Described by many as a “Jill of all trades”, Naziyah comes with a long list of achievements.
Born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, Naziyah is an astrophysicist and aerospace engineer, a martial artist, a STEM Ambassador for gender equality, a model, a short story writer and poet, an artist, a proud ‘geek’ and more. To top it all off, she’s also partially blind.

Naziyah achieved her degree in Physics with Astrophysics, and her Postgraduate in Space Mission Analysis and Design (Aerospace) from the University of Glasgow, and this then led onto her involvement in space missions including as a mission analyst for the European Space Agency (ESA) ESMO mission. Her work as an Earth Observation Engineer also included her involvement on the ESA CryoSat-2 ice mission, which measures the changing depths of global land and sea ice to quantify the effects of global warming.

Having also worked as a STEM Development Manager, Naziyah uses her platform to raise awareness of gender inequalities within the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) sector, and to increase the uptake of STEM subjects by girls from an earlier age.

Although her academic and industrial expertise lies within the sciences, Naziyah is also a skilled martial artist who is trained in several of the arts. She specialises in weapons arts, and most prominently the Korean sword art of Haidong Gumdo, for which she was one of the first presences of in Scotland. This art uses older Korean battlefield techniques to teach the practitioner to defend themselves against several opponents at once, as opposed to one-on-one.

She has also trained in arts such as Ninjutsu, Bagua, Xing Yi, European fencing, Karate, Aikido, and techniques such as Qi gong, Fa jin, Dimmak, Kyusho jitsu, Gi cheon and more.

Naziyah has been visually impaired since childhood and has often spoken about how she is able to get around unassisted thanks to her martial training;

“When one of our senses diminishes, our other ones heighten, and often we find ourselves gaining a keen sense of awareness. It is through my martial training that I was able to find my footing.

A martial art is exactly that – it’s an art. It is a form of self-expression and goes beyond just physical skill and teaching. When we adopt a martial art as a ‘way’ of life, we find that we also grow on the mental, spiritual, psychological, and emotional levels too. We find ourselves becoming more in control of our own being, and not just our bodies, which is a wonderful way of developing maturity in all forms.”

Naziyah also works alongside the YWCA Scotland to create safe physical and digital spaces for all self-identifying women in Scotland. By taking part in committee meetings at Scottish Parliament, she works to change legislation that targets key, problematic issues such as violence against women and girls.

“Considering that this is an issue that has been prevalent throughout history, it is heart-breaking to see that it is still running rampant in our society. It is the responsibility of every person to call out on injustice, and as such we hope to bring about some tangible change so that we may all benefit from a more accepting environment, regardless of one’s gender, faith, age, background and way of life.”

As a devout Muslim woman, Naziyah has herself faced much discrimination in her life, however, she continues to spread the message of peace and compassion through her online platforms. This can also be seen through her written works, some winning spaces and being featured in the Great British Write Off.

When approached by The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety, Naziyah commented:

“I am honoured, and humbled, to be a patron for such a worthy initiative. Although there is absolutely no excuse for violent and inappropriate behaviours, I believe that every person, especially woman, should have at least a basic knowledge of self-defence. Unfortunately, harassment in its many forms is a common occurrence, so to have the necessary physical and mental training can make all the difference to a situation.

I am a woman. I am Scottish. I am Pakistani. I am Arab. I am Muslim. I am visually impaired. I am young. I am outspoken against injustice. All these characteristics individually (and together) are often the target of discrimination and hate for many people – their gender, background, colour, age, faith and more.

To be given the means to tackle these issues at home, in the workplace, when we’re out and about and such, is so vital, and I commend The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety for their incredible work.”