Saudi scientist sees new generation of professionals sparking change

RIYADH: Saudi inventor, scientist and entrepreneur Hayat Sindi is a woman who sees the potential in young people to effect social change in a positive way.
Hayat is the first Saudi and female scientist to become a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for sciences, which is in recognition of her work to create an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and social innovation for scientists, technologists and engineers in the Middle East.
Her success serves as inspiration to the younger generation looking forward to develop the right entrepreneurial and cognitive skills, which was evident here at the UNESCO NGO Forum 2017 organized by the MiSK Foundation. The foundation works to develop a knowledge-based economy by promoting practical schemes to support young people in developing the right entrepreneurial skills.
“It does not matter where we comes from, or the background, what is important is to remain focused, one should be determined to achieve the goals in life,” Hayat told Arab News.
Hayat earned a degree in pharmacology with honors from King’s College London in 1995 and five years later became the first woman from the Gulf to obtain a doctorate in biotechnology from Cambridge University.
She is interested in developing an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Middle East that would transcend existing gaps between education and opportunity. In 2011 she launched i2, the Institute for Imagination and Ingenuity, to encourage innovation among young scientists, technologists and engineers.
She is sharing her ideas behind the institute through fellowships, training and mentoring programs to empower and inspire the next generation of innovators so that they may realize their dreams and ultimately contribute to Saudi Arabia’s growing economy.