great benefits from establishing a research group," she says. "Once you have four or five minds working together, it's much better than having just your own work and projects. There will be great opportunities for all of us."

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

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However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

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Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
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Prop idols

Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.

Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)

An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.

----

Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)

Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.

----

Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)

Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.