Amal Tawakuli, a doctoral candidate within the Computer Science and Communications Research Unit (CSC) at the University of Luxembourg, has recently received the 2019 Women in Technology Scholarship from the Zonta International Foundation to highlight her remarkable career in the field of computer science. Amal is one of six women selected in the world to be awarded the international scholarship in addition to the district scholarship.
“I am very grateful for this award and very honoured to represent Luxembourg internationally. Many women throughout the world share the experience of being undermined in this field. This prestigious and international award is a great recognition and motivation for women to further excel in their education and research. I dedicate the award and its status to Luxembourg; it is for all the girls and women to pursue their passion in computer science, regardless of stereotypes. I am surrounded with amazing people who always encourage me and support me including when I applied for this scholarship. I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Zonta Club Luxembourg Multiculturel, the Golden Z Young Luxembourg Club, Prof. Thomas Engel and Dr. Marharyta Aleksandrova.”, says Amal Tawakuli, the selected scholar.
Amal Tawakuli is part of the Security and Networking Laboratory (SECAN-Lab) headed by Prof. Thomas Engel. Her research is within the field of Big Data with focus on efficiently improving the quality of data to improve the quality of Machine Learning models.
SECAN-Lab: a strong research team in network security
Created in 2005 as a common research group of the Computer Science and Communications Research Unit (CSC), SECAN-Lab conducts internationally competitive fundamental and applied research on privacy-friendly secure intelligent transport systems, vehicular communication and multimodal traffic management, the Internet of Things, network, system security and cybersecurity.
“We develop new architectures and communication paradigms for wireless communication, meeting the challenges posed by the future Internet to cover the entire spectrum of possible applications that will emerge in the short and long term”, says Prof. Thomas Engel, Head of SECAN-Lab.
About Zonta International Foundation
In 1919, the Confederation of Zonta Clubs was founded in Buffalo, New York, USA. Zonta International is a leading global organisation of professionals empowering women worldwide through service and advocacy. In 1986, Zonta International became the first NGO to support UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women). This year, the club celebrated its centennial anniversary marking 100 years of empowering women through service and advocacy.
Since 1923, Zonta International has provided more than 41.2 million US Dollars to empower women and expand their access to education, health care, economic opportunities and safe living conditions. In 2019, Zonta International launched the Women in Technology Scholarship programme to encourage women to pursue education, career opportunities and leadership roles in technology.