Dr. Noah Raford Bio

Dr. Noah Raford

Managing Partner at EMIR & Chief Futurist

Dr Noah Raford heads up EMIR advisory practice. He is the former Futurist-in-Chief for the Government of Dubai, founding executive of the Dubai Future Foundation and the Museum of the Future, and senior advisor to the UAE Prime Minister’s Office. He is a globally respected futurist who specialises in delivering difficult projects and creative ideas.

Dr Raford is responsible for several global and regional firsts, including the world’s first fully functional 3D printed building and helping to legalise cryptocurrency and blockchain in the MENA region.

Dr Raford has a background in urban design and public policy, he completed his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), his MSc at the Bartlett School of Architecture and his undergraduate degree at Brown University. He also served as a member in the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, a Senior Research Fellow at the London School of Economics, a fellow at the Bartlett School of Architecture and a member of the International Futures Forum.

As a strategist behind some of the UAE’s most innovative projects, Dr Raford can draw from his global network of experts and the latest professional research to paint an evidence-based picture to breathe life into visionary projects. 

Dr Raford’s insights have helped businesses and governments understand the impact of climate change, geopolitical shifts, international relations, demographic change, social trends, economic developments and technological disruptions that will affect human lives over the coming years.