Najah on pursuing knowledge and giving back to the next generation of girls in STEM

December 20, 2022

We all want to improve processes, but how can we improve a process when we don’t know what’s happening?

Working on challenging problems, developing high-level research skills, learning and contributing to a body of knowledge...that’s what pulled me towards embarking on a Ph.D. My area of specialization is process mining, which is discovering, monitoring and improving real processes by extracting knowledge from the data in information systems. During my Ph.D. so far, I’ve built connections with the global process mining community and experts in this field, and these connections have really enhanced my knowledge and growth.

Najah smiling

When I joined PwC Canada, I was excited about the opportunity to further my academic learning by working on projects powered by the latest tech. But it was an especially incredible opportunity to be asked to work on engagements that involve process mining and use my skills in new and unexpected ways! One of the first I was involved in was a project for the Canadian federal government we chose to feature in Vanguard. It’s very rewarding for me to be part of the PwC Canada team supporting process mining solution adoption in the Canadian market.

Throughout my life, I’ve been fortunate to have mentors and women in academia and at the firm to look up to. They’ve inspired me immensely as I navigate my Ph.D. and work, and it’s become very important to me to share what I’ve learned with others in the community. I’m proud to be part of PwC Canada’s Women in Technology community, which empowers women to launch their careers at PwC in tech-related capabilities and is committed to increasing female representation at leadership levels.

I’ve taken advantage of the flexibility offered by the firm to teach an Introduction to Computer Science course to high school girls through the University of Ottawa in collaboration with Technovation Ottawa. It’s incredible what these girls can do. They’re so motivated to learn, be creative and talk about their projects. In the course, my students build a business plan with a mobile app to solve a community problem. Just recently, I was gratified to learn two of my students are Canadian finalists for the Technovation World Summit 2022.

My goal is to support my students in the same ways I’ve been supported—I’m committed to helping the next generation of girls in STEM pursue their passions with confidence.

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Najah is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Digital Transformation and Innovation at the University of Ottawa, and her research focuses on integrating process mining and robotic process automation in organizations. She’s also a full-time senior associate on PwC Canada’s Data Analytics and AI team, using data to help clients solve important problems. Read more about her experience teaching girls in STEM.