Awais Syed

How I got here:

I joined the Humane Genetics team in the summer of 2020 after graduating with a BA from Colorado College. I grew up in Pakistan and due to my contrasting educational experiences in Pakistan and a private liberal arts college in the US, I became acutely interested in issue of equity in education. Once I graduated from college, I knew I wanted to be involved in work that I felt contributed to improving our educational systems so when I saw a job opening for a research assistant position on projects that were deeply involved in improving curriculum I was immediately hooked. Looking back, I don’t think I fully knew what I had taken on when I first joined however a little over two years of learning and professional growth later, I am very happy to be working on projects that align with my personal and professional values.

How my identity intersects with my work:

My engagement with the project is intrinsically linked to my upbringing in Pakistan and my new reality of a Pakistani national and immigrant worker in the US. When I got on my plane to come to the US in 2016, it was only the second time I had ever gotten on a plane and certainly the first time on a plane going to a foreign country where I had no family or friends. Growing up in a military home, I had a wide array of early educational experiences from studying in barracks turned makeshift schools to private schools teaching a British curriculum. Through these experiences I gained a wide exposure to the effects access to schooling, curriculum quality, and an inequitable educational system can have on society. My perceptions of rampant disparities in education access and impact were only augmented by my experience in an exclusive private liberal arts college in America however despite all the pitfalls in our education systems, I still strongly believe strong education is the best pathway towards social equity and bridging the many gaps in our society which motivates me to strive harder in this line of work.

What I do when working:

As a research associate, I have my fingers in many different jars within the Humane Biology suite of projects. Depending on the needs of the project, I could be assisting in curriculum development, helping design and lead presentations, co-facilitating and planning teacher professional learning seminars, quantitative & qualitative data collection & analysis, and assisting in writing & editing manuscripts.

Other work I’m interested in:

Other than humane genetics I am keenly interested in educational policy, quantitative and qualitative evaluation of education systems and structures particularly in developing nations, and how curriculum can be used to foster equitable learning environments for all students.

Research Stats:

• 12 think-alouds conducted
• 2 Humane Genetics Institute co-facilitated
• 1 textbook analysis projects
• 4 co-authorships
• 1 conference talk presented at AERA 2022
• 3 advisory boards planned and co-facilitated

What I do with the rest of my life:

I am an avid gamer and love playing video games. When I am not escaping into a world of fantasy via videogames or epic fantasy novels, I can be found in a squash court or talking about my endless fascinations and frustrations with the Pakistan cricket team.

Stats (as of 7/29/2022):

Been on the longest escalator in the world (in terms of time and length); finalist for the Colorado Springs squash tournament A category; can speak 4 languages.