Sana Odeh

Biography

Sana Odeh is a Palestinian-American computer scientist and educator who has become one of the most influential advocates for women in computing across the Arab world. A clinical professor of computer science at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University, she also serves as faculty liaison for global programs in computer science and is affiliated faculty at NYU Abu Dhabi. Odeh's central contribution lies in building institutions and communities that expand access to computer science education, particularly for women in the Middle East and North Africa. In 2012 she founded Arab Women in Computing (ArabWIC), which grew into a global network of roughly two thousand technical women, including academics, students, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals, with chapters established in seventeen Arab countries. Through ArabWIC and its international conferences, Odeh created one of the most significant platforms for Arab women in technology, fostering mentorship, research collaboration, and professional development. She has served as honorary chair of the organization's conferences and has been recognized internationally for her leadership in diversity and inclusion in computing. Her academic work at NYU has emphasized global computer science education, connecting students and faculty across the university's international campuses. She has been featured by initiatives documenting pioneering women in technology and is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences on computing and diversity. As a scholar and organizer of Palestinian origin, Odeh exemplifies the role of diaspora academics in shaping educational opportunity and representation, leaving a durable institutional legacy that connects Palestinian and Arab talent to the global computing community.

Why This Person Matters

A Palestinian-American computer scientist at NYU who founded Arab Women in Computing, building the largest network for Arab women in technology across nineteen countries.

Historical Context

Born in Jerusalem and of Palestinian origin, Odeh emerged from a homeland where opportunities in the still-young field of computer science were sharply constrained, and built her academic career in the United States as part of the educated Palestinian diaspora. Her work took shape in the early decades of the twenty-first century, as computing became a defining engine of the global economy yet remained starkly unequal in its access for women, particularly across the Middle East and North Africa. As a professor at NYU's Courant Institute and at NYU Abu Dhabi, she stood at the intersection of American academia and the Arab world. Her founding of Arab Women in Computing in 2012 responded directly to that gap.

Legacy & Influence

Odeh's most durable legacy is Arab Women in Computing (ArabWIC), which she founded in 2012 and which grew into a global network of roughly two thousand technical women, with chapters in seventeen Arab countries, becoming the largest platform of its kind for Arab women in technology. Through its conferences and mentorship programs she fostered research collaboration and professional development for academics, students, and entrepreneurs across the region. As a clinical professor at NYU's Courant Institute and faculty liaison for global computer science programs, she connected students across the university's international campuses. A frequent keynote speaker recognized for her leadership in diversity and inclusion, she exemplifies how diaspora academics build durable institutions linking Palestinian and Arab talent to the global computing community.

Topics & Themes

• Diaspora
• Jerusalem

References & Sources

1. About Arab Women in Computing (ArabWIC) — https://arabwic.org/about/
2. Sana Odeh, NYU Computer Science — https://cs.nyu.edu/~odeh/
3. Sana Odeh, NYU Arts & Science — https://as.nyu.edu/faculty/sana-odeh.html