Building a Future Where Disability Is No Barrier to Movement: Dr Malik Haddad, Northeastern University London
Dr Malik Haddad's work begins with a simple but profound conviction: that technology should expand what people can do, not reflect what systems assume they cannot. As an Assistant Professor in Data and Computer Science at Northeastern University London, he has spent his career turning that belief into deployed systems, proven outcomes and transformed lives.
His research pioneers the application of artificial intelligence to powered wheelchair navigation. By developing intelligent collision avoidance and human-machine interfaces, Dr Haddad has created systems that give severely disabled users greater freedom of movement and genuine autonomy. These are not prototype demonstrations, they are systems actively in use in special schools and private homes, supporting children and adults with complex physical and cognitive impairments who had never previously been able to use technology for self-mobility. The recognition has followed: two IET Engineering and Technology International Innovation Awards in 2020, for excellence in creating a smarter world and for outstanding innovation in digital health and social care.
His volunteer work deepens the impact further. Dr Haddad serves as a volunteer engineer at Chailey Heritage Foundation, a specialist school for young people with complex disabilities, and as a volunteer associate member of the Portsmouth Parents Board, working to understand the lived challenges facing children and families and to support meaningful, lasting change.
As Programme Leader for both the TIG-accredited Data Science Level 6 Apprenticeship and the AI Data Scientist Level 7 Apprenticeship at Northeastern University London, Dr Haddad has also built pathways into technology careers that are measurably more inclusive than the sector average. Across 130 completions to date, 41% of AI and Data Scientist learners come from minority ethnic backgrounds, 32% are women, and nearly three-quarters are aged 24 or over, working professionals upskilling in real time. Seventy percent of Data Scientist learners achieved Merit or Distinction, a strong signal of programme quality and learner engagement.
As a member of the Universal Design for Learning Committee at Northeastern, Dr Haddad is also shaping institutional thinking on inclusion, ensuring that higher education itself removes barriers rather than reproduces them. His next phase of work will extend the reach of assistive AI technology further still, to people who have not yet had the opportunity to benefit.
Few nominees embody the values of the President's Award as fully as Dr Malik Haddad. He is an innovator, an educator, a volunteer and an advocate, and everything he does is in service of others.
To read more about the techUK President's Awards, visit our page here. Winners will be announced at the techUK Annual Dinner on 30 June.
Read more about our President's Award finalists:
People Award
- Bringing Technology and Purpose Together: Fiona Dawson, Mayden
- Building a Future Where Disability Is No Barrier to Movement: Dr Malik Haddad, Northeastern University London
- Protecting People Online, at Scale: Robin Tombs, Yoti
Society Award
- Protecting Communities Through Intelligence: Clare Elford, Clue Software
- Putting Human Safety at the Centre of Technology: Dr Laura Bishop, British Standards Institution
- Connected Data, Public Value: Vishal Marria, Quantexa
Economy Award
- From Strategy to Production: Steve Chan, Stealth Labs
- Making Technology Work for Small Business: Laura Burley, Xero
- The Genetics Revolution, Made Real: Professor Sir Peter Donnelly, Genomics
Planet Award
- Sustainability by Design: Ray Knight, Atos
- Turning Buildings into Efficiency Engines: Javier Benitez, Colt Technology Services
- Technology in Service of Nature: Isobel Ashbey, Cambridge Consultants
