Research
Aanya's research explores what it means to flourish in the age of intelligence. Drawing on philosophy, psychology, the learning sciences, and the social sciences, she investigates how increasingly capable AI systems are reshaping human agency, identity, curiosity, meaning-making, and our understanding of knowledge itself. Her work examines the conditions under which intelligent technologies can deepen distinctly human capabilities and contribute to more equitable, flourishing societies.
Alongside her doctoral research, Aanya is expanding her programme of inquiry into the foundations of human flourishing in the age of intelligence. She is currently reviewing qualitative datasets on human flourishing to better understand how people develop meaning, purpose, agency, relationships, and well-being in increasingly AI-mediated societies.
Current research
University of Cambridge | PhD (in-progress)
Whose knowledge is it anyway? Privileging university students' perspectives and experiences of AI in higher education in Pakistan
Aanya's doctoral research examines how university students make sense of, adopt, and challenge artificial intelligence in their learning. Through the lenses of agency, knowledge, and power, the research seeks to understand how intelligent technologies are reshaping human learning and what this reveals about flourishing in the age of AI.
Forthcoming research publication
Journal of AI & Society, Special issue on generative AI and education
How AI Shapes Student Agency: A Systematic Literature Review
Accepted for publication (forthcoming), this systematic review synthesises the emerging evidence on how artificial intelligence is influencing student agency, offering one of the first conceptual maps of agency in the age of AI.
Past research publications
University of Oxford | Master's Dissertation
An exploration of maternal support to children’s academic achievement in low‑cost private schools in Lahore
Based on interviews with low-income mothers in Lahore, this dissertation examined why families choose low-cost private schools and how mothers support their children's learning despite significant economic and educational constraints. It highlighted the central role of parental agency in shaping educational aspirations and outcomes in underserved communities.
Past research publications
University of Virginia | Undergraduate Research
Book - Politics of Education in Pakistan, published December 2010
An undergraduate research project examining the relationship between education, politics, and social development in Pakistan, culminating in the publication of Politics of Education in Pakistan.
Presentations
Research presentation - British Association for International and Comparative Education (BAICE) - Accepted (upcoming)
Student agency in the age of AI
Keynote speaker - AI Ethics Lovelace-Hodgkin Symposium, University of Glasgow (2025)
Strengthening Human Flourishing in the Age of AI
Research presentation - British Association for South Asian Studies, BASAS (2022)
Marginalised educator experience with technology during the pandemic