Meet the Experts Behind IVYPath

Get Guidance By Those Who’ve Made the Decisions

We are guided by a multidisciplinary team of founding members, advisors, and consultants with global academic exposure and deep professional experience across public policy, law, economics, technology, and development.

Founding Members

Farwa Batool

Global Development & Admissions Strategy

Advisors

Zunaira Nawaz

Founding Advisor | Admissions Philosophy & Global Education

Kanwal Batool

Strategic Advisor | Strategy, Policy & Admissions Philosophy

Naila Zaman

Senior Advisor | Computational Biology, AI & Precision Medicine

Zahid Hussain Morio

Senior Advisor | Public Finance, Tax Policy & Governance

Consultants

Adeel Sultan Kadri

Senior Consultant | MPA, MPP & PhD Pathways (Economics & Public Policy)

Shahryar Shah

Legal Consultant | Admissions & Career Strategy

Meesum Ali Kazmi

Admissions Consultant | Data, Economics & Strategy

Farwa Batool

Founding Member | Global Development & Admissions Strategy

Farwa Batool is an internationally trained development and policy professional with deep academic grounding in international affairs and hands-on experience at leading multilateral institutions.
She completed her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations (1999), followed by a Master of Arts in International Development from Georgetown University, where she developed a strong foundation in development economics, global governance, and institutional policy design.

Professional Perspective & Experience

Farwa has worked with prominent international organizations, including the World Bank and the International Labour Organization (ILO), contributing to development-focused initiatives within complex, multi-stakeholder environments.

Her work has involved:
• rigorous analytical thinking
• policy evaluation and program design
• engagement with global development frameworks
• collaboration across cultures, sectors, and disciplines

This experience gave her first-hand insight into how global institutions assess merit, leadership potential, and long-term impact.

Role at IVY Path

As a Founding Member, Farwa contributes to:
• defining IVY Path’s strategic direction
• shaping admissions philosophy and standards
• advising on graduate and development-focused pathways
• embedding ethical, profile-first mentoring frameworks

She does not engage in admissions decision-making or guarantee outcomes.

Advisory Philosophy

“Strong outcomes are built when preparation, purpose, and profile align over time.”

Zunaira Nawaz

Founding Advisor | Admissions Philosophy & Global Education

Zunaira Nawaz is a foreign-educated legal and policy professional with advanced academic training from leading global institutions. Her academic journey exposed her to elite admissions systems and the intellectual standards that define top-tier universities.

Education

She completed her LLB from the University of London and LLM from Harvard Law School.

Professional Perspective

Her experience across high-responsibility environments involved:
• high-stakes decision-making
• policy and institutional analysis
• structured problem-solving
• multidisciplinary collaboration

Through this exposure, she developed a deep understanding of how elite institutions assess merit through intellectual coherence, ethical judgment, clarity of purpose, and contextual awareness.

Role at IVY Path

Zunaira serves as a Founding Advisor, contributing to:
• admissions philosophy and standards
• ethical boundaries
• long-term profile-building frameworks
• alignment with global best practices

Her role is non-operational and non-client-facing.

Kanwal Batool

Strategic Advisor | Strategy, Policy & Admissions Philosophy

Kanwal Batool is a senior public-sector professional and member of the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), with extensive experience across governance, public administration, and institutional reform.

She received admission offers from Columbia University, the University of Oxford, and Harvard University under the World Bank scholarship framework, and opted to pursue Economic Policy Management at Columbia University, specializing in environment, climate policy, and development economics.

Professional Perspective

Her journey reflects late exposure to elite global systems — a reality for many high-potential students. This experience enabled her to understand:
• how context is evaluated
• why strong applicants are often misunderstood
• the importance of disciplined, early preparation

Role at IVY Path

As Strategic Advisor, Kanwal:
• shapes IVY Path’s philosophy and ethics
• advises on long-term profile strategy
• ensures guidance reflects global logic and local realities

She does not engage in individual consulting or admissions decisions.

Advisory Philosophy

“The strongest applications understand the institution they are entering and present themselves with integrity.”

Naila Zaman

Senior Advisor | Computational Biology, AI & Precision Medicine

Naila Zaman is a computational biologist with a PhD in Bioinformatics, working at the intersection of multi-omics, artificial intelligence, and translational medicine.

Professional & Research Experience

She has led and coordinated large bioinformatics teams developing AI-assisted systems for:
• early disease detection
• precision oncology
• patient-specific treatment insights

Her expertise spans:
• multi-omics integration
• biomarker prioritization
• systems and network biology
• literature-driven evidence synthesis

Future-Facing Focus

Naila currently focuses on agentic and generative AI systems for automating end-to-end bioinformatics workflows.

Role at IVY Path

As a Senior Advisor, she supports:
• PhD and research-focused applicants
• computational biology and AI-biomedical tracks
• research narrative and lab alignment

She does not guarantee outcomes or engage in admissions decisions.

Advisory Philosophy

“The future of biology lies not in more data, but in better questions and clinically grounded insight.”

Zahid Hussain Morio

Senior Advisor | Public Finance, Tax Policy & Governance

Zahid Hussain Morio is a senior civil services officer with over a decade of experience in Pakistan’s bureaucracy, preceded by five years in banking and finance. He currently serves as Additional Commissioner, Inland Revenue Service.

Professional Experience

His work spans:
• tax administration modernization
• fraud detection and audit systems
• fiscal and legal reform implementation

He previously worked at the State Bank of Pakistan and in a leading commercial bank.

Education

• MPA-EPM, Columbia University

Role at IVY Path

Zahid advises applicants targeting:
• MPA / MPP programs
• public finance and governance pathways

His role is advisory and non-operational.

Advisory Philosophy

“Effective public policy is measured by institutional performance, not intent.”

Adeel Sultan Kadri

Senior Consultant | MPA, MPP & PhD Pathways (Economics & Public Policy)

Adeel Sultan Kadri works at the intersection of economics, public policy, and development, with extensive experience in applied research and policy reform. Before pursuing his Master’s in Economic Policy Management (MPA-EPM) at Columbia University, Adeel spent over a decade leading research and policy initiatives in Pakistan.

Professional & Policy Experience

His work has spanned:
• trade policy and regional connectivity
• legislative and regulatory reform
• climate-linked research
• institutional strengthening and governance

He has coordinated national-level policy conferences and managed multidisciplinary research teams.

Why His Background Matters for Admissions Strategy

For MPA / MPP applicants, Adeel helps applicants:
• frame experience as policy impact
• articulate clear policy problems
• demonstrate analytical readiness

For PhD applicants, he supports:
• research question refinement
• faculty and departmental alignment
• methodological positioning

Role at IVY Path

Adeel serves as a Senior Consultant, working directly with MPA, MPP, and PhD applicants.

Consulting Philosophy

“Strong applications reflect analytical discipline, policy relevance, and intellectual maturity.”

Shahryar Shah

Legal Consultant | Admissions & Career Strategy

Shahryar Shah is a legally trained professional with a strong foundation in common law systems. He completed his law degree from the University of London and Bar-at-Law through Lincoln’s Inn at BPP University. He has also completed executive-level short courses at the University of Oxford.

Professional Experience

His experience includes:
• legal and policy research
• structured analysis
• drafting high-stakes written material

Role at IVY Path

Shahryar works directly with applicants on application strategy and narrative clarity.

Consulting Philosophy

“Strong applications are built on clarity of thought, disciplined reasoning, and honesty of purpose.”

MEESUM ALI KAZMI

Admissions Consultant | Data, Economics & Strategy

Meesum Ali Kazmi is an analytically trained professional with a foundation in economics and data analytics. He completed his BSc (Hons) in Economics from LUMS and an MS in Business Analytics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He also completed a MicroMasters program from MIT.

Professional Experience

His experience includes:
• data analysis and interpretation
• strategic decision support
• cross-functional collaboration

Role at IVY Path

Meesum works directly with applicants targeting economics, analytics, and data-driven programs.

Consulting Philosophy

“Analytical strength matters only when paired with clear intent and credible preparation.”