Women in Tech: At the forefront of innovation - Key takeaways from Lina Al-Hashemi & Ruxandra Cojocaru

We are delighted to continue our Women in Tech series, where hear interesting stories from inspirational people leading the charge at the forefront of innovation.

In episode 11, we hear from two remarkable women shaping the future of advanced technology and AI in the UAE: Lina Al-Hashemi, Project Manager for Intellectual Property Acquisition at Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), and Ruxandra Cojocaru, Lead Researcher for AI and the Cross-Centre Unit at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), both based in Abu Dhabi.

Interviewed by Melissa Murray, Intellectual Property Partner in our Dubai office & Head of Country for the UAE, Lina and Ruxandra share their unique career journeys - from IT to intellectual property leadership, and from physics to machine learning - offering valuable insights into IP strategy in advanced research, the global impact of open-source AI models, and the encouraging progress being made in closing the gender gap in STEM fields.

Listen to the podcast here and read the key takeaways below. These themes explore the critical role of IP in building a knowledge-based economy, the UAE's position in the global AI race, and the importance of following your professional interests without fear of change.

• IP strategy as the foundation for knowledge-based economies - Lina emphasises that intellectual property must be viewed strategically, not just as legal protection. Her mission at ATRC is to raise awareness amongst researchers and scientists, transforming intangible assets into commercialised products and services that attract investors and partnerships. A critical aspect of this is IP due diligence in technology procurement - ensuring there are no risks of third-party infringement whilst identifying potential growth opportunities. This approach aligns with the UAE and Abu Dhabi's vision of building a knowledge-based economy where IP becomes a competitive differentiator.
• Open-source AI as a catalyst for global innovation - Ruxandra highlights how TII's decision to release the Falcon models on permissive licences created significant global impact whilst being mutually beneficial. The open-source approach means their models are now efficiently supported by publicly available libraries and tested by researchers and companies worldwide, increasing credibility. TII's dual strategy combines fostering community involvement through an open-source foundation whilst supporting commercial initiatives through VentureOne and the recently launched startup AI71 - demonstrating that open collaboration and commercial success can coexist effectively.
• The UAE's emergence as a global AI powerhouse - Ruxandra notes that the UAE is now in the top three countries investing in AI, alongside the United States and China. TII's approach reflects this ambition: pursuing innovation and building solutions locally in Abu Dhabi whilst encouraging different sectors of UAE society to safely adopt AI-based solutions to improve productivity and work quality. However, challenges remain - introducing technology safely with suitable guardrails, delivering models cost-effectively to compensate for high development costs, and making technology usable across more languages and domains.
• Progress on gender representation in STEM - but work remains - Whilst acknowledging that lower presence of women in STEM is well-documented - with Ruxandra having personally worked in environments where female researchers were less than 20% of technical staff - she notes encouraging progress. In her current AI Cross-Centre Unit team of approximately 12 people, 50% are women. This demonstrates that the gender gap in STEM fields, particularly in computer science and AI, is slowly being breached through conscious effort and inclusive practices - though continued focus is needed across the broader ecosystem.
• Career advice: Follow your interests and embrace continuous learning - Both Lina and Ruxandra emphasise following what you genuinely enjoy professionally and not being afraid of change or new challenges. Lina finds fulfilment in working with inventors and guiding them through the patent process, whilst Ruxandra's career moved from physics to machine learning and AI. Their shared message: these domains move fast and require continuous learning, making it essential to pursue work that excites you. The competitive nature of advanced technology demands sustained effort in training and adaptation, but this makes the work rewarding for those passionate about innovation.