ICBA welcomes Emirati woman social scientist as deputy director general

Dr. Tarifa Al Zaabi, an Emirati woman social scientist, has been appointed Deputy Director General of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA).

Having officially joined the center on 25 August 2019, Dr. Al Zaabi brings to the position 20 years of executive and leadership experience in higher education institutions.

She was previously Director of Dubai Women’s College, Higher Colleges of Technology, where she developed student and academic services and strategies to motivate young people through innovation, research and training.

She is also a keen edupreneur and a winner of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum SME Award as Businesswoman of the Year 2015 for her work to train and mentor start-ups in the UAE.

Commenting on Dr. Al Zaabi’s appointment, Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Director General of ICBA, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Tarifa Al Zaabi as ICBA’s new Deputy Director General. In view of her rich background, I am confident that Dr. Al Zaabi will make an immense contribution to our center’s mission to deliver agricultural and water scarcity solutions in marginal environments to end hunger and poverty worldwide.”

For her part, Dr. Al Zaabi said: “I am pleased to join ICBA, which has a diverse team of professionals from about 25 countries. This role gives me an opportunity to serve people living in the marginal environments. I will be working together with ICBA’s team, particularly the scientists and management, to find solutions for some of the world’s most pressing issues like climate change, water scarcity, food insecurity, and salinity.”

Dr. Al Zaabi is a graduate of the UAE Government Leaders Program (Executive Leadership) and is certified as a trainer by the UAE Government Leaders Program to represent the UAE internationally and deliver training to local and foreign governments.

She holds a Ph.D. in Education (Management and Educational Leadership) from the British University of Dubai and an Executive MBA in Business Administration with honours from the University of Sharjah and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Administration from Higher Colleges of Technology.

Dr. Al Zaabi has represented the UAE in various local and international conferences and has co-authored several education-focused studies and academic papers.