Hi, I’m Zara! Thanks for visiting my page.
I’m a youth advocate dedicated to raising awareness about the ethics of artificial intelligence. I was awarded one of Girls in Tech 2023 by the Singapore Computer Society and the Infocomm Media Authority (IMDA) for rising stars in technology in the country. I am also the first Youth Ambassador for She Loves Tech, the world's largest startup platform for women and tech in over 75 countries.
A passionate computer scientist, I am researching using AI to detect Alzheimer's Disease at the National University of Singapore. I also interned at Singapore’s technology and media regulator Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) where I developed an AI and Ethics curriculum based on the government’s AI Verify open-source toolkit and Generative AI governance framework.
I’m committed to advancing intergenerational dialogue about the risks and benefits of applied AI for youth everywhere. Since 2022, I have delivered my workshop "The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence" to youth audiences, including the global conference for She Loves Tech. I also published an article in the Straits Times, Singapore’s leading daily newspaper, about the importance of involving youth in AI governance. In 2019, I founded Ethical Coders, a youth club to encourage debate on the ethics of technology through sci-fi books, films, and interviews hosted in partnership with Singapore's iconic ArtScience Museum.
I’m a student at United World College Singapore and Stanford Online High School's philosophy program. I’m also a keen student of computer science. I have completed edX courses such as CS50 by HarvardX and Algorithms: Design and Analysis (Part I and Part II) by Stanford University, and Coursera courses such as Mathematics for Machine Learning Specialization by Imperial College London and Machine Learning Specialization by Stanford University.
I’m currently authoring a paper on the analysis of language patterns with AI to identify Alzheimer's patients. My research is supervised by Professor Dean Ho, Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the National University of Singapore.
As the She Loves Tech Youth Ambassador, I am helping to build a community of young girls who are empowered by technologies such AI and robotics. I will deliver tech education workshops globally, represent youth in public forums through articles and conferences, and collaborate with governments and corporations to teach and hire girls in the tech sector.
I also founded Octa a travel chatbot that I coded for planning family holidays, and published "Zara's Travels: From Scotland to Singapore," an interactive memoir about crossing Eurasia on the world's longest train journey. I’ve traveled to 50 countries so far!
I’m on LinkedIn but only check it occasionally. 😊