Fatima Faisal Khan, a 2024 graduate of the Keough School’s Master of Global Affairs program, works as an associate for ecosystem trust and safety at the Institute for Security and Technology, a think tank that provides impactful solutions to pressing technological issues.

In this conversation, Khan shares how her experience and education at the Keough School prepared her to make a difference in her current role, using digital technologies in innovative ways to support human dignity in a fast-changing world.

What are your primary responsibilities in your role now? What are the best parts and what do you find challenging?

My primary responsibilities include building out the institute’s Applied Trust and Safety Initiative. This includes managing an advisory group of trust and safety experts from prominent tech companies and institutions including Salesforce, Match Group, Hinge, Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center and OpenAI. I also lead an oral history project mapping the evolution of trust and safety over the past 25 years and capturing insights from key figures in the field. And I help coordinate efforts among trust and safety teams at various tech companies to share threat intelligence with each other, focusing on pressing issues such as account takeovers, online fraud and synthetic digital identities in order to build cohesive and robust responses to commonly occurring problems across platforms.

Beyond trust and safety, I am leading a project on U.S.-China strategic technology competition with a focus on “deep tech” investment trends relating to semiconductors, quantum computing and biotechnology. This role places me directly within Silicon Valley's venture capitalist ecosystem, allowing me to analyze investment patterns, identify opportunities and provide advice on how to maintain the United State’s strategic edge over China.

One of the best aspects of my role is the autonomy it offers. I have the freedom to independently engage and convene diverse stakeholders. The diverse portfolio is particularly attractive and rewarding to me. However, managing prioritization amid such breadth poses its challenges. As part of a small yet dedicated team, sprint periods can feel particularly intense. Nonetheless, these periods of rigorous effort ultimately become deeply rewarding as we make an impact.

What skills or knowledge from the Master of Global Affairs program do you draw upon in your current position?

The program’s multidisciplinary nature has been highly instrumental in my successful transition from a human rights background in Pakistan to a highly technical and research-oriented role at the institute. The program flexibility allowed me to strategically select elective courses that directly aligned with my evolving career interests, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence, robotics, digital peacebuilding and the role of technology in conflict settings. Professors like Lisa Schirch, Rachel Sweet, Katherine Walden and Yong Suk Lee played a crucial role in shaping my intellectual curiosity and professional focus, nurturing my passion for issues I now engage with daily.

Additionally, the peace studies major’s 6-month field placement requirement gave me valuable training and knowledge. I had the pleasure of doing my field placement at the Wikimedia Foundation in the Bay Area, and it provided practical experience and critical insights into issues such as disinformation, content extremism and their impacts on both community-based editors and users. This immersive experience significantly expanded my professional network within California’s technology and research ecosystem, ultimately leading me to my current role. My capstone project on the impact of online influence operations in shaping election outcomes in the United States, India and Taiwan further deepened my expertise, highlighted critical gaps in the cyber and trust and safety fields, and directly informed the work I do today.

Why did you choose the Master of Global Affairs program at the Keough School?

I chose the Master of Global Affairs program at the Keough School precisely because of its deeply interdisciplinary and professional orientation. The program’s flexible curriculum design allowed me to tailor my education to my specific career aspirations, providing practical application through thoughtfully selected electives. Because I am deeply interested in both human rights and technology, having the opportunity to more deeply explore both interests — and the ways in which they intersect — was really important to me.

In addition, the program’s emphasis on combining rigorous academic training with practical experiences was a perfect fit for my goals.

Which aspects of the Master of Global Affairs program impacted you the most?

I am particularly grateful to my mentor, advisor and dear friend Lisa Schirch, whose guidance profoundly influenced my academic journey and professional trajectory. Through the PeaceTech and Polarization Lab at the Keough School’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Lisa introduced me to applying peacebuilding principles to technology issues, such as augmented reality and virtual reality technologies, chatbot development for combating polarization and responding to hate speech. Traveling with her to conferences in the Bay Area and Nairobi, Kenya, significantly enriched my experiences, allowing me to engage deeply with stakeholders in my chosen field and shaping the opportunities I pursued after graduation.

The vibrant community and extraordinary diversity of experiences at the Keough School deeply impacted my personal and professional growth. Learning alongside peers from Afghanistan, Kashmir, Ukraine, Yemen, Iraq, Myanmar, Ghana, Venezuela, and many other places provided an especially enriching perspective. These interactions have profoundly shaped my worldview, highlighting my responsibility within larger global processes and reinforcing the importance of diverse and inclusive perspectives in peacebuilding and technology-related initiatives.

What advice do you have for someone who is considering a master of global affairs?

In my first week at the Keough School, an alum gave me fantastic advice: “This program is everything that you make it.” Those words have stayed with me. As a professional master’s program, the Master of Global Affairs is designed to give students the autonomy to tailor their experience to their own goals while also giving them the necessary tools — both theoretical and practical — to aid their journeys.

As you design your own professional development journey, remember to tap into the vast repertoire of resources, especially the alumni network that Notre Dame has, and to be clear about your goals.

The most profound learning experiences will come from your peers, so actively seek out opportunities within the school and beyond to connect with people. Don’t hesitate to ask for mentorship and guidance to advance your career goals. As international students navigating politically uncertain times, the pressures of securing employment can feel intense; however, what greatly helped me was taking initiative and being proactive about my goals as well as having exceptional mentors at the Keough School and a strong, supportive network of friends.

My friends in particular kept me motivated and focused but also reminded me of the importance of taking breaks and enjoying the journey while being surrounded by some of the most amazing people I have had the pleasure of knowing. Having the right people around you makes everything worth it. Grad school can feel very daunting, but the Keough School’s community-first approach really made this experience one of the best decisions of my life.

Originally published by Josh Stowe at keough.nd.edu on May 20, 2025.