When he was a kid, he used to disassemble the parts of his toys to check how they were made, he would then try to combine two toys to come up with a new one.

Today, Yousef Al Burai works as a senior engineer at DEWA; he is in charge of water transmission projects, and believes that his childhood played a fundamental role in shaping his future.

Yousef studied Mechatronics at Dubai Men’s College, and that period of his life was parallel to his childhood period in terms of his love for exploration.

‘I used to stay late after classes trying the new things I had learned during the day. Taking notes during the class and trying to implement them right after they finish have developed my skills and created an innovation spirit in me,’ he says.

His job entails installing and replacing water pipes accurately and professionally, and detecting any leaks in the pipes. His experience has helped him to come up with new inventions in this field.

He adds, ‘I have currently three inventions that are on the waiting list to be patented, including the ‘Merqab Car’, which inspects any leakage in the main water pipes that pump water from Jebel Ali to every part of Dubai, and has a thermal imaging feature.’

Al Burai encourages his children to work and study in the field they love, as he believes that ‘the secret for innovation lies in loving your work.’