Hina Shaheen aims to inspire women in STEM following completion of PhD at Laurier

Dec. 11, 2023

As the first woman to complete the requirements for a PhD in Mathematical and Statistical Modelling at Wilfrid Laurier University, Hina Shaheen hopes to inspire other women considering post-secondary education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

“This experience was an honour for me because, if you look globally, there are not a lot of women in STEM,” says Shaheen. “I want to be an inspiration to my fellow women because we need more women in STEM fields.”

Shaheen defended her thesis in September, becoming the first woman to complete the requirements to earn a Mathematical and Statistical Modelling PhD at Laurier. She will officially graduate at 2024 spring convocation.

“I’m super excited and feel proud to be the first woman to complete the requirements for a PhD in the program,” says Shaheen. “I will play my role and strive to create a positive impact in society locally, nationally and internationally.”

Shaheen's PhD thesis – titled “Multiscale Modelling of Brain Networks and the Analysis of Dynamical processes in Neurodegenerative Disorders” – uses mathematics and statistical modelling to provide insight into the origin and progression of brain diseases, as well as gain a better understanding of the key mechanisms underlying the dynamics of the brain.

Her research has the potential to yield new insights into the key aspects of brain networks, as well as aid in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and depression.

“There are different ions in the brain, so we applied external stimulus to see what happens to the normal brain,” explains Shaheen. “If we increase the concentration of potassium, calcium or sodium, what is happening to the brain? And if we reduce those concentrations, what is happening to the brain? After applying external stimulus and seeing the behaviour of ions over the whole brain, we were able to see which concentrations were making an impact on brain diseases. We developed these models using data in such a way that we can implement them in real-world applications.”

Shaheen says she is excited about the possibilities of her research, especially considering the Canadian federal government’s stated goal of working toward a cure for dementia and related brain diseases.

“This research has possibilities in neuroscience, bioinformatics and biostatistics, where we can develop models to overcome diseases,” says Shaheen. “It also has possibilities for drug discovery and development. I'm very excited about the work I’ve done and am going to do in the future.”

Challenging interdisciplinary topic

Shaheen began her PhD studies at Laurier in 2019 under the supervision of Professor Roderick Melnik, a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Mathematical Modelling. Melnik says Shaheen’s work focused on a challenging interdisciplinary topic that required her to skillfully apply a vast body of knowledge, from mathematics and neuroscience to statistics and biomedical data science. He notes that Shaheen’s findings were published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences in North America and Europe.

“Hina obtained a series of highly impactful results revealing some of the critical, yet earlier-unexplored, aspects of neural cell dynamics and intercellular communication in the context of neurodegenerative diseases,” says Melnik. “Partnering with the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, she further integrated such models with available clinical data, leading to significant potential of the developed models and techniques to benefit society.”

At Laurier, Shaheen’s research was carried out in the M3AI Laboratory, part of the MS2Discovery Interdisciplinary Research Institute. She previously earned a Master of Science in Applicable Mathematics from the University of Greenwich in England, as well as a Bachelor of Science from Comsats University in Pakistan. In addition to her studies, Shaheen taught as an instructor during the final stages of her PhD, leading a calculus course with more than 150 students.

In another milestone, Shaheen gave birth to her daughter, Wania, now two-and-a-half years old, while working toward her PhD. She credits the support of her husband, Hashim, and members of the Laurier community for helping her successfully complete her studies.

“The people at Laurier are so amazing and supportive, both emotionally and professionally,” she says.

With the requirements for her PhD complete, Shaheen says she hopes to mentor future statisticians and mathematicians. She is also looking forward to utilizing her mathematics and statistics research in industry settings.

“My future plan is to be an academic, but outside of that I’m also looking forward to working in industry because I want to see what we have developed in a real-world application,” says Shaheen. “I’m also looking forward to teaching students. I have a goal to create lecture content that relates to industry-oriented problems.”

As she moves forward in her career, Shaheen says she will remain committed to the ideals of equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as work to encourage others to pursue their academic goals, especially women in STEM fields.

“This is my story, but it represents not just one person’s accomplishment,” says Shaheen. “It is also a testament to the importance of diversity and inclusion in academia. I believe that by highlighting these kinds of stories we can encourage others to pursue their passions in STEM fields.”