Panel Discussion:
Challenges Faced by Afghan Women in Academia: Discussing Solutions with Scholars from the Country.
Place: A Virtual Event.
Date: July 6th, 2024.
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Event Assistant
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Noorafshan Kabulian
Noorafshan Kabulian, a writer and a prominent figure in both academic and civil activities, has been passionate about learning and writing since childhood. Completing her school years as a top student and active participant, she overcame numerous challenges to pursue studies in law and political science, specializing in international relations. Throughout her university education, Noorafshan dedicated herself to research and writing articles, acquiring leadership skills from several foreign institutions. Through founding the Young Writers’ Talent and contributing to the Women Leadership Academy, she has played a significant role in supporting talented children and youth in Afghanistan.
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Moderator & Speaker
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Sweeta Akbari, Ph.D.
Dr. Sweeta Akbari is the founder and CEO of Scholars in STEM. She will be moderating this event and will also be involved in the discussion. She holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Malaysia and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University, Finland, as a fellow of The Institute of International Education’s Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF) and the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI). Dr. Akbari has previously served as the academic research advisor to the Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan. Additionally, she has been actively involved in advocating for women’s rights and supporting students and scholars from Afghanistan.
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Speaker
Vijay Singh Parihar, Ph.D.
Dr. Vijay Singh Parihar serves as one of the directors at Scholars in STEM. He will be speaking about the importance of women’s participation in science and technology at this event. He is a biomaterial chemist currently working as a Senior Researcher at Tampere University, Finland. He received his Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry from the University of Pune, India, in 2016. During his Ph.D. studies, he also worked as an exchange student at Uppsala University and Stockholm University, Sweden.
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Main Speakers (Panelists)
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Nazifa Faqeryar, Ph.D.
Dr. Nazifa Faqeryar is working as an advisor and executive manager at FemsTech-Worldwide. She holds a Ph.D. in botanical chemistry from Japan and has served as a lecturer at Kabul University, Afghanistan. She has also worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Avignon University, France. Dr. Faqeryar has been a member of many academic and research committees at Kabul University and the Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan. Additionally, she teaches at the Woman Online University.
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Mursal Dawodi, Ph.D.
Dr. Mursal Dawodi is the founder of FemsTech-Worldwide, an organization actively supporting many female students in Afghanistan by providing access to courses, online education, and training in various technology-related programs. Dr. Dawodi holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Japan and is currently working as a researcher at the Technical University of Munich. She has previously served as a lecturer at Kabul University.
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Marzia Hakimi
Marzia Hakimi is an academic affiliated with the University of Alberta, serving as a research associate in the Mechanical Engineering department of the Engineering faculty. She is a scholar of mechanical engineering at the University of Alberta and a fellow of The Institute of International Education’s Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF). Previously, she served as an assistant professor at Herat University in Afghanistan for 11 years in the Mechatronics Engineering faculty.
Marzia Hakimi is one of the advocates making efforts to achieve free education for girls in Afghanistan. She is actively involved with the Edmonton group for women’s rights, including organizations such as Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WA).
In addition, she is an advocate with the Development Bridge Organization for Afghanistan (DBOA). Marzia is passionately interested in teaching, and she is currently teaching remotely to girls deprived of educational opportunities in Afghanistan through the Online Women University.
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Hassan Rahnaward Ghulami
Hassan Rahnaward Ghulami previously worked as a Senior Lecturer at Bamyan University, Afghanistan, and as a research fellow at the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste, Italy. He was a visiting Scholar at Risk at the University of Milan (UniMi) and is currently a research fellow at the University of Bologna (UniBo).
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You can find the complete report of the event here in both English and Dari/Persian languages. All rights reserved.
Dari/Persian version will be published soon.
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