Dr. Khaula Alkaabi is the Chief Innovation Officer, and an Associate Professor at the Geography and Urban Sustainability Department at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). She holds a BA degree (Hons) in Geography from UAEU, a MA (Hons) and a PhD (Hons) in Geography from UNCG, USA. Her research interests include air transportation, land use planning, spatial analysis, GIS applications, unmanned aircraft applications, tourism, urban development, economic geography, entrepreneurship and innovation, and the surface of Mars. She has published several academic articles in various international academic journals, as well as reviewed several government reports and academic international journal publications.