The awards honor leading innovators in the region who demonstrate superb technical expertise and whose work has the potential to change the way people live for the better The judges include distinguished, independent experts, entrepreneurs and academics affiliated with research centers, leading tech companies and universities DUBAI: MIT Technology Review Arabia has announced the members of the committee of judges who will select the winners of its Innovators Under 35 MENA awards for 2022. Introduced to the region in 2018, the contest is the regional version of a global awards scheme launched by MIT Technology Review in 1999. It aims to honor leading innovators in the Middle East and North Africa region who have demonstrated superb technical expertise and whose inventions or studies have the potential to change the way people live for the better and result in quantum leaps worldwide. The chosen judges include distinguished, independent technical experts, entrepreneurs and academics affiliated with research centers, leading tech companies and prestigious universities around the world. They include: Ashraf Khalil, a professor of computer science in the College of Technological Innovation at Zayed University in the UAE; Malak Abed Al-Thagafi, a professor at Emory School of Medicine and the founder and chief strategy officer of prenatal genetic testing company Shomool; Maha Albalushi, managing director of Oman Tech Fund; Fares Ghandour, a partner at Wamda Capital and CEO of mental-wellness company Tuhoon; Nidhal Guessoum, a professor of astrophysics at the University of California at San Diego; and Bashar Kilani, managing director of IT company Accenture. “Innovations are the backbone of advanced economies,” Khalil said. “Society as a whole should encourage innovators to achieve a knowledge-based economy. Celebrating young innovators is a noble step toward achieving this goal.” Al-Thagafi, who has been a member of the judges’ committee since 2019, said: “We need to recognize and reward successful new ideas — an objective that stimulates me to be a part of Innovators Under 35.” Since the launch of the scheme in 2018, awards have been presented to 55 innovators from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Egypt, Kuwait, Tunisia, Algeria, Oman, Turkey and the US. MIT Technology Review Arabia is part of the Majarra group of websites.