Najwa Aaraj
CEO, Technology Innovation Institute
Dr. Najwa Aaraj is the chief executive officer (CEO) at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research pillar of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), the overarching advanced technology body in Abu Dhabi responsible for driving research and development for transformative technology outcomes.
Aaraj also serves as the CEO of QuantumGate, part of VentureOne, ATRC’s commercialisation arm, delivering post-quantum cryptography and quantum-resilient security solutions to protect organizations’ critical data for the post-quantum era.
Aaraj earned a PhD with Highest Distinction in Applied Cryptography and Embedded Systems Security from Princeton University (USA). She has extensive expertise in applied cryptography, trusted platforms, security architecture for embedded systems, software exploit detection and prevention systems, and biometrics.
She also specialises in shaping the robotics and self-organised autonomous vehicles ecosystem in the UAE and beyond – exploring their application across air, land, on sea and underwater. She has more than 18 years of experience with global firms, working in multiple geographies from Australia to the United States.