Zahra is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and also serves as Director of Women in Tech Afghanistan and the IEEE Afghanistan Subsection. She earned her Ph.D. as a Mitsubishi Corporation scholar from the University of the Ryukyus, Japan, in 2018, specializing in interdisciplinary intelligent systems engineering. Her expertise lies in artificial intelligence, statistical data analysis, and AI applications in education. In October 2023, she was selected as a finalist for the prestigious Women in AI Awards North America 2023 in the category “AI for Good—DEI AI Leader of the Year.” In January 2024, she was honored to be accepted into the EDSAFE Women in AI Fellowship Program, which supports exceptional and impact-minded individuals by providing an outstanding platform to learn and work on questions of AI in education. Her career progressed as an Assistant Professor at Kabul Polytechnic University, Director of Digital Skills Development at MCIT, and an Executive Board Member at the ATRA in Afghanistan. Zahra influenced national digital strategies, skills development, and telecom sector reforms. Currently, as an Ambassador for Women in Data Science Worldwide, she champions Afghan women’s engagement in data science, underscoring her commitment to technological inclusivity and gender equity in a transformative digital era. My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zahra-a-nazari/
Zahra works on two key projects to support Afghan women in tech. The first, an online data science course, aims to teach data basics and Python programming to prepare Afghan women, including those displaced for tech careers. The second, “Digital Gateway,” plans to build an online platform offering online courses and resources, networking, and mentorship to help Afghan women access tech opportunities and advance in their careers. This platform aims to bridge the gap women face in accessing tech opportunities by fostering an inclusive community and offering pathways for learning and advancement.