Saima is Lecturer in Transnational Education at King’s Academy and at the Afe Babalola Centre for Transnational Education. She currently works on the PGCert in Online Learning & Teaching, aiming to train educators to support disadvantaged young people in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa to achieve their career or further education potential. She holds a BA in Psychology from The University of Manchester, a PGCE and QTS from UCL Institute of Education and an MSc in International Development from University of Bristol. She is Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

An educationalist with 18+ years’ international experience, including as Lecturer, Adviser and Teacher, Saima has worked with a diverse range of educators within universities, secondary schools and education not-for-profit (including in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Turkey and the UK), with a focus on widening participation. Prior to joining King’s, Saima collaborated with the School of Psychological Science, the School for Policy Studies and interdisciplinary teams within the Centre for Academic Language and Development at University of Bristol to design and convene the blended learning International Foundation Programme Foundations of Psychology and Introduction to the Social Sciences modules in support of entry into undergraduate programmes. She also previously worked as Education Adviser on donor-funded in-service teacher and leadership training as well as gender and inclusion projects, including those funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), involving interactive distance learning technology in Ghana.

Saima is interested in the intersections of psychology, education and development for educational access, equity, diversity and inclusion. She is a member of the King’s 100 Staff Panel.