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Saudi Arabian Scientist Works to Empower Women

By Daniel Gorelick  

Hayat Sindi is a woman on a self-described mission: "to change how science and women are viewed in the Middle East."

Born and raised in Saudi Arabia, Sindi studied biotechnology at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom before coming to the United States to learn how to commercialize scientific discoveries.

Her determination to succeed despite sexism has paid off. Sindi helped found a company, Diagnostics For All (DFA), that is developing inexpensive, disposable medical tests for use in the developing world. DFA won two prestigious business awards and hopes to have prototypes tested in the field by 2010.

In a bold move, Sindi and her colleagues spurned potentially lucrative royalty payments and made DFA a nonprofit company, underscoring Sindi's determination to help those less fortunate as quickly as possible. (See "Nonprofit Company Develops Diagnostics for Developing World ( http://www.america.gov/st/health-english/2008/December/20081222160257adkcilerog7.287234e-02.html ).")

"Sindi is in a category of her own," DFA Executive Director James Barber told America.gov. He described her as highly educated and passionate about applying technology to improve the developing world. "She's a truly remarkable person."

DIAGNOSTICS FOR ALL

Sindi, a devout Muslim who wears a hijab (head covering), was a visiting scientist in George Whitesides' laboratory at Harvard University when she took a Harvard Business School course, "Inventing Breakthroughs and Commercializing Science."

At the time, Whitesides laboratory was working on using paper and adhesive tape to create a device that could reliably and reproducibly measure protein and sugar levels in urine and blood. (See "Three Cents' Worth of Paper and Tape Help Diagnose Diseases ( http://www.america.gov/st/health-english/2008/December/20081212104708adkcilerog0.2239496.html ).")
Inspired by the class, Sindi realized that the paper-based device could form the basis for diagnostic test kits that could be deployed in remote areas of the world where people do not receive adequate medical care.

With Whitesides' approval, she formed a team of classmates and colleagues to write a business plan and entered the Harvard Business School Business Plan Competition and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) $100K Entrepreneurship Competition.

DFA won both, becoming the first nonprofit company to win the MIT contest.

A LIFE SENTENCE

"If I didn't need to leave Saudi Arabia [to study biotechnology], I wouldn't have - but it was the only option," Sindi said. She dreams of a day when Saudi universities offer both men and women advanced training in the sciences that is comparable to that available at major universities in Europe and the United States.

She cited recent government spending on King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the country's first public, co-educational university, as a positive development. (See "Saudi Arabia, United States Sign Science Technology Pact ( http://www.america.gov/st/health-english/2008/December/20081205143341adkcilerog0.6087458.html?CP.rss=true ).")

Her message to women in Saudi Arabia and in any country challenged by sexism is "be persistent" and "never take 'no' for an answer." "Men and women are equal," Sindi said, but even in the United States and in Europe this is not fully appreciated. While studying at Cambridge she encountered a professor who told her that women cannot be successful in the field of biotechnology.

Now that she has proved her critics wrong, she leads by example and frequently lectures in the Middle East, hoping to inspire women.

Wearing her hijab, she frequently is mistaken for a tourist when she attends a scientific conference. In her lectures, she rails against being given this "life sentence," a superficial judgment based on her appearance, which she characterized as: female, scarf, can't do science, can't get funding.

Sindi confessed that sexism can make leading by example frustrating, especially in many countries in the Middle East. But she is grateful for the opportunities she has had and insists that women should follow their dreams, despite the obstacles.

"Wherever you need to go to pursue your dream, go."

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)