Noor Shaker: From Syria to AI Enabled Drug Discovery

Today’s guest is Noor Shaker – a Syrian serial biotech entrepreneur, computer scientist and inventor.

Noor started life in Syria where she fell in love with technology and the potential of Artificial Intelligence. Flouting convention at the time, Noor moved to Europe to continue her studies, gaining a Masters in AI and PhD in Machine Learning. 

In 2006, she became Assistant Professor at Aalborg University in Denmark with research focused on the use of machine learning in affective computing and video games.

Noor then made her way to London and joined Entrepreneur First – the startup incubator/investor where she co-founded GTN (Generative Tensorial Networks), a startup aiming to combine quantum computing and AI for drug discovery. In our conversation today, Noor describes in detail what it felt like to leave her first company and what gave her the courage to move on and start Glamorous AI where she continues her work in AI-enabled drug discovery work. Glamorous AI was acquired by X-Chem at the end of 2021 with Noor taking on the title of Senior Vice President and General Manager, at London Chem-X.

In this wide-reaching interview, Noor opens up about what it takes to innovate in well-established scientific spaces, how her AI platform RosalindAI enables drug discovery at a far greater speed and far less cost than traditional methods, the importance of representation, and how losing her mother so young drives her to ensure she leaves behind a legacy that has a positive impact on as many people as possible. 

Noor is on a dedicated mission to cure disease with the marriage of human and machine learning. And I look forward to watching her achieve this.

Here is my conversation with the incredible Noor Shaker.

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Noor  Twitter / Glamorous AI / X-Chem

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