System Practitioner. Improviser. Logician.#
Dr Safiya Okai-Ugbaje is an academic at the ANU School of Cybernetics. She supports the training and development of the next generation of Cybernetics Practitioners equipped with the knowledge and skills to tackle 21st Century Challenges & driving both conversations and actions for the design, development, application, and use of emerging technologies including AI for societal transformation and caring for our natural environment.
Her research is in the design and development of safe, responsible and sustainable technological systems, AI literacy and adoption, and she supports the school’s initiative in driving AI literacy through professional training.
Safiya completed her PhD at the University of Notre Dame Australia focusing on innovative solutions in the educational technology domain. She holds a Bachelor of Technology in Mathematics and Computer Science from the Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria and a Master of Science in IT Management with Distinction from Staffordshire University, UK.
Safiya has worked on a variety of projects in the areas of cloud computing and green ICT, educational technologies, and cyber safety for Australia’s Indigenous children. She is highly passionate about conducting research that moves beyond theory into practical applications that provide sustainable solutions to contextual problems. During her PhD, Safiya worked with various stakeholder groups including senior management and academics to facilitate the delivery of innovative and suitable educational solutions in higher education. The project succeeded in demonstrating how local opportunities may be effectively utilised to facilitate technology-enhanced teaching and learning even where resources are limited.
Safiya is self-motivated and resilient and enjoys watching movies in her free time when she is not doing wonders in the kitchen. She is a lover of nature who is fascinated by the tranquillity of water bodies and gets great inspiration just looking at the blue skies.
Areas of Expertise: Educational Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Cybernetics, Sustainable Development, Humanitarian Technologies.