Another example is Abu Dhabi’s future interfaith complex, The Abrahamic Family House, which will contain a church, a mosque, and a synagogue on Saadiyat Island. That, too, is an idea supported with research. “You’re seeing all these projects that result from understanding the community better,” she says.
In the years ahead, Osmandzikovic believes that her work, and the work of researchers like her, will help power the UAE’s continued upward trajectory. The UAE has accomplished a lot in less than fve decades, she says, from innovations in clean energy to having one of the region’s strongest passports. “But with more and more initiatives, we will need more and more data to back them up and to make them sustainable.”