Dr. Nawal Kinany is the speaker of the Swiss Young Academy for 2025-2026. She leads the Research & Innovation Programmes with Emerging Countries Unit at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO), where she coordinates international research programmes and fosters partnerships between Swiss institutions and researchers in the MENA region and Sub-Saharan Africa. She holds a PhD from EPFL and has a research background in neuroimaging and neurorehabilitation, where she pioneered methods for studying brain-spinal cord interactions and spinal cord function.