This episode of Voices of IIS features Qudsia Shah, senior research officer in constituency studies at The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS). Originally from Hunza, she is an alumna of the Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities (GPISH). In this warm and reflective conversation, she traces her winding path from development work in Pakistan to a research career in London.
Qudsia joined IIS in 2003, having worked with the Aga KhanA title granted by the Shah of Persia to the then Ismaili Imam in 1818 and inherited by each of his successors to the Imamate. Rural Support Programme, the First Microfinance Bank, and Save the Children. She holds degrees in English Literature and Economics, Economics, and in the Social Anthropology of Development. Having recently marked 13 years at the Institute, she reflects on the unexpected calling that first drew her to IIS, and on the reluctance, she felt before the pull toward London.
The conversation revisits the highlights of her career. Qudsia recalls the landmark FAQ paper on Jamatkhana that she submitted to Imam Shah Karim, her collaborative work on Muslim biomedical ethics, and her growing focus on climate change and its impact on Ismaili communities of Gilgit-Baltistan. She also discusses founding the IIS Book Club and her forthcoming monograph for the Living Ismaili Tradition series. The episode closes on the themes that guide her personal and intellectual journey: connection, empathy, and kindness.
Topics discussed in this episode
- Journey to IIS and an unexpected trajectory
- The pull toward London despite early reluctance
- Applying to IIS as a rite of passage
- Returning to Pakistan and the path back to the Institute
- Marriage, Chicago, and finding her way back
- Reflecting on 13 years and early achievements
- The FAQ response paper submitted to Imam Shah Karim
- The biomedical ethics project and its key collaborators
- Climate change and its personal significance
- Founding the IIS Book Club
- The Living Ismaili Tradition monograph project
- Closing reflections on connection, empathy, and kindness
