Sarah Amiri

Amiri studied computer science at the American University of Sharjah, earning bachelor's and master's degrees.[1][2][3] She was always interested in aerospace engineering but grew up at a time when United Arab Emirates did not have a space program.[4]

Amiri began her career at the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology, where she worked on DubaiSat-1 and DubaiSat-2.[5] She joined the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment before taking on a senior role at the Dubai World Trade Centre.[1] In 2016 she was appointed as head of the Emirates Science Council.[4][6][7]

Today she is the science lead for the Emirates Mars Mission, Hope.[4][8][9] The mission is partnered with University of Colorado Boulder, University of California, Berkeley and Arizona State University.[4] She spoke at TEDxDubai Salon about the Hope Mars Mission.[10][11] In November 2017 Amiri became the first Emirati to speak at an international TED event when she spoke about the Hope Mars Mission in Louisiana.[12] They plan to launch in 2020 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the United Arab Emirates in 2021.[13] She was an invited speaker at the 2016 World Economic Forum.[14]

In October 2017 Amiri was named Minister of State for Advanced Sciences in the United Arab Emirates Cabinet.[2][15] In an effort to increase global scientific collaboration, Al Amiri toured US scientific institutions in November 2017.[7] She was a participant at Foo Camp 2018.