Bater Makhabel

AI Infrastructure & Robotics Leader | Building the Infrastructure Behind Intelligence | Enabling the Future of Physical AI

Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates

About

I build and scale the infrastructure behind intelligence. My work focuses on enabling the next generation of Physical AI by creating the research, computing, robotics, and innovation ecosystems required to transform scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact. At the intersection of AI, robotics, high-performance computing, engineering, and research innovation, I lead the development of advanced environments that accelerate discovery, experimentation, validation, and deployment. My mission is not simply to build facilities or technology platforms, but to design and scale the ecosystems that enable world-class research, multidisciplinary collaboration, and technological advancement. As Head of Facilities for the Agentic Robotics Lab at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), I oversee the development and operation of infrastructure supporting Physical AI, robotics, autonomous systems, HPC, advanced engineering, and next-generation intelligent technologies. Throughout my career, I have led multidisciplinary initiatives spanning AI infrastructure, HPC systems, robotics laboratories, advanced manufacturing, cloud-native platforms, engineering operations, research infrastructure, and digital transformation programs. My focus extends beyond operations to building scalable research ecosystems that support the full innovation lifecycle—from foundational research and prototyping to deployment, technology transfer, and long-term impact. I am particularly interested in the convergence of: 🔹 Physical AI & Embodied Intelligence 🔹 Agentic Robotics & Autonomous Systems 🔹 AI Infrastructure & Large-Scale Computing 🔹 Robotics Research Platforms & Digital Twins 🔹 Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering Systems 🔹 Research Ecosystems & Innovation Strategy I believe the future of intelligence will be defined not only by advances in algorithms and models, but by the infrastructure, talent, research capabilities, and multidisciplinary ecosystems required to bring intelligence into the physical world. Areas of leadership include: 🔹 Physical AI, Robotics & Autonomous Systems 🔹 AI Infrastructure, HPC & Research Computing 🔹 Research Infrastructure & Innovation Ecosystems 🔹 Engineering Operations & Technology Programs 🔹 Cloud, Distributed & Edge Computing Platforms 🔹 Digital Transformation & Organizational Scaling 🔹 Governance, Risk Management & Quality Systems I am passionate about building the infrastructure behind intelligence and helping shape the future of Physical AI through world-class research, computing, robotics, and innovation ecosystems.

Experience

  • MBZUAI (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence) (On-site)
    • Head of Facilities (Agentic Robotics Lab)
      Feb 2026 - Present · 5 mos

      University Laboratories and Facilities

    • Head of Core Facilities
      Sep 2024 - Jan 2026 · 1 yr 5 mos

      University Laboratories and Core Facilities

    • Technical Lead of RO (Research Office)
      Sep 2023 - Aug 2024 · 1 yr

      Core Facility and Data (HPC/Data/Visualization)

  • Senior Algorithm Engineer at Graphcore
    Jul 2021 - Sep 2021 · 3 mos

    Algorithm Engineer, Field Application Engineer

  • Senior Algorithm Engineer at 58.com
    Sep 2018 - Jul 2021 · 2 yrs 11 mos

  • Senior Data Scientist at Conviva
    May 2018 - Sep 2018 · 5 mos

  • Data Scientist & System Architect at 亚信科技 AsiaInfo
    Dec 2017 - Apr 2018 · 5 mos

    Machine Learning Platform Design and Development.