Kuwait University

Dr. Abdullah Al-Mutawa

UN Intergovernmental AI Expert  ·  IEEE Senior Member  ·  AI Advisor to Governments

Associate Professor  |  Kuwait University  |  VP for Academic Support Services

1,114Citations
16H-Index
30+Journal Papers
~1M USDResearch Funding
IEEE SMSenior Member
25+Years Experience
Education
Ph.D. Computer Science
AI · Syracuse University
1997–1999 · USA
M.Sc. Computer Science
Syracuse University
1995–1996 · USA
B.Sc. Computer Engineering
Kuwait University
1989–1994 · Kuwait
Research Interests
Artificial IntelligenceDeep LearningMachine LearningRoboticsExpert SystemsNLPE-LearningQuantum ComputingCybersecurityDigital Transformation
Key Roles
VP Academic Support Services – KU
President, MILSET Asia
UNESCO AI Ethics Expert
IEEE Senior Member
PLOS ONE Editorial Board (Q1)
AI Advisor – Kuwait MoE 2020–2024
Founder & CEO, ROBOTEC
ARAIA Board Member
Selected Awards
🏆 Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Award for Informatics Excellence in AI · 2021
UNESCO Recognition – Ethics of AI · 2021
1st Prize Best Poster – KU Research Conference · 2023
GCC Award of Excellence – E-Course Design · 2013 & 2015
World Summit Award – Best E-Learning · 2010
Contact
✉ dr.mutawa@ku.edu.kw
✉ prof.mutawa@ieee.org
🌐 mutawa.me
🔬 ORCID: 0000-0002-5707-2692
in linkedin: drmutawa
Professional Biography

Dr. Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mutawa is an internationally recognized authority in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Educational Technology. He serves as Associate Professor of Computer Engineering at Kuwait University, where he has been a faculty member since 1999, and currently holds the position of Vice President for Academic Support Services (June 2025–present). He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) from Syracuse University, New York, USA, in 1999.

Dr. Mutawa is a UNESCO Intergovernmental Expert on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, having co-authored the landmark first-ever global Ethics of AI agreement, officially adopted by the United Nations at its 41st General Assembly in Paris on 24 November 2021. He received a personal letter of recognition from UNESCO for this historic contribution.

He is the President of MILSET Asia (February 2025–present), leading the International Movement for Leisure Activities in Science and Technology across the Asian region, advancing STEM education, environmental awareness, and international scientific collaboration. He served as a member of the MILSET World Strategic Planning Executive Committee (2022–2025).

As a trusted governmental advisor, Dr. Mutawa served as Senior AI Consultant to three successive Ministers of Education in Kuwait (2020–2024), leading the national transformation of the K-12 curriculum to embed Artificial Intelligence across all grade levels and all subjects. He chaired the Ministerial Committee for AI Curriculum Development and represented Kuwait at UNESCO on digital education competencies.

Dr. Mutawa holds the distinction of IEEE Senior Member and serves on the Editorial Board of PLOS ONE (JCR Q1, 2023–present). He has secured competitive research funding totalling approximately one million USD, published over 30 peer-reviewed journal papers in high-impact venues (H-index 16, 1,114 citations), and has supervised 11 graduate students to completion. His research spans AI, machine learning, deep learning, robotics, signal processing, quantum computing, and e-learning technologies.

He is the Founder and CEO of ROBOTEC, a Kuwait-based IT and AI consultancy (2016–present), a Board Member of the Arab Robotics and AI Association (ARAIA), and founder of Kuwait's first university robotics and AI laboratories. He is the recipient of the prestigious Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Award for Informatics Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (2021), among numerous other national and international accolades. Dr. Mutawa speaks Arabic (native), English (fluent), and German (proficient).

Active Research Grants
Title Budget (USD)
Quantum-Enhanced Early Detection for Lung Cancer (RE05/24) $274,269
AI-Enhanced Diabetic Macular Edema Diagnosis (RE02/24) $203,600
Deep Learning for Dental Disease Classification (PN2313NR2019) $83,914
dr.mutawa@ku.edu.kw
prof.mutawa@ieee.org
🌐mutawa.me
🔬ORCID: 0000-0002-5707-2692
X@drmutawa