KAINAAT means the universe or cosmos in Urdu. Astronomy is a gateway to critical thinking and interest in science. At the non-profit Kainaat Studios (registered as a 501(c)3 public charity) we create astronomy videos to spark curiosity about the universe and empower a new generation.
Kainaat Studios is founded by astrophysicist, Salman Hameed. Dr. Hameed watched the first episode of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos in Pakistan in 1984 and it transformed the direction of his life. He was in 9th grade. At the time, there were no professional astronomers in Pakistan to emulate, but Sagan’s television show inspired him to pursue a Ph.D. in astronomy. Seventeen years later he obtained his doctorate in astronomy, focusing on how stars form in spiral galaxies.
Dr. Hameed currently holds the Charles Taylor Chair of Integrated Science & Humanities at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Science communication is a passion for Dr. Hameed, and he has been engaged in popularizing science and astronomy for over 30 years.
Apart from Kainaat Studios, he also has a weekly podcast with Monte Belmonte for NPR/NEPM's show The Fabulous 413, a monthly segment for WHMP's morning show, Talk the Talk, and he serves on the Board of Amherst Cinema in Massachusetts.
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Dr. Salman Hameed
Founder/CEO
Shehryar Shaikh
Editor, Kainaat Urdu/English
Fouz Siddiqui
Manager Science Outreach
Sameeta Ahmed
Artist in Residence (Fall 2024)
M. Abdullah Kawish
Director/Editor, Kainaat Kids
M. Awais Amjad
Technology
Mohsina Asif
Projects Manager/Voice of Dr. Zara
Marria Khan
Animator
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Alpha Bhatti
Public Outreach Coordinator
Rashmi Sheoran
Host/Writer, Kainaat Kids
Lalah Rukh
Host/Writer, Kainaat Kids
Dr. Priya Hasan
Astronomer, India Outreach
MEET THE TEAM
VALUES
Critical Thinking
One of the hallmarks of science is critical thinking. It is also a tool that is essential in navigating a globalized world full of false information.
Cultural Respect
To avoid scientism and to cultivate respect for different cultural and religious traditions alongside a culture of science.
Science Enriched by Humanities
With scientific discoveries happening at breakneck speed, we must ground our inspirations and genuine concerns in the values and ethical frameworks as expressed in literature, music, and the humanities.
ABOUT
ADVISORS
Dr. Tasneem Zehra Husain
Tasneem Zehra Husain is a writer, educator and Pakistan’s first female string theorist. Tasneem received her PhD from Stockholm University and pursued postdoctoral research at Harvard University, before returning to her hometown Lahore, as a founding faculty member at the LUMS School of Science and Engineering. For over a decade, Tasneem has been actively involved in science outreach and has worked with K-12 teachers, high school students and government officials, both in the US and abroad. Tasneem has spoken at various festivals, including the Boston Book Festival, the Cambridge Science Festival, and How The Light Gets In. She has been a speaker at writers conferences and physics conferences, and has conducted many science writing workshops including a series at CERN. Tasneem's writing has appeared in Nautilus Magazine as well as several anthologies of science writing for both adults and children. She has been a regular columnist for 3quarksdaily.com and is the author of the popular science novel Only The Longest Threads. Tasneem is a Fellow for the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Engagement at Dartmouth College.
Ann Druyan
Ann Druyan is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning American documentary producer and director specializing in the communication of science. She co-wrote the 1980 PBS documentary series Cosmos, hosted by Carl Sagan whom she married in 1981. She is the creator, producer, and writer of the 2014 sequel, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and its sequel series, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, as well as the book of the same name. With her husband, Carl Sagan, she was the co-author of Comet and Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors and the editor of The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God. She was also the creative director of NASA’s Voyager Interstellar Message Project. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, Parade, and many other publications.
Dr. Muhammad Sabieh Anwar
Dr Muhammad Sabieh Anwar is Professor of Physics, holder of the Ahmed Dawood Chair and Dean at the LUMS Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, which has about 1500 students, 500 staff members and a hundred PhD holders as Faculty and is the country’s leading science and engineering academy. He helped establish the physics department and the School of Science and Engineering at LUMS and was among the principal founders of the School’s experimental facilities and curriculum. Ideas from his physics instructional laboratories, called PhysLab, have been replicated in ten Pakistani universities. He has played an important role in introducing innovative learning tools, mostly revolving around insightful homegrown physics experiments, in Pakistan’s universities. His lectures are interspersed with in-class live demonstrations and are widely viewed over the internet. He is co-founder of Qosain Scientific that has invented the PhysLogger and the world’s most affordable 3D printer Markhor3D. His latest initiative is the launch of an astronomy laboratory for the developing world, called Astrolab. Sabieh’s research interests encompass spintronics, magnetism and optics. Sabieh has published around a hundred research articles in international journals including Science, the Physical Review series, Optics Express, Journal of the American Chemical Society and Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. His book on tabletop quantum mechanics experiments with single photons was published by the Institute of Physics, UK. Sabieh is the General Secretary of the Khwarizmi Science Society which is focused on the popularization of science at the grassroots levels. The Lahore Science Mela curated by Sabieh has attracted more than a hundred thousand visitors over a span of eight days in four years. Prior to joining LUMS SSE in 2007, Sabieh was a post-doc in chemistry and materials science at University of California, Berkeley and a PhD student, as Rhodes Scholar, at the Oxford University. He is the recipient of the TWAS medal in physics for Pakistan in 2008 and the National Innovation Prize in 2015. He also serves as Advisory Board Member of several Pakistani Universities.
Sabrina Dawood
Sabrina Dawood is the Vice-Chair The Dawood Foundation (TDF), a philanthropic organization working to promote education and the creation of informal learning spaces and opportunities. Some of the projects under TDF are the TDF Ghar, TDF Nature Series, The MagnifiScience Children’s Studio, Dawood Public School, and Karachi School of Business and Leadership. Another ongoing project in the informal education space is the construction of Pakistan's first interactive science museum, The MagnifiScience Center. Sabrina is Director of the Boards of Engro Corporation Ltd., Dawood Hercules Corporation Ltd., Dawood Lawrencepur Ltd., Karachi Education Initiative, and Trustee at Engro Foundation. She is also a member of the Board of Governors of the National Management Foundation of Lahore University of Management Sciences and on the Board of WWF – Pakistan. She Chairs the Hussain Dawood Pledge which is multiple corporate billion-rupee contributions of services, kind, and cash for the mitigation and/or relief of COVID-19 and its ramifications. Sabrina holds an MSc in Medical Anthropology from University College London and a BA from London School of Economics in Anthropology and Law.
Zakir Thaver
Zakir Thaver’s primary interests are biopics and science media. His documentary feature Salam – The First ****** Nobel Laureate—which he developed, researched and produced—bagged over 6 International Best Documentary awards and garnered critical acclaim. It was screened in over 30 cities worldwide and is currently on Netflix. Zakir has previously worked as a Consultant for ITV Studios (formerly Granada America) in New York where he worked on a number of true crime programs. He produced a UNESCO funded science TV series in Pakistan. Zakir was involved in curriculum development as well as distance learning via TV at the Aga Khan University. Zakir studied physics at the College of Wooster, Ohio, USA.
Junaid Qurashi
Junaid Qurashi is a Founder and Managing Partner of MDI Fund, a Real Estate PE Investment and Asset Management firm based in Palo Alto, CA, and founder and Chairman of the Board of SMB Services, a Business Process Outsourcing firm. Mr. Qurashi is a seasoned entrepreneur with 27 years of experience founding and managing technology and real estate asset management firms. Before MDI, Mr. Qurashi worked in strategic positions for many Silicon Valley companies, including VMware/EMC, Wyse/DELL, and Phoenix Technologies. Mr. Qurashi is also a founder and the Chairman of the Pakistan Green Building Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating sustainable building practices in Pakistan. Besides being the President of OPEN Silicon Valley, Mr. Qurashi has served as a Board Member of OPEN Karachi and Distinguished Innovations, Collaborations & Entrepreneurship (DICE): both organizations are dedicated to promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in Pakistan and in North America. Mr. Qurashi holds an M.B.A from Santa Clara University and a bachelor’s in computer engineering from California State University, San Luis Obispo.