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The primary objective of the Palestine Innovation Initiative for Advanced Technologies (PII) is to inspire and empower talented college graduates and professionals to develop innovative solutions for real-world problems through advanced technologies, particularly Data Science and Machine Learning, Blockchain technology and Fintech. In addition to advanced technologies, participants in the training programs will be equipped with such soft skills as design and systems thinking and entrepreneurship, which will enable them to establish and scale startup companies.
As with their counterparts throughout the region and the world, the youth in Palestine are in need more than ever before to develop their abilities and become empowered to function as productive players in the innovation driven and knowledge based economy. To make a meaningful contribution to the entrenchment of a competitive economy, the Palestine Innovation Initiative for Advanced Technologies (PII) will play a pivotal role in improving employment opportunities, promoting technology innovation and entrepreneurship, and driving startup growth particularly in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
Certificate
Participants who complete the program will receive a certificate issued by UC Berkeley.
Team
Berkeley-AMENA
Eng. Anan Anabtawi
Founder, Chairman and CEO
Ali Dreidi
COO, CFO and CFA
Ali is a financial and investment professional with experience in growth equity and portfolio management across different industries. He is a co-founder of datablock. Before datablock, Ali was the head of programs at The Portland Trust, leading on projects to support the development of the hi-tech sector and the digital entrepreneurship ecosystem in Palestine. Ali previously worked as a senior investment analyst at the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF). Ali had also been employed as an economic analyst in the Palestinian Ministry of Finance. Ali earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Earlham College, United States. Ali is a CFA ® charterholder.
Dr. Amjad Abu-Rmileh
Chief Data Scientist (CDS)
Holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering and Control Theory. Dr. Abu-Rmileh was a postdoc researcher in machine learning and computational neuroscience at Ben-Gurion University. Previously, Dr. Abu-Rmileh worked for Microsoft as a machine learning researcher and data scientist. Currently, He is the Chief data scientist at Data Science Group, leading a group of 20 data scientists. Besides the research tasks, the role also includes training and supervision of the other data scientists on the team. Dr. Amjad is also a faculty member at the Arab American University (AAUP).
Dr. Amer Ghanem
Technical Advisor
Amer is a technology leader with a deep understanding of the AI space, and with hands-on expertise in delivering Advanced Analytics and Machine Learning solutions to companies like Johnson & Johnson. In his early days, Amer started his professional career as a consultant and platform architect at Sogeti, a Capgemeni company, where he helped companies like GE and Ethicon building analytical pipelines. Amer is an investor and a tech advisor for multiple early stage start-ups. Amer is very passionate about sports from a very early age. He played Basketball and Football during his high school days, and he recently earned a certificate in Football Tactical Analysis from the Barca Innovation Hub. Amer’s alma mater is the University of Cincinnati where he earned his BSc, MS and PhD in Computer Science.
Eng. Aref F. Husseini
Technical advisor, admissions advisor
Electrical Engineer, Physicist and a Novelist from Jerusalem, Palestine. Husseini worked in many Industrial and Educational fields as a Developer, Researcher and a Leader during the past 20 years. He founded AlNayzak Organization for Supportive Education and Scientific Innovation in 2003.
UCB
Dr. Yahya Tabesh
Technical advisor and admissions advisor
Bio
Dr. Dariush Zahedi
Admissions advisor
Bio