I am Faiaz and I am passionate about learning, social impact, improving public policies and translating research into policy practice to empower people. My defining values are curiosity, collaboration, and compassion. My research interests include public policy, political economy, development, local politics, gender, and technology policy.

Currently, I am at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at University of California San Diego (UCSD) as a Dean's fellow and a merit fellowship (full scholarship) recipient to pursue my Master's in Public Policy (MPP) degree. I am also serving as the Vice-President of Academic Affairs for the Graduate and Professional Students Association (GPSA) representing all the graduate and professional students at UCSD. I received my undergraduate degree from University of British Columbia (UBC) as a recipient of the International Leader of Tomorrow (ILOT) award.

Most recently in the summer of 2023, I worked as a summer intern at the Development Impact Evaluation (DIME) unit in the Research Group of the World Bank, where I worked under the gender unit and was involved with several RCTs designed to evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions to stop sexual harassment on public transport vehicles in developing countries.  Previously in UCSD, I worked as a graduate student researcher under Professor Thomas at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, and collecting data on peace agreement implementations, specifically investigating the role played by former female rebel leaders or soldiers, who become politicians after a peace process. I have also worked as a Graduate Student Researcher at the Center for Gender Equity and Health where I worked primarily in the EMERGE project funded by the Gates Foundation, which is one of the largest repositories of measures and resources for survey researchers and practitioners. I have co-authored several research and policy briefs for different government and multi-lateral organizations, including Afrobarometer. Before coming to UCSD, I worked in public sector consulting and for different public sector organizations, including the United Nations and a municipal government in Canada. I believe in the vital role that public and non-profit organizations play in defining the quality of life for people in our communities.

Having lived and worked in three continents, I enjoy meeting new people, visiting novel places and learning about diverse cultures and their histories. Outside of work, you can find me catching up with friends, reading voraciously, listening to podcasts, running long distances, hiking beautiful trails, or writing for my blog.