26-year-old Amal Amin doesn't see the need to celebrate women empowerment.

As the Senior Payload Engineer on the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre's (MBRSC) Mars Exploration Mission it was dedication and hard work which got her here.

"I have never had to smash any 'glass ceiling' to get to where I am. I just worked hard" she tells Khaleej Times.

As a Muslim woman born and raised in the UAE she has never experienced female oppression and she feels empowered "as a person not by my gender".

"For me I don't think we need to celebrate women in power."

But with many people forming the wrong perception on the role women play in Middle East society Aman says she understands why the region's leaders showcase women empowerment.

"Many people have this stereotype that we are second class that we don't work that men come first so our leaders put so much emphasis on the great role these women play in society to show them how wrong their perception is."

A Computer Engineer graduate from the American University in Sharjah Aman started working for MBRSC 2012. At the time she was one of 10 women working at the Centre making up just 15 per cent of the female work force.

But now four years on MBRSC employs 150 Emirati scientists and engineers 41 per cent of which are women.

"It's quite a crazy jump. We started with a small number of women and now we represent nearly half of the Centre's staff. We proved ourselves and we wouldn't be here if we didn't."

As the navigation lead for the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) Aman is responsible for developing and operating the system which will be used to navigate the 'Hope Probe' orbiter from the UAE.

"It's a pretty incredible thing to be a part of. When we got the Mars project a few years back it was a big shock to us but a big honour" she says.

EMM will be launching in 2020 to coincide with the UAE's 50th anniversary. It will take around seven months to reach orbit and will then orbit Mars for about two years.

"My aim is to monitor the atmosphere on Mars to see how the components of the atmosphere move. It's all about exploring the climate and seeing how we might be able utilise it or how it might affect Earth."

As a young girl Amal says she always wanted to be an engineer.

"I mean I had no idea what an engineer was but I always loved solving things. I loved puzzles mazes basically I loved a challenge."

And now with her dream a reality at just 26 she perfectly epitomizes the spirit of women empowerment.

"Work hard as a person not as a woman. Believe in yourself and it will happen."