Mona Nabil Demaidi

Dr. Mona Nabil Demaidi is a highly accomplished AI expert, entrepreneur and academic leader recognized globally for her strategic contributions to technology and education. In her academic capacity, she serves as the Vice President for Artificial Intelligence and Director of International Relations at Arab American University. She has been instrumental in shaping national policy as the architect of Palestine's Artificial Intelligence National Strategy (approved in June 2023) and UNESCO’s AI & Ethics Policy for Palestine, and is also the architect of AI in higher educational policy for Palestine (2026). Furthermore, she operates as a global AI trainer. 

Dr. Demaidi has also made significant contributions to the United Nations’ efforts at the intersection of technology and peacebuilding, serving as a subject matter expert for a United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) initiative on AI and the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda. In this role, she contributed to the AI Peace Nexus report and co-facilitated workshops to combat digital threats and enhance women's peacebuilding participation, including the development of the SilmAI tool, a pilot AI tool based on UNSCR 1325 for inclusive peace processes. 

As an entrepreneur, she is the Founder and CEO of STEMpire, a consultancy and upskilling company in Nablus, and chairs the Intersect Innovation Hub (powered by Bank of Palestine), reflecting her deep involvement in the local startup ecosystem. 

Dr. Demaidi holds a Ph.D. in Advanced Software Engineering and Machine Learning and an MSc with distinction from the University of Manchester, UK, where her research focused on building personalized learning environments using machine learning. Her achievements have been widely recognized, including being named among the 100 Brilliant Women in AI & Ethics and the 100 Brilliant Women of Davos in AI, and receiving the 2022 UNESCO award for the most influential women in the MENA region in STEM. She was also the first female chair for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in Palestine in 2017.