MBZUAI students connect with industry partners to secure internship and career opportunities

Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) connected more than 160 master’s and doctoral students with potential employers from a range of industries at its fourth annual Internships and Opportunities Fair. 

Held at MBZUAI’s campus on February 11, the fair gave the University’s students and upcoming graduates a platform to connect with 48 industry partners about current and upcoming career opportunities. They also showcased their technical specializations in a bid to secure summer internships. 

Students undertake a compulsory summer internship as part of their graduate degrees in computer science (CS), computer vision (CV), machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), or robotics (ROB). Final year students will opt to move into industry, research, or further study after graduating this year. 

The fair is the most important event on the MBZUAI Careers Services and Internships team’s calendar, giving students exclusive access to prominent local public and private employers, as well as large multinational companies. It is equally important to employers who often struggle to access AI talent – an especially challenging scenario given their growing AI aspirations. 

“In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, AI is not just an advantage – it’s a necessity,” said Islam Abdelaziz of Yalla Technology – one of the participating industry partners. “Organizations across industries are facing a critical shortage of AI, making it challenging to fully leverage AI’s potential for innovation and efficiency. The Internships and Opportunities Fair gives us and other organizations a golden opportunity to connect with some of the best AI talent in the region.” 

Previous editions of the fair have helped students secure job opportunities after graduation with 78% of MBZUAI’s 213 graduates to-date choosing to remain in the UAE’s AI supply ecosystem. 

Industry partners that took part this year included ADNOC, Abu Dhabi Police, e&, du, Abu Dhabi Airports, Etihad Airways, Dubai Health, ADCB, Hub 71, Space42, Agthia, Fujairah Research, IBM, MasterCard, and many more.

As well as visiting industry partners’ booths, students and upcoming graduates had the opportunity to receive a one-on-one career coaching from recruitment agencies Michael Page and Bayt, and received a professional headshot. 

“The fair is an unrivalled event for our students, giving them direct, in-person access to an incredible pool of organizations and startups from the UAE and wider region,” MBZUAI’s Provost, Professor Timothy Baldwin, said. 

“By meeting face-to-face, our students and graduates are able to show off their technical expertise and make important connections with industry players as they look for all-important internships or career opportunities. Likewise, the fair gives employers a chance to learn about our students’ skills and potential first-hand, and I’m always proud to hear from our industry partners how highly regarded our future AI leaders are.” 

The number of enrolled students at MBZUAI increased to 365 in 2024, representing 49 nationalities. MBZUAI’s continual growth and diversity provides a pipeline of experienced AI practitioners for local industry. The university’s executive training also accelerates the UAE’s ambitious trajectory, with a total of 203 graduates from the MBZUAI Executive Program (MEP), and 32 from the inaugural MBZUAI Executive Program – Accelerated (MEP-A). 

MBZUAI is ranked 10th globally across the combination of AI, computational biology, computer science, computer vision, machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics, according to the latest CSRankings.