The Imagining Futures Conference offers a series of workshops designed to complement its academic and action-oriented sessions through immersive, skills-based learning. These workshops serve as a space for experimentation, reflection, and practical training across multiple domains.
Each workshop invites participants to engage deeply with emerging tools and methods for social change, guided by experienced facilitators from diverse professional and disciplinary backgrounds. Whether focused on co-designing with communities, or undertaking fieldwork, the workshops are grounded in real-world contexts.
Spanning creative practice, research design, and future-oriented collaboration, the workshops equip participants with the skills and perspectives necessary to translate insights into action—shaping more inclusive futures.
Facilitator Name: Syeda Mehwish Zara Zaidi
Facilitator Profile: Syeda Mehwish Zara Zaidi is a seasoned communication designer, strategist, and academician with over 15 years of experience across academic, professional, and social impact domains. She holds a Master’s in Graphic Design by Research from the University Malaysia Sarawak (2017), where her work focused on information design and human-centered approaches to healthcare communication, and a Bachelor’s in Communication Design from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (2006), with a minor in printmaking. Throughout her career, she has led interdisciplinary initiatives that intersect design thinking, policy development, and social justice. She served as Associate Professor and Head of Department at SZABIST Karachi (2016–2024), and as Lecturer and Program Coordinator at Iqra University (2015–2016), where she played a critical role in shaping design curricula and mentoring emerging designers. Currently, she is the Chief Designer and Executive Director at Hypatia Design Studio, and co-founder of the Design Thinking and Policy Lab, where she continues to champion the use of design as a tool for community empowerment, systems thinking, and inclusive communication. Her work spans healthcare, education, and public policy—centered on the belief that design can be a transformative force for societal change.
Workshop Abstract: Real social change begins when design is done with communities, not just for them. This workshop introduces participatory design as a powerful method for advancing social equity, emphasizing collaboration with stakeholders and impacted communities throughout the design process. Participants will learn how to engage communities as co-designers — from framing problems to developing solutions for climate change — ensuring that lived experiences guide outcomes. Through hands-on activities, case studies, and group exercises, the workshop will explore how participatory methods can shift power dynamics, foster trust, and lead to more just and sustainable futures. Open to designers, researchers, activists, and changemakers from all fields, this session invites anyone ready to rethink solutions.
Facilitator Name: Aziz Ullah
Facilitator Profile: Dr. Aziz Ullah is a seasoned development professional with over 16 years of experience in public health, humanitarian response, and sustainable community development across Pakistan. He is currently working as a Consultant with international organizations, contributing to the design, implementation, and evaluation of large-scale programs aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—notably SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health & Well-being), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). Throughout his career, Dr. Aziz has collaborated with globally recognized organizations including UNICEF, United Nations agencies, ACF International, Relief International, DAI International, Muslim Aid, IRC, Nutrition International, and SRSP. His technical expertise includes gender-responsive programming, equity-based planning, monitoring & evaluation, and resilience building in crisis and post-crisis settings. He enrolled in PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies, along with dual MS degrees in Project Management and Development Studies. A Gold Medalist for his thesis on the socio-economic impacts of flooding in Dera Ismail Khan, Dr. Aziz has also published two research papers in international peer-reviewed journals on disaster resilience and conflict-sensitive development. As a certified trainer with over 20 professional certifications, he remains a passionate advocate for inclusive development, gender equality, and community empowerment in marginalized regions.
Workshop Abstract: This workshop introduces practical tools for designing community-based solutions to social equity issues in fragile areas. Participants will learn to identify root problems, engage communities, and create small pilot interventions using methods like Problem Tree Analysis and Stakeholder Mapping. Real case studies from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will guide discussions. The focus is on action, advocacy, and building sustainable local impact.
Facilitator Name: Haya Fatima Iqbal
Facilitator Profile: Haya Fatima Iqbal is an Emmy and Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, educator, and journalist whose work spans issues of gender, social justice, and climate across South Asia. A Fulbright scholar, she holds an MA in News & Documentary from New York University, and has been recognized globally for her storytelling—including by the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards, duPont-Columbia, and One World Media. She has co-produced acclaimed films such as A Girl in the River and Armed With Faith, and directed several impactful documentaries for BBC, HBO, VICE, Human Rights Watch, and The Olympic Channel. In parallel to her film practice, she serves as Assistant Professor of Practice at Habib University, where she teaches documentary filmmaking and journalism. Haya is also the co-founder of the Documentary Association of Pakistan (DAP), and a lead trainer in multiple cross-border and regional programs that empower emerging filmmakers. Her work continues to push the boundaries of nonfiction storytelling while fostering a thriving documentary culture in Pakistan.
Workshop Abstract: This workshop will be a mandatory workshop specifically catering to all the student presenters at the conference. It's not very easy for youth from different parts of Pakistan to easily intermingle with each other. As a result, young people do not get to understand what the lives, struggles, challenges and triumphs of their counterparts residing in other parts of Pakistan are. Making a diverse group of students talk to each other builds a solid foundation for their future where they have networks and inroads already laid out for each other in different regions of the country. If like-minded young people interested in the same causes form lasting bonds with each other today, the collaboration, organizing and knowledge exchange they will do in the next decade of their lives will be absolutely invaluable.
Facilitator Name: Mirza Muhammad Amir
Facilitator Profile: Mirza Muhammad Amir is a multidisciplinary educator, designer, and researcher with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of art, psychology, and design for social impact. He holds an MA in Art Education from BNU, an MA in Psychology from the University of Karachi, and professional certifications in graphic design and filmmaking from Parsons School of Design and Indus Valley School, respectively. Amir has taught across leading institutions including Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, SZABIST, IBA, Habib University, and the University of Karachi, offering courses in interaction design, typography, UX, and design for social change. His pedagogy centers on constructivist and learner-driven approaches. He is the founder of Amal, a platform that integrates design, education, and mental health, and the creative mind behind Hunar Paaray, a boutique celebrating traditional craftsmanship. His research and creative work explore inclusive design, emotional well-being, and education reform, including international presentations such as his work on transgender representation at Pratt Institute, New York. He is also a recipient of the Best App Award at the Ilm Apps Challenge by the Pakistan Innovation Foundation.
Workshop Abstract: Design for Social Change is grounded in the belief that design holds the power to challenge injustice and reimagine the systems that shape our lives. This workshop invites participants to explore design not merely as a method for generating solutions, but as a transformative practice capable of addressing structural inequities and advancing social justice. Through interactive exercises, collaborative problem framing, and engagement with real-world examples, participants will develop tools for identifying systemic barriers and crafting contextually grounded, empathetic interventions. Emphasizing design as a collective, iterative process, the session encourages critical reflection, redistribution of power, and the imagining of more equitable futures. Welcoming participants from all backgrounds, this workshop fosters an inclusive space for those committed to designing a fairer, more just world.
Facilitator Name: Rohama Malik
Facilitator Profile: Rohama Malik is a multidisciplinary illustrator and educator who works on speculative fiction and its visual depictions. A Fulbright scholar and graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Arts MFA Illustration Practice program, she is an Assistant Professor at Habib University's Communication and Design department. She works in various mediums including digital and traditional illustration, sculpture, embroidery, and animation.
Workshop Abstract: What can a utopian world look like? How can we make sure it will be a utopia for all? In this workshop participants will identify a pressing problem in Karachi and work on crafting a version of the city where that problem has been fixed. The workshop will use speculative fiction and concepts from world building to guide participants on this journey, culminating in an illustration of their proposed utopia. No prior art experience is needed or necessary.
Facilitator Name: Mariya Karimjee
Facilitator Profile: Mariya Karimjee is a freelance writer and journalist now based in Karachi, Pakistan. She holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College and an MS in Magazine Journalism from Columbia University, and works across all mediums to tell stories with narrative depth and rigorous reporting. Her work spans a wide range of subjects—from Pakistan’s first democratic transfer of power and ethnic tensions in Karachi to infanticide, ship-breaking laborers in Balochistan, public health, and U.S.–Pakistan foreign relations. A former deputy editor at GlobalPost, she was also a GlobalPost/Kaiser Family Foundation Global Health fellow and a Logan Nonfiction Fellow at the Carey Institute. Mariya has contributed to NPR’s This American Life, and her writing appears in Marie Claire, BuzzFeed, VICE, Al Jazeera America, Healthline, Vulture, and others. She’s currently working on a memoir with Penguin Random House and continues to explore themes around women’s and minority rights, global health, and identity.
Workshop Abstract: Too often, important work—whether it’s community-based research, advocacy, or nonprofit programming—gets lost in language that’s either too dense or too detached. This small-group workshop is designed to help participants bridge the gap between what they know and what they say. Together, we’ll explore the mechanics of powerful storytelling—structure, stakes, specificity—and how those tools can be used more intentionally to reflect equity and care. Whether you work in policy, research, or the nonprofit sector, this session will help you sharpen your narrative literacy and build storytelling strategies that resonate across audiences. Crucially, we’ll also tackle the ethics of representation: how to move away from top-down storytelling, and how to talk with rather than about the marginalized communities at the center of so many issue-based narratives. This is a conversation-forward workshop, capped at 15 participants to keep it intimate and grounded.
Facilitator Name: Irfan Kheiri
Facilitator Profile: Irfan Kheiri is a multidisciplinary Solutions Architect and Educator with over 30 years of experience in media, technology, game design, and interactive learning. He currently serves as Chief Solutions Architect and CTO at SoulTek Studios, where he leads the development of simulation-based training tools and AI-driven educational products. His work spans medical simulation for nurse training, applied AI in hospital management systems, geospatial analysis, AI-powered chatbots, and natural language coding frameworks. He also develops assessment systems that use AI for adaptive learning and evaluation. Irfan's approach combines technical depth with design thinking to build tools with real-world impact across education, health, and technology sectors.
Workshop Abstract: This workshop provides an introduction to the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), focusing on neural networks and the various types of AI models that are transforming industries today. Participants will explore the fundamentals of neural networks, understand the differences between key AI models, and discover real-world use cases that illustrate their applications across various fields. Drawing from hands-on experience, the session will also cover basic prompt engineering, offering valuable insights into how AI systems respond to different inputs. Whether you're new to AI or looking to broaden your knowledge, this workshop will provide you with a solid foundation and practical tools to start engaging with AI in meaningful ways.
Facilitator Name: Saba Aslam
Facilitator Profile: Saba Aslam is a PhD researcher based at the Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. Her research aims to understand why water infrastructure challenges persist in low income neighborhoods of Karachi.
Workshop Abstract: This workshop is designed for undergraduate and postgraduate students interested in the intersection of urban inequalities, infrastructure, and urbanisation processes in Pakistan. More importantly, it aims to equip students with the skills needed to design and execute a research project, particularly from a qualitative lens. This includes several key stages: selecting a topic or theme, framing a research inquiry and supporting questions, identifying relevant academic debates, positioning the project within those debates, developing a literature review and conceptual framework, and planning and carrying out fieldwork.
While each of these stages deserves a detailed workshop in its own right, the core focus of the workshop will be on doing fieldwork in urban settings. How do you prepare fieldwork plans? How do you begin finding contacts for data collection? What kind of support is required while you are on fieldwork? Which institutions/libraries can you start off collecting archival materials from (in the case of urban research)? The workshop may feature guest field researchers who will work with the students whilst also sharing their experiences and discussing the diverse environments in which they have worked.
