Ali began his higher education at his local community college. Even though he earned a near 4.0 GPA in high school, lack of guidance as a first-generation student and immigrant from Lebanon discouraged him from applying to a four-year institution. Fortunately, Ali thrived at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) and is making his mark at UC San Diego.

At Mt. SAC he established their first computer science tutoring program after discovering that none existed for CS majors, He had previously tutored in physics. In both domains his work focused on problem solving skills. While at Mt. SAC he was awarded the Dexter Mac Bridge Leadership Scholarship, the Pepsi Presidential Leadership Scholarship, and the Edison International STEM Scholarship. He also earned a NSF-ATE STEM Research Scholarship, which gave him the opportunity to spend the summer as an undergraduate research assistant at Cal Poly Pomona, where he studied human-robot interaction.

At UC San Diego he is active in the Triton RoboSub group which is developing an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in preparation for the 2025 RoboSub Competition.

Ali eventually hopes to earn a PhD. His passion for learning goes well beyond the technical side, and he enjoys studying philosophy and theoretical physics. He is motivated by the interdisciplinary potential of the field to impact fields like medicine and cognitive science, and “how technology can be used to reduce suffering and promote empathy.”

Beyond robotics, Ali is “fascinated by how AI can be used to understand cognitive processes, mental health, and phenomena like sleep and dreaming. I believe that combining insights from neuroscience with advances in machine learning could lead to breakthroughs that support both physical and emotional wellbeing.” Ali has passion for learning, a willingness to step up where he sees an unmet need, and a work ethic to continue to excel. He is enrolled in Roger Revelle College.