Dr. Raida Al Alawi is a well-accomplished woman who has received several awards and accolades for her efforts in the field of engineering – a profession that is widely dominated by men all around the world. She has proved to be a prime inspiration for women pursuing the field in the Kingdom having been the first Bahraini woman to receive a Ph.D. degree in Engineering.
She spoke to Farah Baig about her most recent milestone achievement – being named the ‘President of the Bahrain Society of Engineers (BSE)’, making her the first female president in the history of the society.
You are renowned in the field of engineering, but could you kindly tell our readers a little about yourself?
During my school years, my favourite subject was always Maths as it was based on logic. My enjoyment for Maths grew during high school, where I attained the highest score in the subject nationwide. I was also excited by the idea of designing things for the advancement of society, and so, my passion led me to pursue engineering for my undergraduate studies.
I received a BSc degree in Electrical Engineering from Kuwait University, followed by MSc in Computer Engineering from the University of London and ultimately a Ph.D. Degree in Computational Intelligence from Brunel University – London. I am honoured to have been the first Bahraini woman to receive a Ph.D. degree in Engineering.
I recently joined the American University of Bahrain as Adjunct Professor, prior to which I was the Director of Technology Development at BFG International. Prior to this appointment, I had held academic positions and served in various key strategic, academic and planning committees at the University of Bahrain (UOB) and Ahlia University.
I also currently chair the ICT committee of the Federation of Arab Engineers and am currently serving as a Programme Evaluator and Reviewer for a number of academic related organisations. I also conducted various consultancy projects in the IT field and am a referee for several International Journals in the area of Electronics and Computer Engineering.
You have received several honours throughout your illustrious career. Could you tell us about some of the most memorable ones?
Sure. The HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Outstanding Academic Women Pioneers Award, the GCC Engineering Union Award for Pioneers in Engineering, and the UOB Certificate of Excellence in Teaching are among the awards I have received. I was also honoured to be nominated by the World Federation of Engineering Organisation (WFEO) to be a member at the UN University Council.
I am also thrilled to be listed as one of leading women engineers sharing their leadership journey in the book ‘Rising to The Top’ published by the International Network for Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES) in collaboration with the World Federation of Engineering Organisation.
The Bahrain Society of Engineers is a volunteer professional organisation established in 1972. Could you tell us about your involvement with BSE?
I joined BSE in 1985 after receiving my master’s degree. A few years later I applied for a life membership and have since been participating in their activities, conferences and committees. For the past four years, I have been a member of the BSE Board of Directors, during which I gained a lot of experience with how the society works and its professional relationships.
Participating in BSE volunteer activities as a member then a board director grew my sense of belonging and my responsibility towards my country and the Bahraini community – I have to leave a positive impact. For this reason, I stood for the election for the position of President of the Bahrain Society of Engineers to use my practical, scientific and administrative experiences that I gained during my career or through my membership in many local and international voluntary professional organisations.
Yes, and you were quite successful; congratulations on your election as president of BSE! How do you feel about being the first female President of the society?
It’s a real honour to be the president of BSE. I highly appreciate the members trust and confidence in my abilities to elect me as BSE president. It’s a challenging position, because engineering is a profession that is dominated by men, and it is more challenging when it comes to leadership. I believe that women leadership can drive change and leave a positive impact on BSE excellence.
What are your thoughts on the role of women in the field of engineering in the Kingdom of Bahrain?
Bahraini women are making remarkable progress in all fields on the national level. In the Engineering field, Bahraini women have made great achievements since the graduation of the first Bahraini female engineer in the year 1977. The support and empowerment granted by the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), chaired by HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women, has a great impact promoting the role of women engineers in Bahrain.
Today, you can see Bahraini women engineers contributing effectively in almost all engineering disciplines and at all levels. Today, 35 percent of the engineering workforce in the government sector are Bahraini women while with 21 percent being in the private sector.
That brings me to my next point. How many members does the society have and how many of those members are women?
BSE has around 2,800 registered members, however only 1,140 members are active. There are five membership categories: Fellow, Member, Graduate, Affiliate and Student. Almost 25 percent of the members are females.
The society has had some major accomplishments in the last 50 years. What are some of your main goals as the President of BSE, taking the organisation forward?
As a president of BSE, I have several goals including strengthening the society’s role as an effective and responsible entity in the national development projects. This is in addition to enhancing the performance of BSE training centre to transform it to a regional centre for training and qualifying engineers in accordance with international standards.
I also intend to create a platform to help recruit job-seeking engineers in collaboration with concerned authorities. Further, I intend to enhance BSE’s financial stability by diversifying sources of income, better utilisation of internal resources, and reducing operating expenses. I will also be working towards strengthening our collaborations with GCC, regional and international engineering organisations. Strengthening partnership with universities, engineering firms and industrial organisations to conduct research and promote entrepreneurship is also at the forefront of my goals.
I also intend to have an active role in reviewing and accrediting Engineering programmes offered by local universities, and collaborate with other professional societies in Bahrain to direct the professional volunteer work in common areas of interest.
Is there anything else you would like to add at this time?
I extend my sincere thanks to the previous BSE Board of Directors, led by its President, Dr. Dheya Tawfiqi, for the tremendous efforts they made during the past session, in which BSE faced many challenges due to the pandemic. They worked to ensure the continuity of volunteer work by finding innovative solutions to implement various events and activities.
I believe that BSE greatest strength is its members and volunteers – from student members to professional engineers to retired members with their accumulated experience. For this, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success, development and leadership of the Bahrain Society of Engineers, and I pledge to continue giving – to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development that achieves the goals and visions of the society and pushes towards more excellence.
