Fatima Nisar

Fatima Nisar is a data science student and award-winning robotics innovator from Pakistan, committed to bridging gender gaps in digital transformation through inclusive, community-led technology. She designs low-cost, locally adaptable solutions, such as climate-resilient tools for women farmers and IoT-based school safety systems. Beyond engineering, she mentors young women in STEM, develops open-source guides in Urdu, and advises institutions on gender-responsive design.

What does your work focus on?

My work sits at the intersection of digital development and gender equality. As a robotics enthusiast and data science student, I design low-cost, scalable technology solutions that empower underserved communities in Pakistan—with a deliberate focus on closing gender gaps in STEM access and digital literacy.

My contributions span three key areas:

  • Gender-Inclusive Digital Development: I engineer solutions that don’t just address functionality but actively disrupt existing inequalities. For example, I co-designed tools with rural women farmers to ensure usability in male-dominated agricultural sectors, such as a rain-activated umbrella system that reduced crop damage by 40% during monsoon rains. I also prioritized voice-command interfaces in my robotics projects to accommodate low-literacy users, who are disproportionately women in Pakistan. Another key project was an earthquake evacuation management system developed using IoT sensors, which improved emergency response times by 30% and is currently under review by the Punjab Disaster Management Authority.
  • Direct Advocacy for Women in STEM: I’ve mentored many young women after attending IST University’s satellite modeling workshops, including Pakistan’s first student-led CubeSat project. I open-sourced technical guides in Urdu to reduce language barriers for women entering tech and led a two-woman team that earned second place in the National Robotics Tournament, showcasing women’s leadership in engineering. Through these workshops and tutorials, I’ve trained over 50 young women in robotics and AI, with several now leading their own initiatives.
  • Policy and Institutional Engagement: I collaborate with institutions to embed gender equity in tech ecosystems. For example, I’ve advised my university on integrating gender-sensitive design principles into engineering curricula and am working with Pakistan’s Ministry of IT to mandate gender audits in tech funding proposals.

Pakistan has a 22% gender gap in internet access (GSMA, 2023) and fewer than 18% women in STEM. My work addresses this by demystifying technology through hands-on, community-led projects; creating visible role models; and proving that when women co-create solutions, adoption rises and progress accelerates.

What is the impact and scalability?

My work in robotics, AI, and low-cost technology has already demonstrated measurable impact in digital inclusion, gender equality, and community resilience.

  • Agricultural Empowerment: The rain-activated umbrella system has been prototyped with 15 small-scale women farmers in Punjab, reducing crop damage by 40% during monsoon rains. This directly supports SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) while economically empowering women in male-dominated farming sectors.
  • Disaster Resilience: The earthquake evacuation management system, developed using IoT sensors, has been tested in Islamabad and Lahore, improving emergency response times by 30%. This addresses SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities) and benefits girls’ education (SDG 4) by making schools safer.
  • STEM Participation: Through university workshops and open-source tutorials, I’ve trained over 50 young women in robotics and AI, with 6 participants now leading their own tech initiatives.

My projects are designed for low-cost replication and adaptive growth:

  • Technological Scalability: The rain-activated umbrella uses off-the-shelf components (Arduino, moisture sensors) and can be adapted for other challenges like frost protection. All code and schematics are open-source, enabling NGOs and students to replicate. For example, the earthquake system’s sensor network has been repurposed by a Lahore-based team for flood alerts.
  • Geographic Expansion: I’m looking forward to partnering with Agricultural Extension Services Pakistan to deploy 100+ umbrellas in Sindh by 2025. Prototypes are under review by Punjab’s Disaster Management Authority for integration into official early-warning systems.
  • Gender-Inclusive Scaling: I’m aiming to launch the “Women Tech Champions” program, which will equip female teachers to deliver robotics workshops in rural schools. I’m also working with the Ministry of IT to mandate gender audits in tech funding proposals.

The core technologies are adaptable to broader challenges:

  • AI + Climate Adaptation: Expanding sensor networks to predict droughts, benefiting women farmers (SDG 13).
  • Healthcare Access: Repurposing IoT systems for maternal health monitoring in remote areas (SDG 3).

Challenges and mitigation:

  • High device costs in rural areas: I’m partnering with telecom companies like Jazz and Telenor to subsidize hardware.
  • Cultural resistance to women in tech: I lead community dialogues with local female role models to shift perceptions.

All in all, my projects are locally rooted but globally scalable, using open innovation, community co-creation, and policy engagement to drive systemic change and bridge the digital divide for women and marginalized groups.

What does being selected as an ITU160 Gender Champion mean to you, and how will you use this platform?

Becoming an ITU160 Gender Champion would amplify my mission, providing the platform, partnerships, and policy influence needed to accelerate change. Technology has the power to transform societies, but only if it is inclusive, accessible, and designed for everyone. As a young innovator from Pakistan, I have witnessed firsthand how gender disparities limit digital progress. My journey in robotics, AI, and grassroots tech solutions has been driven by a singular mission: to ensure women and girls are not just participants but leaders in the digital revolution.

As an ITU Gender Champion, I would:

  • Scale my Women Tech Champions program, training female teachers to deliver STEM workshops in rural Pakistan.
  • Advocate for gender-responsive design in national tech policies, ensuring products meet women’s needs (e.g., voice interfaces for low-literacy users).
  • Lobby for gender audits in tech funding proposals.
  • Collaborate with the Ministry of IT to mandate women’s representation in AI/robotics R&D.
  • Share best practices with other Gender Champions and adapt successful models (e.g., Kenya’s femtech hubs) to Pakistan.
  • Push for corporate accountability by urging telecom companies to subsidize internet access for women-led SMEs.

I bring grassroots credibility through co-creating tech with marginalized women, technical rigor with proven prototypes like disaster sensors, and youth mobilization through a network of 100+ young innovators ready to act.

I don’t just want to be a Gender Champion — I want to be a catalyst for a movement where women shape technology, not just use it. With ITU’s support, I’ll turn my prototypes into policy, my workshops into nationwide programs, and my vision into reality: a digital future where no woman is left offline.