Fireside Chat: Enabling Next Gen Technologies

Rafic is a technologist and an educator with a deep passion for science and technology. As head technologist at Mubadala Ventures, he oversees the technology strategy for building the company’s investment portfolio. He has a diverse experience that spans across academia, government and industry. He is a long time veteran of the semiconductor field, serving in his most recent position as Executive Fellow of Globalfoundries. He began his career in academia, elevating to the rank of tenured Professor of ECE at UNC-Charlotte, and served in administration as Dean of IT at UAE University and VP for Research at Masdar Institute. In government, Rafic served as Head of Strategic Planning of the Abu Dhabi Education Council and senior advisor to the Director General. Rafic pioneered the iDDT pulse method for testing semiconductor integrated circuits. He has worked on research funded by DARPA, NSF, Intel, IBM, and Carolinas Medical Center, among others, and won several research awards including the 2002 First Citizen Research Scholar Medal and the ALCOA Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Semiconductor Research Corporation and serves on the SemiSynBio consortium and roadmap executive committee. Rafic is an avid advocate of individuals with special needs and currently serves as a member of the Community and Legacy Committee of the Special Olympics 2019 World Summer Games.

Mager has built, invested in, and managed companies across diverse geographies and industries, with a focus on technology and technology-enabled businesses. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and earned an MPhil degree in economic history from the University of Cambridge.