Ph.D. in Learning, Design, and Technology, Pennsylvania State University, USA
MRes. in Educational and Social Research, Institute of Education (IOE), University College London, UK
MA. in Applied English Linguistics, University of Karachi, Pakistan
B.A. in Education, Economics, and Political Science, University of Karachi, Pakistan

Dr. Fariha Hayat Salman joined AUD’s School of Education in Spring 2024 as Associate Professor of Education. As a seasoned professional within the global higher education sector, Dr. Salman has led initiatives on educational technology, academic leadership development, inclusive education, and STEM education.

Dr. Salman is a licensed and certified educator in Special and Inclusive Education and has worked within the American K-12 public education system as Quality Analyst for the curriculum review bureau and as Tier-3 Instructional Leader with endorsements in Special Education Reading Instruction, EdTech, and Language Arts.

She is an honored recipient of the prestigious Fulbright PhD Scholarship, UCL’s IOE Centenary Research Scholarship, Penn State SOE Dean’s Fellowship in Research Engagement, and the Ardeth & Norman Frisbey Global Award for her contribution toward diversifying STEM Education. In March 2024, Dr. Fariha was awarded Senior Fellowship by the Advance Higher Education Academy, UK as evidence of leading and influencing high quality teaching and assessment practices.

Dr. Salman’s extensive experience in academia has progressed across various leadership roles as center director, unit coordinator, program lead, faculty member, and educational researcher across USA, UK, and Pakistan. In her academic roles at the Aga Khan University, Iqra University, and the Pennsylvania State University, she has taught within graduate and undergraduate programs and served on research advisement committees. She has also held sessional positions at Birkbeck University, Imperial College London, and the University of Karachi.

In her most recent role as Director, Center for Teaching Excellence at Iqra, Dr. Salman spearheaded the university’s partnership with the UK Advance Higher Education Academy to launch the Fellowship Program toward successful completion enabled by global linkages and programmatic quality assurance. In a prior role as Coordinator, E-learning and Distance Learning at the Aga Khan University, Dr. Salman enabled the establishment of HyFlex learning SOPs back in 2010.

Onboard university-wide committees, directorates, and advisory boards, Dr. Salman has had the opportunity to work closely with government and non-government organizations and university leaders to contribute to HE public policy debates.

In her research efforts, Dr. Salman examines how technology can be purposefully utilized to optimize workflow efficiency within educational settings. At Penn State, she conceptualized and led a STEM research grant as Principal Investigator funded by the Center for Online Innovation in Learning (COIL) in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to examine the use of AR technology for sustainable engineering design education. On other research grants, her collaboration enabled student learning and innovation through a tech-enhanced research writing lab and an inclusive game design studio. Her most recent R&D collaboration was focused on the development and functionality pilot of a software focused on faculty professional growth based on the SoTL framework.

In her free time, Dr. Salman relaxes with family, reading books and listening to podcasts to catch up on tech bytes.