Dr Habiba’ completed a BSc in the USA, a Masters in medical engineering in the UK and a PhD in Forensics and Medical Sciences in Australia and is now working as the Director of Khalifa University Center for Biotechnology.Her primary research interest lies in investigating diseases that are increasing in prevalence amongst the local communities of the UAE. She has successfully identified a gene strongly associated with the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes among the Emirati population and recently furthered this research to look into the links between Vitamin D deficiency and Type 2 diabetes.
She says ‘I have always been fascinated by science. The human body is a remarkable machine. Yet, while I always knew it would be a tough career I wanted to contribute to the UAE and realised that there were very few geneticists – so this is where I specialised.’
Dr Habiba has won several awards for her research into Type 2 diabetes of UAE citizens.