Women in STEM initiatives

On 11 February, the world is celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This important international day is all about closing the STEM gender gap and advocating for women and girls to start their professional journeys in science and technology.

LinkedIn’s 2023 Jobs on the Rise report found that engineering roles across cloud computing, data science, AI and machine learning are some of the fastest-growing careers globally – but that there continues to be gender inequity in these internationally critical industries.

As professional opportunities in STEM will only continue to grow rapidly across the world, higher education institutions must continue to empower their students to develop the skills and expertise needed for a successful career in the field.

At Middlesex University Dubai, we are incredibly proud to have an active community of women and girls who are passionate about STEM in our Computer and Engineering Informatics Department, which is led fearlessly by Dr Fehmida Hussain, Head of Computer Engineering and Informatics, Associate Professor - Faculty of Science and Technology, Head and Founder of Center for Innovation in Human Experience (CIHx). 

Our male and female faculty and students work together to create an equitable and accessible environment for all students to explore the latest technologies such as AI, Robotics, VR, Cybersecurity, Data Science and much more. Our students are supported to gain hands-on experience with industry, so they can succeed in the STEM industry’s future-defining career pathways.

This year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebrations aim to connect the role of women and girls in science to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. We spoke to our faculty and students about their thoughts on this year’s theme.

Our community reflected on how we can put science, technology and innovation at the heart of sustainable development – and the important role that higher education plays in levelling the playing field and showcasing the creativity, ingenuity and innovation that women and girls bring to STEM.

1. “By encouraging more women to pursue a STEM education, we lift up communities, harness incredible creativity, and make the science and technology that impact our daily lives more equitable and accessible for all. Let’s surge ahead with magnifying the voices and talents of women and girls studying and working in this future-defining field.”

- Dr Cedwyn Fernandes, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Middlesex University and Director of Middlesex University Dubai

2. “Let us all work together to create an equitable, diverse, and inclusive world, and not allow women's talents to go untapped. We should not forget that they comprise 50% of the world’s population.”

- Dr Fehmida Hussain, Head of Computer Engineering and Informatics, Associate Professor - Faculty of Science and Technology, Head and Founder of Center for Innovation in Human Experience (CIHx)

3. "We need more women in STEM to showcase their talents and present their perspectives in the field. Together, we can reflect gender equality and allow the industry to propel itself to its full potential.”

- Engie Bashir, Senior Lecturer Computer Engineering and Informatics, Campus Programme Coordinator – Undergraduate Computer Engineering and Informatics

4. “Empowering women to delve into the realm of STEM not only broadens the spectrum of innovative solutions, but also creates an inclusive and equitable world where brilliance knows no gender.”

- Fathima Riffai Abdul Shakoor, BSc Honours Information Technology, Year 2

5. “The reality is: women in STEM offer valuable knowledge and boost innovation and competitiveness while enhancing the culture of a STEM workplace. This only proves their potential to improve scientific and technological outcomes.”

- Inshaa Uddin, BEng Honours Computer Systems Engineering, Year 2

6. “I am a scientist. My first science teacher was my mom.”

- Judhi Prasetyo, Senior Lecturer Computer Engineering and Informatics, School of Science and Technology

7. “Women's diverse perspectives and ideas in STEM drive innovation and progress to the forefront, making it inclusive and shaping a better future for all.”

- Charulatha Valarpuram Mani, BSc Honours Information Technology, Year 3

8. “Whether it is Science, Technology, Engineering, or Maths, we can do it all. We definitely belong to STEM. Challenge yourself and together we can work side by side to bridge the gender gap.”

- Dr. Maha Saadeh, Senior Lecturer Computer Engineering and Informatics, School of Science and Technology

9. “Without the presence of women in STEM, innovation would be limited and many of the groundbreaking discoveries in the field wouldn’t have been made. We need more women to further the research in STEM and bring about positive changes in the field.”

- Naba Khan, BSc Honours Business Information Systems, Year 2

The Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics led by Dr Fehmida Hussain and Dr Maha Saadeh organised an event on Monday 31^st October 2022 to mark the end of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Entitled “Do Your Part & Be Cyber Smart”, the event aimed to spread awareness of cybersecurity among our students.

We were delighted to welcome Jayesh Sebastian, Head of Operations at eSafe Society, to join us to talk to our students about eSafe and how to create a positive online experience. 

A group of our BSc Cyber Security and Digital Forensics students - Ferdusbanu Allakova, Roseena Shaji, and Lubaba Jabeen – also presented to the attendees about the importance of cybersecurity and provided some best practices for social media security and privacy settings.

We then celebrated our students' summer achievements and awarded the winners of the Student Learning Journey programme: Anushka Narsima, Eman Iftikhar, Fathima Nazrin Naranath, Saba Shaikh, Naba Naushad Khan, Vansh Mohan, and Sindhu Gunda. 

The event also included information about how to join the Cisco “Introduction to Cybersecurity” course, which helps our students to gain industry knowledge in cybersecurity.

Middlesex University Dubai’s Dr Cody Paris and Dr Heather Jeffrey were recently invited to contribute to Evolvin’ Women’s third ‘Let’s Sit at the Table for Women’s Empowerment Through Education’ roundtable which seeks to explore ways to encourage female students to enter non-traditional job fields within the hospitality industry.

Evolvin’ Women, founded by Assia Riccio-Smith, is a social enterprise focused on providing free education, work experience and networking opportunities to women from developing countries in the hospitality industry. The ‘Let’s Sit at the Table’ is a series of seven roundtables launched in partnership with The Retreat, Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel in September 2017. The aim of the series is to understand more about best practice when it comes to attaining more women in senior leadership positions within the hospitality industry in the region and to support the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UAE’s Women Empowerment Principals (WEPs) taskforce of which Assia is a member. Dr Belisa Marochi, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Middlesex University Dubai, and the academic UN Global Compact academic co-lead for Women Empowerment Principals Taskforce UAE has contributed to the previous roundtables and facilitated the contribution.

Additionally, first and second year media students participated in the event as engaged audience members, asking valuable and interesting questions at the end of the panel discussions. The students also had the opportunity to gain valuable contacts for campaigns they are creating on gender equality. Lecturer in PR and Media Studies, Stephen King, accompanied the students and commented on what a great experiential learning experience the session was.

The panel brought together key stakeholders from the education and hospitality sectors in the United Arab Emirates, although this seems to be a much wider reaching issue, a recent study estimated that around 80% of head chefs are male in the Republic of Ireland and in the United Kingdom approximately 23% of chefs are female. Many of the ideas emerging from the discussions centred on the availability and presence of role models as mentors, the high school curriculum and wider stereotypes. In two months’ time stakeholders will once again sit at the table with Evolvin’ Women to try to develop tangible outcomes focusing on the encouragement of female students to enter non-traditional professions.

Dr Fehmida Hussain, Campus Programme Coordinator Computer Engineering and Informatics department has been appointed ambassador to the  Emirates Digital Association for Women.  EDAW is a non-profit association, established to guide, support, and empower women across the UAE in the fields of computer science, computer engineering and information technology. Dr. Fehmida recently organised the Women in STEM workshop in conjunction with CISCO.