TEDxLCWU

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Aqsa Shabbir

  Data Scientist + Academician

  Dr. Aqsa Shabbir, a data scientist and higher education leader, earned her doctorate jointly from Ghent University, Belgium, and University of Munich, Germany, on an Erasmus Mundus Fellowship in 2016. She holds Masters and Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from UET Lahore. She visited Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics and Culham Center for Fusion Energy, Oxfordshire, UK, as a researcher. Currently, she serves as Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), where she was Director Research, Innovation and Commercialization, Head Intermediate College, and founder of Khadija Tul Kubra Business Incubation Center. With expertise in higher education leadership, management, teaching, and research, she leads projects in climate change, AI for social good, and STEM. She boasts a cumulative impact over 100, grants exceeding PKR 450 million, and a recent patent for a portable cardiopulmonary device.

• Halimah Tariq

  Lawyer, Documentary Filmmaker, ConnectHER Fellowship Director

  Halimah Tariq is a lawyer and award-winning documentary filmmaker, and the founder of Stories of the Soil (SOTS), an initiative that promotes activism through film. Her work spotlights women in Pakistan who have overcome cultural and social stigmas, addressing issues such as acid attacks, bonded labor, and gender-based violence. Her films have received international recognition, with awards from the Prague International Indie Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Awards, and the Toronto Women International Film Festival. She is also the Director of the ConnectHER Fellowship Program, which conducts workshops to train young students across the Global South in using film as a tool for storytelling and social

• Muhammad Ali Falak

  Author & Writer |Civil Engineer | Climate Resilience Expert | Fulbright & MEXT Scholar | Assistant Professor

  Dr. Muhammad Ali Falak holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University as a Fulbright Scholar, an M.Sc. from The University of Tokyo on the MEXT Scholarship, and a B.Sc. from UET Lahore. He is a mentor and advocate for young scholars, guiding students across Pakistan in securing major international scholarships through seminars and training programs. His work in climate change, sustainability, and engineering education has earned national and global recognition, including the U.S. Mission Leadership Award and the Global Best Achievement Award for climate-resilient engineering. He leads UK- and U.S.-funded projects on education, AI, and sustainability. An accomplished author, he has written My Fulbright and UGRAD and regularly writes on education, climate policy, and leadership in leading Newspapers including Express Tribune - a partner of New York Times. A poet and advisor to the Literary Society, he actively nurtures creative and intellectual growth among students.

• Saad Zahid

  Archaeologist, Cultural Consultant, and Heritage Storyteller

  Saad Zahid, founder of Vlogumentary, one of Pakistan’s leading platforms for heritage documentation. With over five years of experience as an archaeologist, explorer, cultural consultant, and tour guide, he has played a key role in bringing Pakistan’s history to the public in an accessible way. His work, recognized by platforms like the BBC, combines academic understanding with real-world exploration to make heritage engaging and meaningful for today’s generation.

• Timsal Fatima

  Student

  Timsal Fatima is a certified Kathak artist whose craft carries the quiet heartbeat of classical South Asian dance. She holds her certification from Sangeet Examinations in London and has spent four years refining her art under the mentorship of Nighat Sultana Chaudhary in which her every movement became a disciplined dialogue between precision and grace. Her work is deeply inspired by poetry and Pakistani classical music. Through her performances, she pays homage to legendary voices whose echoes live on in the fluidity of her footwork and the stories she tells through dance. She has previously performed at the International Dance Festival at Alhamra, and various cultural platforms that celebrate artistic heritage.