ConnectUs Youth Spotlight EP 13 — Suleiman Khan: From Debugging Robots to Designing the Future of Clean Energy in Dubai
- Woosung
- 20 hours ago
- 3 min read
Based in Dubai, Suleiman Khan spends his time building AI tools, designing clean energy frameworks, and figuring out how to turn raw data into something people can actually act on. We got to sit down with him for a conversation about where it all started, what he is working on now, and why he thinks the best reason to choose a hard problem is that most people never even try.
How It All Started
Suleiman's entry into STEM came through his school's partnership with a robotics foundation called Brainy and Bright Robotics. He was hooked immediately, not just by the building, but by the debugging.
"If it fails, you learn to debug," he said.
"That mindset really attracted me. You keep going until you get the right output."
That same instinct to keep going pushed him from robotics into AI, where he saw a way to solve problems that fixed programming simply could not touch. He started teaching himself through CS50, online AI courses, and competitions, but something was still missing:
the right environment.
That changed when he joined TKS Dubai, a program focused on exponential technologies and real-world application. "It didn't just teach concepts," he said. "It pushed you to apply them to problems that matter." The mentors, pitch competitions, and exposure to frontier technology gave him the community he had been looking for.
Making Air Quality Data Useful
One of his standout projects is RespirGuard AI, a tool that takes public air quality data and translates it into plain-language guidance people can actually use. The inspiration came from a simple observation that while the information for air quality already existed, it was presented in a way that made it useless for most people.
"A parent isn't going to parse a CSV file to know if their kid should be playing outside," he said.
What makes RespirGuard AI different is that it accounts for who is asking. Air quality thresholds are not the same for a healthy adult and a young child, so the tool gives tailored outputs based on the user's situation. Thus by making a small design choice considering the different target audience, he created an efficient system with a real impact.
Clean Hydrogen at $1 to $2 Per Kilogram
Another ambitious project that Suleiman Worked on is Hydrox, a technical framework for producing green hydrogen at a fraction of current costs. The core idea that he took inspiration from was that nuclear reactors generate enormous amounts of waste heat that currently goes unused. By capturing that heat and using it to drive a thermochemical reaction known as the sulfur-iodine cycle, Hydrox can produce clean hydrogen at roughly $1 to $2 per kilogram, competitive on the open market.
The project won third place at TKS Moonshot, and was validated by an engineer with over 30 years of experience at one of the world's largest energy companies. Furthermore, it was judged by representatives from Microsoft and the Dubai Future Foundation, who recognized his quality work. This recognition officially made Suleiman eligible to present Hydrox at ADIPEC 2026, which is one of the world's most influential energy platforms.
Connections Matter More Than Credentials
When asked about how he got in front of those judges, Suleiman's answer was simple: he reached out first.
His advice for building connections from scratch is practical. Find the person's email, draft a message sounding human, and ask for a specific 10-minute Zoom meeting. Give them a time rather than asking when they are free.
"The main thing is connections," he said. "Building connections."
One Piece of Advice
For students who want to get into AI or STEM but do not know where to start, Suleiman offered a simple advice:
"Start with a problem that annoys you, or a question you can't stop thinking about. Don't wait until you feel ready, because that feeling doesn't come. The building is what actually teaches you."
Lastly he added, :
"Find your people, find a mentor, and go after problems most people avoid."
Thank you Suleiman for being on ConnectUs Youth Spotlight, and the episodes will be available on Spotify and across our social media platforms.
Connect with Suleiman
Suleiman's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suleiman-khan-/
RespirGuard AI website: https://respiguardai.com/
Citations
Figure 1. Hydrogen Bus Image. Solaris Bus & Coach, “Hydrogen as the Fuel of the Future?” eCity Powered by Solaris, 2023
Figure 1. The Knowledge Society (TKS) LinkedIn Page Image. The Knowledge Society, LinkedIn.