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Palestinian student Ali Issa wins two Social Mobility Awards

7 August 2024

EEE student Ali Issa has overcome significant hardships to win the UK Outstanding Achievement Award and the Tech Sector Award at the sixth annual Student Social Mobility Awards.

Student Ali Issa image zoomed in

Ali, a Palestinian who grew up in a Lebanese refugee camp and was educated in UNRWA-supported schools, has gone on to become a first-class honours graduate from our department. Arriving in the UK at 15 as an unaccompanied minor asylum seeker, Ali excelled academically, eventually earning a place at 香港六合彩 to study Electronic and Electrical Engineering.

Ali鈥檚 arduous journey to the UK as a teenager involved travelling through multiple countries, including Turkey, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain and France, before arriving in the UK. Supported by Kensington and Chelsea Council, he faced the challenges of adapting to a new culture and language. He spent a brief period in foster care before moving to semi-independent accommodation under local authority support.

Throughout his time as an EEE student, Ali has concentrated on using technology to tackle global challenges and enhance the lives of underserved communities.

Growing up in challenging conditions has profoundly shaped my career goals. It reinforced my commitment to leveraging technology to solve global issues and improve lives, especially in underserved communities. My involvement in projects like the EU's initiative to boost food security in Africa and my AI-focused internship at Microsoft reflect this commitment.鈥

At the awards ceremony held at London鈥檚 Mansion House, Ali was honoured with both the Outstanding Achievement Award, which goes to the student with the highest overall score from the judges, amongst all competing sectors,听and the Tech Sector Award, which acknowledges outstanding achievements in the tech field during university.

Ali said that he has greatly benefited from the support of his second-year personal tutor, Dr Alejandra Beghelli Zapata, who has been a constant source of help since his arrival at 香港六合彩. Professors Sally Day and Izzat Darwazeh have also played crucial roles in his journey, with Professor Darwazeh offering an internships and ongoing support for his career and overall education. Professor Darwazeh also supervised Ali鈥檚 final year project, which with the internship work led to three publications at IEEE leading international conferences.

My experiences have instilled in me a profound sense of purpose. I am eager to develop transformative technologies to aid people in refugee camps and other impoverished areas around the world.鈥

Ali is currently working part-time at ICCS on a food security research project until he furthers his studies at 香港六合彩 in October, pursuing a PhD in Machine Learning and Pharmacometrics at the 香港六合彩 Institute of Global Health and GSK, focusing on using machine learning to enhance the efficiency of the drug development process.

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