Maham Afzaal
Doctoral Student
she/her/hers
MPP (2024), Hons. B.A. (2023)
Political Studies
Doctoral Student
Brief Biography
Maham Afzaal is a doctoral student in the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University studying International Relations. She received an MPP in Digital Society and an Hons. B.A in Economics (Specialist) with a minor in Political Science from McMaster University.
Maham’s previous research drew from Foucault’s conception of the panopticon to explore the bio-ethical and socio-political implications of employing proctoring AI technologies in undergraduate and secondary school settings, focusing on how potential racial and gendered biases in AI impact students belonging to minority groups. She is currently interested in researching topics in critical security studies informed by decolonial and feminist frameworks, utilizing inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches.
In her free time, Maham takes an interest in game development and researching applications for gamified learning models.
Research Interests
Critical security studies, Childhood studies, Historical injustice, Race, Gender, Philosophy of technology, AI ethics, Research ethics, Critical pedagogy, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Education policy
Awards
Outstanding Student Performance Award in Digital Governance (McMaster, 2024)
Outstanding Student Performance Award in Product Management (McMaster, 2024)
Outstanding Student Performance Award in Architectures of Digital Ecosystems (McMaster, 2023)
Undergraduate Student Research Award (McMaster, 2022)
Undergraduate Student Research Award (McMaster, 2021)
Teaching Experience
TA:
POLS 284 (Queen’s, 2024)
POLSCI 1AA3 (McMaster, 2023)