Name: Safiyyah Iqbal
Role/Occupation: PhD Student at the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand
Country: South Africa
Safiyyah Iqbal studied a Bachelor of Science at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she majored in Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, all of which sparked her interested in Palaeontology and Form and Function. She then completed her BSc honours and MSc in Palaeontology under the supervision of Prof. Kristian Carlson and Prof. Fernando Abdala.
Iqbal is currently a PhD Student at the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she is completing her doctoral studies in Palaeontology, under the supervision of Prof. Kristian Carlson, Prof. Fernando Abdala, Prof. Frank Kienhofer and Prof. Jonah Choiniere. Her research involves working on the Finite Element Analysis of Thrinaxodon liorhinus limb bones, which falls under the umbrella of cynodonts research.
Iqbal considers herself to be a bit of a tech freak and loves working on computers. Her current research combines her love for computers and palaeontology and involves using microCT scans of the specimens that undergo certain loading conditions in order to infer why there is a change in gait. Her research advances the techniques used in Palaeontology and is non-invasive as fossils are precious. At present , Iqbal can be described as a Functional Morphologist specialising in digital analysis.
When asked about her experience as a woman in the STEM space she says that “there are challenging days where you have to stand strong and know that you worked just as hard as the next person and deserve to be in the position that you are in.” She also emphasised having a strong support system and believes it to be “a bonus to any experience or trial that you need to overcome be it as a scientist or just as a female.” Her advice to young women aspiring to enter the STEM field is to “never give up no matter how hard the journey may be or obstacles you face. Always remember where you started, where you are and where you need to be.” In her personal experience, she is always filled with courage when she recalls her parents’ tears of joy and the huge smiles when her name was called for the reception of her degree.
Iqbal considers the milestones in her career to be the precious moments where everything makes sense and seems like a blessing or reward for all the hardships she has had to overcome.
As a religious individual in a science environment, Iqbal believes that having “full faith in the Almighty, knowing and appreciating everything from a creation point of view makes managing [her] personal life and career easier”. At times, especially around deadlines, when the balance is threatened, having parents and friends who encourage and motivate her helps to maintain the balance.
Read more about Safiyyah Iqbal, a hardworking humble scientist, who combines the old with the new, palaeontology with computers, as she works as a Functional Morphologist specialising in digital analysis.
Safiyyah Iqbal was interviewed by Dhruti Dheda, the founder of the African Steminist on behalf of Geeky Girl Reality. The full interview can be found here.
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