The Afghan Women’s Fellowship Program at Massey College is a year-long remote academic initiative that supports Afghan women whose access to university education has been banned under the Taliban. The program provides a structured pathway for fellows to continue their scholarly development, rebuild academic confidence, and participate in a supportive intellectual community, despite the severe restrictions currently imposed on women in Afghanistan.
Purpose and Vision
The return of the Taliban in 2021 resulted in the complete exclusion of women from universities across Afghanistan. Many promising students, researchers, and young academics were forced to abandon their studies, leaving their educational and professional futures at risk. In response, the Afghan Women’s Fellowship Program was launched at Massey College – led by Senior Fellow Aisha Ahmad and former Visiting Scholar Ghizal Haress – to help preserve academic identity, foster intellectual growth, and sustain a community of learning for Afghan women scholars.
The program ensures that these scholars are not isolated in their academic journeys and continue to have opportunities to think, write, engage, and contribute to global conversations.
This Year’s Cohort
For the current academic year, the program has welcomed ten fellows from across Afghanistan, each representing diverse academic interests. Their fields include political science, sociology, law, public health, and business administration.
Each fellow has now been paired with:
· A University of Toronto faculty mentor, who offers scholarly guidance throughout the research and writing process.
· A Junior Fellow at Massey College, who provides peer mentorship and day-to-day academic support.
· Dedicated research and writing assistance, led by Ajmal Burhanzoi, PhD candidate at the University of Toronto
These relationships form the foundation of an intellectually supportive and caring environment.
Program Activities
1. Research and Publication
Fellows develop an original Insight Paper reflecting their academic interests or lived experiences. Through structured milestones and regular mentorship, they progress from idea to publication. Fellows share their work at seasonal virtual conferences and conclude the year at a capstone symposium hosted at Massey College.
2. Skills Development Workshops
Fellows participate in workshops on academic writing, research methods, digital literacy, professional communication, and responsible use of technology. These sessions rebuild confidence and strengthen the competencies necessary for future studies and leadership.
3. Community and Peer Support
Recognizing that isolation can be deeply harmful, the program intentionally cultivates community. Fellows join discussion circles, shared study spaces, and wellness sessions that nurture encouragement, belonging, and emotional resilience.
Why It Matters
The Afghan Women’s Fellowship Program affirms a core belief: the pursuit of knowledge is a human right. At a time when Afghan women are being forcibly erased from academic and public life, this program preserves intellectual agency and the continuity of women’s scholarship. It also enriches the Massey community, reminding us of our shared responsibility to protect spaces of learning, voice, and dignity.
Our Commitment
Massey College remains committed to fostering a community where scholarship is nurtured, where learning is shared, and where barriers to education are challenged with compassion and integrity. We are honoured to support these scholars as they continue their academic journeys and strengthen their voices in pursuit of a more just and equitable world.
Support the Fellowship
This program is sustained through philanthropic support. We invite individuals and institutions who share the belief in education as a fundamental right to support this work. Every gift helps ensure that Afghan women scholars can continue to learn, write, and contribute meaningfully to the world.
Meet the Team
Aisha Ahmad is the Academic Chair of the Afghan Women’s Fellowship Program at Massey College. She is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, a Senior Fellow at Massey College, and a Member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. She is the author of the multiple award-winning book Jihad & Co.: Black Markets and Islamist Power (Oxford University Press, 2017), and the edited volume Securing Canada’s Future: Vital Insights from Women Experts (University of Toronto Press, 2025). She is the winner of the 2024 ISA’s ISSS Emerging Scholar Award, which recognizes scholars who have made (through their body of publications) the most significant contribution to the field of security studies. She is also the 2018 winner of the Northrop Frye Award of Excellence for outstanding contributions to co-curricular learning and pedagogical innovation, and the 2018 recipient of the University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus (UTSC) Assistant Professor Award.
Ghizal Haress is the Program Director of the Afghan Women’s Fellowship Program at Massey College. A constitutional lawyer, she has over a decade of experience working at the intersection of constitutionalism, rule of law, and women’s rights in post-conflict contexts. Ghizal previously served as Afghanistan’s first national Ombudsperson and as a Commissioner on the Afghanistan Independent Commission for Overseeing the Implementation of the Constitution. She is a longtime faculty member at the American University of Afghanistan, where she also served as chair of the Law Department.
Since relocating to Canada, Ghizal has continued her academic work in the areas of international justice, rule of law, and access to education. She has held visiting scholar and professor positions at the University of Toronto and York University, and was a visiting scholar at Massey College. She currently teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto. She also serves as a judge on the People’s Tribunal for the Women of Afghanistan, an international civil society initiative documenting the Taliban’s violations of women’s rights. Ghizal holds an LLM from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
Ajmal Burhanzoi is the Research Manager of the Afghan Women’s Fellowship Program at Massey College. He is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto specializing in international relations and comparative politics. His research focuses on the effects of Great Power rivalry on the dynamics of domestic politics in developing states, with particular attention to opposition movements and the coup d’état susceptibility of incumbent regimes. Ajmal holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Kabul University and an M.A. in Political Science from Ball State University.
In addition to teaching International Relations as an Adjunct Lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, he has overseen several research and development projects in Afghanistan, contributing to academic, institutional, and policy-focused initiatives. He has also held multiple research assistantship and teaching assistantship positions at the University of Toronto, supporting major scholarly projects and undergraduate instruction. Beyond academia, Ajmal has served as a consultant on significant research initiatives, providing analytical expertise on conflict dynamics, political development, and non-state actors. His doctoral work has been supported by the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship, and his broader research interests include great power rivalry, insurgency, state–proxy relations, and political mobilization in conflict-affected regions.
Mariem Hamdy is the Research Associate with the Afghan Women’s Fellowship Program at Massey College. She supports mentorship coordination and research development for Afghan scholars. Mariem is a third-year PhD student in Political Science at the University of Toronto, specializing in International Relations. Her research examines global power dynamics and international development, with a focus on the political and social factors shaping states’ foreign policy choices. Mariem brings experience working with the United Nations and has contributed to various projects on governance, human rights, and political change.
