Human-AI Interaction · AI Governance · Assistive Technology
Afifah Kashif

Afifah Kashif

Hi! I'm Afifah, I'm passionate about leveraging technology for social good. My work spans research, design, and governance of AI and robotic systems that center the people who live with them, particularly in caregiving and educational contexts.

Currently working on my dissertation with Dr. Malak Sadek, Dr. Jin Huang, and Dr. Hatice Gunes (AFAR Lab, HIVE Lab) on evaluating and mitigating bias in LLM-powered social robots with human-in-the-loop interventions.

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§ 02 / News

Recent Updates

§ 03 / Research

Research

§ 04 / Experience

Where I’ve Worked

CORDA Democracy Fellow

Odyssean InstituteCivic, Open & Resilient Democracy Action

Apr 2026, Present

Coding expert responses, extracting causal variables, and building causal loop diagrams for an AI governance horizon scan, powering decision-support tools in the 2026 UK assembly.

Research Assistant

PluralAI LabDr. Zhenzhen Qi (UConn) · Dr. Avijit Ghosh (Hugging Face)

Mar 2026, Present

Co-designing a controlled human-subjects study evaluating whether an open-source, multi-persona LLM platform can reduce political polarization.

Robotics Software Engineering Intern

Hello RobotUX + Human-Robot Interaction

May 2025, Aug 2025

Designed an interactive dashboard and workflow for managing autonomous robot power systems, combining real-time battery feedback, predictive alerts, and manual override controls. Iteratively prototyped and user-tested for trust, reliability, and operator agency.

Research Assistant

Wordplay ProjectUW Information School · Dr. Amy Ko

Sep 2024, June 2025

Led design and deployment of an accessible, multilingual programming language learning platform in local schools. Coordinated an open-source contributor community and developed a pre-built “templates” system to scaffold first-time coders.

Backend SWE Intern

HowellCoStealth Startup

Jul 2024, Sep 2024

Contributed to backend service development at a beta-stage startup, designing products, devising a testing strategy, and using Azure services and Python scripting to enhance backend infrastructure on the mobile app.

Software Engineering Intern

Code.orgProduct-oriented engineering

Jul 2023, Sep 2023

Developed and designed full-stack web-based, coding games on engineering and product teams. Programmed with React and Ruby on Rails, impacting 80 million students and 2 million teachers worldwide.

Operations & Product Intern

FiveableEarly-stage edtech startup

Apr 2021, Nov 2021

Scaled internal operations and product workflows during the company’s transition into a consumer platform. Led development of a student-facing platform aimed at improving access for first-generation and low-income learners.

§ 05 / Projects

Selected Projects

Undergraduate Capstone · 2025

Assistive Ointment Care Robot

An assistive system on the Stretch RE2 mobile manipulator that lets people with limited mobility apply topical medication independently, with a custom brush attachment, programming-by-demonstration, and a web-based GUI for area selection and emergency control. Designed around a human-in-the-loop model that preserves user agency in intimate healthcare contexts. Co-designed with people who manage chronic eczema, professional caregivers, and an occupational therapist.

Human Robot Interaction · ROS · Accessibility Watch the demo →
Research · 2024-2025

Wordplay, Coding for All

A multilingual, accessible, scaffolded coding environment built with Dr. Amy Ko at the UW Information School. Led template design (pre-structured code blocks students could drag and remix), coordinated an open-source community of nearly 80 contributors, and conducted classroom deployments in a partner school. Anchored the design in literature on inclusive edtech and educational governance.

Service Design · Ed-Tech · Accessibility
Research · 2025-2026

Bias in LLM-Powered Social Robots

My ongoing MPhil dissertation at Cambridge under Dr. Jin Huang, Dr. Malak Sadek, and Dr. Hatice Gunes, evaluating bias in LLM-powered social robots and designing human-in-the-loop interventions to mitigate it.

LLMs · Human Robot Interaction · Evaluation
Community · 2025-present

IRC Digital Literacy Program

A program I founded with the International Rescue Committee and a local hospital to teach digital literacy to refugee communities in Seattle. I designed the curriculum, taught weekly classes, and secured grants for translation and access.

Curriculum · Accessibility · Community Partnership
§ 06 / Talks

Talks & Public Speaking

A Learning LabGuest speaker
A guest session on questions of who benefits from technology and what powers shape its design, framing technology as inherently social, political, and human.
Mar 2026
Clare College, CambridgeClareity × Whiston · 700th Anniversary
“The Politics of Educational Technology”: About how AI in edtech systems isn’t neutral, and the risk of automating inequity at scale if we don’t question what norms our systems center.
Feb 2026
Inclusive Design Futures · Matteo ZallioGuest lecture
Invited to lecture his undergraduate course on Inclusive Design Futures: “An Ethical AI Lens for Neuroinclusive Design,” on treating neuroinclusion not as compliance but as a generative design philosophy.
Feb 2026
HRI 2026Workshop paper presentation
“Governance as Methodology,” presenting work on anticipatory, design-embedded governance for human-robot interaction.
Mar 2026
HRI 2025Workshop paper presentation
“Regulatory Considerations for Physically Assistive Robotics Researchers” at the Physical Caregiving Robots workshop.
Mar 2025
ASIS&T 2024Workshop paper
Co-presented work on intersectional bias in GPT toward stigmatized social groups.
Oct 2024
Tapia Conference 2024Workshop host
First and only undergraduate team to host a workshop at CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia, on broadening participation in computing through community-engaged hackathons.
Sep 2024
§ 07 / Teaching

Teaching

University of CambridgeCS & HCI Supervisor
Held Oxbridge-style supervisions across Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction; covering core CS theory and practice (polymorphism, encapsulation, design patterns) alongside HCI methods.
Oct 2025 - Mar 2026
International Rescue CommitteeFounder & Instructor
Founded a digital literacy program in partnership with Kabul Seattle Community Services and the International Rescue Committee. Designed the curriculum, taught weekly, secured grants and volunteers.
Jan 2025 - present
Stanford Code in PlaceSection Leader
Delivered Python curriculum to global students; weekly virtual sessions of 15 with 80% attendance.
Apr - May 2024
CPIA1 RomaLanguage & Literacy Teacher
Co-taught language and integration courses for migrant mothers in Rome; learned the importance of community centered work.
Jan - Mar 2024
University of WashingtonTeaching Assistant
TA for Intro Programming and Hardware/Software Interface. Guided 600+ students through OOP and data structures, held weekly office hours across three courses for a cohort of 1,500, and helped students debug C and assembly programs.
Jan 2023 - Mar 2025
§ 08 / Beyond the lab

Service & Recognition

Leadership & Community Engagement

  • Cambridge AI Research Society
    AI Research Events Lead; coordinating with Google DeepMind, Microsoft Research, Mistral
    Jan 2026 - present
  • Institute of Technology and Humanity, Cambridge
    Academic Representative across Centre for Existential Risk, Centre for Future Intelligence, and Centre for Human Inspired AI
    Oct 2025 - present
  • Researcher in a global coalition on AI evaluations
    Sep 2025 - present
  • Inaugural cohort, sustainability, governance, and trust-based leadership in Stockholm; connecting with academics, industry leaders, and government
    Jun - Sep 2025
  • UW Honors Exchange · Rome, Italy
    “The Global Refugee Crisis: From Devastation to Diaspora,” coursework alongside community teaching with migrant mothers at CPIA1 Roma
    Jan - Mar 2024
  • UW Pakistani Student Association
    President, cultural immersion and diaspora conversations
    Sep 2023 - Jun 2025
  • UW Women in Law Society
    Vice President & Co-Founder, grew to 100+ members
    May 2023 - May 2025
  • Council of American-Islamic Relations
    Youth Advisory Board, collaboration with WA Governor Inslee, focus on Afghan refugees
    Nov 2021 - Apr 2023

Honors & Awards

  • Scholarship First Tech Credit Union
    2025
  • Women in Technology ScholarshipNutanix
    2025
  • Bryant Peterson ScholarshipUW Mortar Board / Tolo Foundation
    2025
  • Alumni Reunion Class Gift & Spence ScholarshipUniversity of Washington
    2025
  • Marcy Migdal Fund for Educational EqualityUW Center for Global Study
    2025
  • ScholarshipMuslim Student Association x Pacific Islamic Community and Cultural Services
    2024
  • Distinguished Leader AwardHarvard WECode
    2023
  • Bessie Coleman Aerospace Legacy ScholarshipAviation Youth Empowerment Foundation
    2022
  • Citywide Outstanding StudentBellevue City
    2022
§ 09 / Personal

Off the screen

When I’m not at a computer, I love to hike, sew + design clothes, ride motorcycles, and travel!

Map Hikes from around Washington!

Click a pin for details. Map data © OpenStreetMap.

Gallery A few of my favorite travels :)

Get in touch.

I am always down to chat about my work, interests, potential collaborations, or to grab a coffee :)

LinkedIn
in/afifah-k
Research
Google Scholar
Based in
Cambridge, UK & Seattle, USA
© 2026 Afifah Kashif
Cambridge · UK  /  Seattle · USA