Prince Sultan University hosts Women in Data Science conference

A number of local and international data scientists took part in the event.

Prince Sultan University (PSU) represented by the College of Computer and Information Sciences (CCIS), organized the Women in Data Science conference (WiDS) in collaboration with Stanford University on March 5.
A number of local and international data scientists took part in the event.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Prince Sultan University to bring the Women in Data Science conference to the Middle East,” said Judy Logan, co-director of the Global Women in Data Science conference at Stanford University. 
The PSU forum is a global event that is the first of its kind in Saudi universities. The forum aims to increase the representation of women and encourage their professional participation in the data science field. The forum presented the latest researches and practices in data science in Middle Eastern countries, and promoted exchange of ideas while encouraging collaboration between several disciplines related to this field. In addition, it aims to link regional researchers and practitioners to international leading networks in data science. This event demonstrates the university’s direction to enhance academic research, which contributes to the national development in accordance with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
The forum included a live feed of the WiDS conference that was held at the American University of Beirut. It also included several sessions and workshops on the future of data science in education, humanizing analytics, privacy and security issues, data science and bioinformatics, big data architecture and other topics in data science and its role in the lives of contemporary women. The sessions and workshops were conducted by a number of university leaders and faculty members as well as guests speakers from other universities and industrial sectors such as Aramco, IBM, SAP and others.
“WiDS Riyadh at Prince Sultan University is bringing the latest data science research and applications to the Kingdom, inspiring students, faculty, and industry participants,” said Mohammed Al-Kanhal, dean of the College of Computer and Information Sciences.
Rimah bint Saleh Al-Yahya, vice rector of PSU women’s campus, said: “PSU is proud to be one of the pioneers in promoting the use of advanced technologies. The goal of the university is to provide successful education through integrating modern technologies and human ethics to develop the process of scientific research, discovery, productivity, and leadership for a meaningful and profound social life.”