Her Excellency Dr. Amna AlDahak AlShamsi
Assistant Undersecretary, Care & Capacities Building Sector, UAE Ministry of Education
UAE Government Spokesperson
Her Excellency Dr. Amna AlDahak AlShamsi is the Assistant Undersecretary for Care & Capacity Building Sector at the Ministry of Education in UAE since July 2016 where she has led several strategic programs and initiatives that target two key focus areas, namely Identification and Enrichment of Gifted and Innovative Students and Student Empowerments through capacity building programs. She was also named the UAE Government Spokesperson in April 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic where she participated in carrying out national press briefings, moderating ministerial sessions, in addition to speaking at international multilateral conferences.
Prior to her current position, HE held the role of the Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department at the Ministry of Education and led the planning and implementation of the first Innovation Ambassadors Program in summer 2016. Prior to that, she was a Research Assistant and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) candidate at the Department of Computer Engineering in Khalifa University from 2010 to 2015. She also worked at the Department of Computer Science in the University of Sharjah as a Teaching Assistant from 2001 to 2005 and as a lecturer/faculty member from 2005 to 2010.
Dr. Al Shamsi has participated with many papers in conferences and scientific journals. She also served as a reviewer in many specialized conferences.
During her work with the Ministry of Education she was awarded the 2020 Best Assistant Under-Secretary Award which is one of the Ministry’s Excellence Awards and the 2019 UAE Pioneers Award for the “Voice of Tolerance” Project for which HE was the Team Leader.
Her Excellency is a member of a number of prominent national and regional councils and committees, such as the Higher National Committee for the People of Determination Services, the National Food Security Council, and the Gulf Council for Giftedness for which she is also heading its executive committee. She is also a member of the advisory boards and academic committees of several colleges in the UAE universities, a member of the Board of Trustees of Ajman University of Science and Technology, and a member of the Emirates National Schools Board of Directors. HE also chairs the Child Protection Council and the National Committee for Bullying Prevention. Moreover, HE was the Chairperson of the Organizing Committee of the 2021 International Junior Science Olympiad hosted with great success in the UAE. It is the first international Olympiad in the field of science (chemistry, biology and physics) hosted by the UAE and implemented for the first time in its history in a hybrid form.
Dr AlShamsi holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Khalifa University, and Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science from University of Sharjah. She also holds the UAE Government Innovation Diploma from Mohamed Bin Rashid Center of Government Innovation.