• Dr. Hacid previously served as Executive Director and Acting Chief Researcher
• His track record includes the launch of Falcon, TII’s globally ranked series of AI models
Abu Dhabi, UAE - 18 September 2024: The Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), has named Dr. Hakim Hacid the Chief Researcher of its AI and Digital Science Research Center (AIDRC), known for the globally ranked Falcon series of Large Language Models.
Dr. Hacid, who also serves as the unit’s Executive Director, joined TII in 2022 from Zayed University in the UAE, where he was an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Computing and Applied Technologies Department. Prior to that, he spent six years at Bell Labs.
His research focuses on artificial intelligence and machine learning, data science, information retrieval, Edge ML, and security. He is an Honorary Professor at Macquarie University in Australia, and he has published his research extensively in top journals and conferences. He also holds several industrial patents.
Dr. Hacid has a PhD in data mining and databases and a double master’s degree in computer science, both from the University of Lyon in France.
Dr. Najwa Aaraj, CEO of TII, said: “We are pleased to officially appoint Dr. Hacid as our new Chief Researcher. Having already demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise as Acting Chief Researcher, Dr. Hacid brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of excellence, including the launch of Falcon, to this role. His innovative approach and dedication to advancing open-source AI will take TII to new heights. We look forward to the contributions he will continue to make to our team and the global tech community.
