Seven-year-old Sarah Nadi’s tiny fingers clatter over the keyboard of a clunky PC, her small face illuminated by the pixelated glow of Disney’s Aladdin. As she progresses through the game, her childhood bedroom in Abu Dhabi transforms into a magical realm, each keystroke drawing her further into the vibrance of Arabia. In the following years, Nadi’s passion would take her around the world as a university professor. Now, she’s back in the desert, using the power of technology to inspire the minds of tomorrow at NYU Abu Dhabi.
Since joining the university in January 2024 as an associate professor in computer science, Nadi has continued her research in software engineering, providing automated support tools that help developers accomplish their tasks more efficiently. For developers, this means writing better quality code. For everyday users, it means confidently using your online banking, booking flights or even navigating medical devices.
“I want to help people and knowing that my work is making a difference in everyday life is hugely rewarding,” says Nadi. “I like the practical problem-solving side of computer science and having somebody in the end who's going to benefit from it.”
Nadi was introduced to technology at a young age, with her automation engineer father bringing early computer models into the family home. After progressing from the games of the nineties, she became interested in programming, leaning into the math and engineering spheres in high school and going on to graduate from The American University in Cairo in 2007 with a BSc in Computer Science.
From there, Nadi worked as a software developer for around eight months at ITWorx, before crossing the Atlantic to obtain a Master’s degree and a Pd.D. from The University of Waterloo in Canada. She then worked as a post-doctoral researcher at TU Darmstadt in Germany before joining the University of Alberta as an Assistant Professor in 2016. In 2017, she was awarded a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Software Reuse, which was renewed for a second term in 2022. She then received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 2022 before making her Middle Eastern homecoming earlier this year.
“I spent part of my childhood in Abu Dhabi, but it had been a long time and now it's a completely different city,” she says. “The UAE is such an incredible place in terms of societal, infrastructural and technological progress and it feels like a really exciting time to be in Abu Dhabi.
“I'm here with my husband and the rest of my family is close by in Egypt, so the move was both family and professionally driven. Being back in the Middle East feels like coming home.”
As Nadi launches into teaching her computer science courses, she draws on her extensive knowledge from research, enriching her students' learning experience.
“We all rely on software in our daily lives and making sure this software behaves correctly is essential - no one wants their account balance showing less money than they have due to a glitch,” she says. “Since my research makes sure software developers write better quality code more efficiently, it helps the everyday user be more confident in relying on these software systems.”
As for new opportunities, the position carries a lot of weight.
"I don't see much software engineering research coming out of the Middle East, but I think we have great talent in the region,” she says. “I look forward to changing that through my work at NYUAD, and making an impact closer to home."
