Amal Al Qubaisi (born 18 October 1969) was the speaker of the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...

Federal National Council (FNC) from 2015 to 2019. She was first female leader of a national assembly in the

and the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

. Before holding the position she was the chairwomen of the Abu Dhabi Education Council.

Career and education

In 2000, Al Qubaisi earned her Ph.D. in

Architectural Engineering Architectural engineers apply and theoretical knowledge to the engineering design of buildings and building systems. The goal is to engineer high performance buildings that are sustainable, economically viable and ensure the safety health. Archi ...

from the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

in the United Kingdom and holds the world’s only doctoral degree on the conservation of the UAE’s architectural heritage. She became an assistant professor of

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

at UAE University in 2000 which she held until 2006. As an architect, she has worked with

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

to document and preserve more than 350 historical sites in the UAE including Al Jahili and Al Hosn Forts. In 2001, she was appointed President of the

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soc ...

unit of Al Ain's Tourism and Economic Development Authority. She served as president until 2003. In 2007, she was elected to be a member of FNC for Abu Dhabi, making her the first woman elected. President of the education, youth, media and culture committee. Member of health, labour and social affairs committee. In 2011, Al Quabaisi was chosen as first deputy speaker of the FNC and became the first woman to chair a council session in 2013. In 2014, she was appointed as chairwomen of the Abu Dhabi Education Council. On November 18, 2015, Al Qubaisi was appointed President of the FNC, making her the region’s first female leader of a national assembly. She was a member of the

Cosmos Club The Cosmos Club is a 501(c)(7) private social club in Washington, D.C. that was founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878 as a gentlemen's club for those interested in science. Among its stated goals is, "The advancement of its members in science, ...

in Washington DC.

Awards

* 2008, Abu Dhabi Award * 2008, Middle East Excellence Award of Women Leadership, for being the most prominent female for her outstanding political achievement in 2007 * 2009, Abu Dhabi Medal of Honor * 2014, Emirati Pioneers Award, for being the first Emirati woman elected to join the Federal National Council. * 2016, Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sheffield

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qubaisi, Amal 1969 births Living people People from Abu Dhabi Alumni of the University of Sheffield Emirati women in politics Academic staff of United Arab Emirates University Speakers of the Federal National Council Emirati architects