Spotlight: Dubai ACM-W Professional Chapter
Where Global Computing Meets Regional Leadership
By Asegul “Ace” Hulus
Welcome back to the ACM-W Chapter Tour! This time, we are visiting the Dubai ACM-W Professional Chapter, based at the BITS Pilani Dubai Campus. Founded in 2025, the chapter is led by a team of women who are building connections between professional and student ACM-W chapters across the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
A Chapter Built on Computing
The Dubai ACM-W Professional Chapter was established to encourage greater participation, recognition, and leadership for women in computing across the UAE. What began with individual events has developed into a regional network connecting student chapters, universities, and businesses.
The chapter is one of two ACM Professional Chapters in the UAE and works with seven ACM Student Chapters, with strong institutional support from BITS Pilani. A particular focus is on developing leadership alongside technical skills, rather than limiting activity to occasional events and celebrations.
Voices of Leadership
“Building women’s leadership in computing in the UAE is not about numbers alone, it is about creating platforms where competence, confidence, and collaboration grow together.” — Dr Elakkiya Rajasekar, Chair
“Strong chapters in the UAE are sustained by committed leadership and cross-institution collaboration. ACM-W provides the framework where mentorship and technical growth converge.” — Dr Angel Arul Jothi, Vice-Chair
“Sustainable impact within the UAE ACM-W ecosystem requires structure and accountability. Supporting these initiatives means ensuring every idea has the resources and framework to succeed.” — Dr Soniya Priyatharshini, Treasurer
The chapter’s approach to collaboration was put into practice through WiCoDE26, the ACM-W Asia-Pacific Celebration of Women in Computing (Dubai Buddies Edition 2026). The event brought together the UAE student chapters through regular coordination meetings, clear allocation of responsibilities, and collaboration with ACM-W Asia Pacific leadership.
From WiCoDE26 to Regional Collaboration
WiCoDE26 was held at BITS Pilani Dubai on February 16–17, 2026, in conjunction with ACM-W Asia Pacific. Led by Dr. Elakkiya Rajasekar and co-led by Dr. Angel Arul Jothi, the two-day event brought together 96 registered attendees, including ACM-W global and regional leaders, faculty members, industry representatives, and students.
Among the guests were Prof. Bimlesh Wadhwa (ACM-W Asia Pacific Chair), Dr. Rukiye Altin (ACM-W Global Chair), Dr. Dorota Filipczuk (ACM-W Europe Chair), and Dr. Arati Dixit (ACM-W Regional Activities Chair). The inaugural address was delivered by Professor Souri Banerjee, Director of BITS Pilani Dubai, and presented by Professor Amitava Mukherjee.
The first day included an Ideathon Challenge, where student teams presented their solutions to a judging panel comprising Dr. Ganga Bhavani, Dr. Archana Pandita, Dr. Afreen, and Dr. Komathi Jayakeran. There was also a panel discussion on career pathways featuring ACM-W Global and Regional Chairs.
On the second day, participants took part in a Creative Poster Presentation Challenge, a panel on ACM-W community development, and Tech Fun and trivia sessions organised by the ACM MAHE and ACM Birmingham student chapters. The event concluded with a Valedictory Ceremony, where Prof. Banerjee distributed certificates to participants and volunteers.
The four UAE ACM student chapters (BITS Pilani Dubai, University of Birmingham Dubai, MAHE Dubai, and Amity University Dubai) all contributed to the event. Bringing the chapters together meant that students could work across institutions, compete, and share responsibility for the programme.
A fuller account of WiCoDE26 is available from Dr. Elakkiya Rajasekar in the ACM-W Connections Newsletter: March 2026 Edition.
Mentorship That Opens Doors
WiCoDE26 also provided opportunities for informal mentoring. Through the Ideathon and Poster sessions, students were able to exchange ideas and receive feedback on their work. Meeting ACM-W Global and Regional Chairs also gave students the opportunity to hear directly about academic and industry career paths.
The chapter’s mentoring work continues beyond individual events. The leadership team provides guidance to Faculty-in-Charge teams and new chapter leaders on governance, event planning, and sustainability. The intention is to help chapters maintain momentum between events rather than having to start from scratch each time.
The chapter also connects students with role models in areas including AI, cybersecurity, and human-centred computing, alongside faculty mentors and chapter leaders in the UAE.
Values in Action
The Dubai ACM-W Professional Chapter aims to make its activities relevant to ACM chapters across the UAE, rather than limiting participation to the host institution. Core activities are open to participants from other UAE chapters, and gender inclusion is encouraged alongside a strong emphasis on technical achievement.
For competitions, the chapter uses external judges and structured evaluation criteria. Responsibilities are allocated in advance, and participating chapters are recognised for their contributions. The organisers also plan for accessible venues and support multi-campus participation through advance arrangements.
Documentation and follow-up with Faculty-in-Charge members are intended to help maintain continuity as activities develop.
What Participants Are Saying
Participants particularly appreciated the opportunity to meet ACM-W Global and Regional Chairs and to hear about different academic and industry career paths.
The Ideathon and Poster sessions were also popular because they gave students a chance to present their work, receive feedback, and meet students and faculty from other UAE chapters. Several Faculty-in-Charge members have since expressed interest in continuing regional collaboration through ACM-W.
Looking Ahead
The chapter already has several activities in development:
- An ACM-W Birds-of-a-Feather session at the Web4All Conference
- An AI Pre-Submit Initiative at MAHE Dubai, mentoring students ahead of research deadlines
- The next ACM-W Scholar Cohort in March 2027 at BITS Pilani Dubai, focusing on mentorship and leadership development
- Further invited technical talks and cross-institution activities involving ACM chapters across the UAE
The chapter is also open to joint events with UAE student chapters, virtual collaborations across ACM-W Asia Pacific, and mentoring sessions and workshops involving different institutions.
Students can contribute by taking on chapter leadership roles, participating in competitions, and joining mentoring activities. Faculty can support chapters by providing guidance or organising workshops.
The longer-term ambition is to strengthen links between professional and student chapters and to build more opportunities for collaboration across the UAE and the wider ACM-W Asia Pacific community.
Final Thoughts
The Dubai ACM-W Professional Chapter is still young, but it has already brought together a substantial network of student chapters and created opportunities for students and faculty to meet, collaborate, and learn from one another.
WiCoDE26 was an important milestone, particularly because it brought four UAE ACM student chapters into the same programme. The chapter’s next activities — from Web4All and the MAHE Dubai initiative to the 2027 Scholar Cohort — will give it opportunities to build on that work.
For a relatively new professional chapter, the focus on technical activities, mentoring, and collaboration across institutions provides an interesting model for how ACM-W activity can develop at a regional level. The infographic below offers an overview of their accomplishments.
Connect with the Dubai ACM-W Professional Chapter
Website: https://dubai.acm.org/
Email: prof.acm-w@dubai.bits-pilani.ac.in
Spotlight series editor, Asegul “Ace” Hulus: acmw-chapters@acm.org
See you on the next stop of the ACM-W Chapter Tour!
Your friendly guide, Ace