10/12/2024
Meet Miss Aaliya Moula Dad hailing from Altit District Hunza..
She has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Asia Foundation Development Fellowship.
Out of over 900 applicants from across Asia and the Pacific, Aaliya is one of the 13 outstanding individuals chosen for this competitive fellowship.
As part of the program, Aaliya will participate in the Spring 2025 Leadership Training in Nepal and Bhutan and the Leadership Dialogue and Exchange Program in the United States, held in the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington, DC. Additionally, she has been awarded a Visiting Fellowship at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in the United Kingdom.
A fourth-year doctoral candidate at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, Aaliya conducts research under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Brian McAdoo in PlanetLab. Her work focuses on the planetary-scale changes affecting the health and well-being of rural mountain communities in the Himalayas. She collaborates with researchers from the University of Liverpool and will spend two semesters in the UK as part of her research abroad program.
Aaliya holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Sciences from the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh and a Master’s in Environmental Studies from York University in Canada.
Expressing her gratitude, Aaliya credited her achievements to the unwavering support of her family, mentors, and friends. She also praised her academic supervisor, Prof. Dr. Brian McAdoo, for his guidance and her collaborators in the UK for their contributions to her academic journey.
Aaliya’s dedication to her field and her commitment to societal well-being exemplify the spirit of the Asia Foundation Development Fellows Programme, which supports young leaders working towards sustainable and inclusive development across the region.
