Sarah Amiri


Sarah Al Amiri is the Chair of the United Arab Emirates Council of Scientists and Deputy Project Manager of the Emirates Mars Mission. She is Minister of State for Advanced Technology in the United Arab Emirates Cabinet.

Early life and education

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

Research and career

Amiri began her career at the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology, where she worked on DubaiSat-1 and DubaiSat-2. She joined the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment before taking on a senior role at the Dubai World Trade Centre. In 2016 she was appointed as head of the Emirates Science Council.
Today she is the science lead for the Emirates Mars Mission, Hope. The mission is partnered with University of Colorado Boulder, University of California, Berkeley and Arizona State University. She spoke at TEDxDubai Salon about the Hope Mars Mission. 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. The mission launched in July 2020 and is scheduled to reach Mars in 2021 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the United Arab Emirates. She was an invited speaker at the 2016 World Economic Forum.
In October 2017 Amiri was named Minister of State for Advanced Sciences in the United Arab Emirates Cabinet. In an effort to increase global scientific collaboration, Al Amiri toured US scientific institutions in November 2017. She was a participant at Foo Camp 2018.