Women Leading Technology for Society: Where Inclusion, Care, and Technology Meet
Join the Women in Computer Science & Engineering (WiCSE) Committee at the Lassonde School of Engineering for a special International Women’s Day panel discussion featuring leaders from academia and industry. Explore how technology leadership can create meaningful societal impact – through research, innovation, policy, and practice.
Thursday, March 5
11 am – 12:15 pm (followed by a Networking lunch)
Bergeron Centre Eatery
Panelists:
Pooja Sinha is a Senior Director of Engineering at Qualcomm Canada Inc. She has over 20 years of experience in hardware and software design in the semi-conductor industry. For the last 10 years her focus has been on the acceleration of machine learning applications on Qualcomm’s NPU Snapdragon devices. She currently leads a team responsible for projecting performance and delivering optimization algorithms for Qualcomm’s HexagonNN graph compiler. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto.
Dr. Atefeh Mashatan is a Canada Research Chair and an Associate Professor of Information Technology Management as well as the founding director of the Cybersecurity Research Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University. She received the B.Math. degree (Hons.) from Carleton University in 2002, the M.Math. degree from the University of Waterloo in 2003, and the Ph.D. degree in combinatorics and optimization, specializing in cryptography, from the University of Waterloo in 2009. She is recognized as an expert in cryptography, blockchain technology, quantum-resistant solutions, enterprise security architecture and IoT security. Dr. Mashatan has received numerous prestigious awards, Top 100 Most Power Women in Canada in STEM as well as the Women of Influence+ list of the Top 25 Women of Influence for her efforts in advocating for women in cybersecurity. She serves on various committees, including the advisory group for the Mastercard Emerging Leaders Cyber Initiative and the Quantum Advisory Council for Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
Dr. Sanjida Moury is a professional engineer specializing in fleet electrification and renewable energy. She currently serves as a Senior Engineer in the Renewable Energy Program within the Engineering, Construction and Expansion Department at the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), where she focuses on eBus infrastructure, operations, and renewable energy integration. She holds a Ph.D. from York University and previously worked as an Assistant Professor at Lakehead University, following industry experience as a Board Designer at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).
Her work centers on the design, construction, and operation of electric transportation and renewable power systems, with an emphasis on optimization, reliability, and cost‑effectiveness. She is the author of several technical papers published in leading journals and conferences, an active contributor to IEEE technical and conference committees, and a Board Director for Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE). Dr. Moury is committed to advancing sustainable energy solutions and empowering women in STEM.
Gharsa Amin is a Canadian entrepreneur, software engineer, and the Founder and CEO of Kavodax, a fintech startup transforming cross-border payments via blockchain. Based in Toronto, Ontario, she is a specialist in the stablecoin and digital economy sectors with over four years of experience across seven startups. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) focused on financial crime management, which informs her expertise in regulatory compliance. Additionally, she has taught herself quantum software applications. She has worked with 7 Startups across Canada, USA, and Asia. She speaks 5 languages and loves athletic activities.
Moderator: Sunila Akbar joined the Lassonde School of Engineering as a Sessional Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream) in July 2024. Earlier, she had been a Postdoctoral Fellow and an Instructor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, since October 2021. She completed her Ph.D. from King’s College London, UK, in 2018, under the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship.
