When we think about the convenience of waterproof clothing or nonstick cookware, we rarely consider the hidden cost. These hardy, manmade chemicals designed to make our lives easier are now documented to linger in our environment for prolonged periods of time, accumulating in our water, our food, and in our bodies.
Assistant Professor and emerging scholar in Mechanical Engineering at NYU Abu Dhabi, Dr Safiya Khalil, is working on a solution to this growing problem.
Khalil’s research focuses on eliminating perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a member of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) family, commonly known as “forever chemicals.” Using a light-driven catalyst and photoreactor system, this work destroys PFOA at the molecular level, achieving up to 99.8 percent elimination without generating secondary contaminants.
Her work, which is licensed to Coflux Purification Company in the US and also entered commercial use, was recently recognized by Fast Company Middle East, naming her one of the Most Creative People in Business 2026.
AI is a central enabler of this vision in the Khalil Lab, allowing Khalil and her team to explore vast materials, design spaces, and rapidly test hypotheses through automation. By coupling AI models with experiments, the lab accelerates the path from discovery to deployment in areas such as advanced water treatment, carbon conversion, and materials for emerging quantum technologies.
Her research focus is clear: developing technologies that harness advanced materials to drive sustainability-focused applications while remaining compatible with real-world deployment.
Science as a unifying force
As a scientist, her ambition is to see her work serve humanity in a meaningful way. No discovery is built in isolation. Every project is a pipeline of shared ideas, shaped by people of different cultures and backgrounds. Progress is rarely linear, and many transformative ideas appear improbable before they become inevitable.
“Science is one of the most powerful unifying forces we have. It demands rigor, but it also demands imagination, and the willingness to pursue visions that may initially be dismissed as improbable or premature, yet ultimately create new technologies, new markets, and new possibilities,” Khalil says.
The recognition by Fast Company Middle East comes as NYUAD joins global celebrations of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11, a United Nations day that highlights the critical role of women and girls in science and technology worldwide.
For Khalil, the moment underscores how leadership in applied science shapes which problems are addressed, how risks are evaluated, and how technologies ultimately enter society. Her broader personal commitment is to ensure that scientific creativity is paired with accountability, and that new technologies are not only innovative but safe, scalable, and accessible.
Khalil recalls lessons from her upbringing. “My mother always taught me that women often carry a million roles at once, and that strength lies in holding them with integrity rather than perfection. My father taught me that a sharp, principled mind can build an empire, but brilliance without substance or purpose is easily wasted. Those lessons stayed with me: ambition matters, but what truly defines us is what we choose to stand for, and which ideas we are willing to carry forward as scientists, leaders, and mentors for the next generation.”
