Ph.D. Profile: Sakil Faizullah

Doctoral student Sakil Faizullah worked for BBC and the United Nations before coming to Grady College to pursue his Ph.D. He’s eager to use his academic education to find solutions to global issues. His research focuses on finding communication tools that can help bring underprivileged population groups into a global conversation. 

What made you decide to pursue your Ph.D.?

Faizullah worked in the communications industry for 23 years before deciding to come back to academia and pursue his doctoral degree. He has always admired teachers, so he decided to pivot in his career and earn his doctoral degree. Faizullah hopes to go into teaching after completing his degree, and he uses the opportunities available to doctoral students to hone his education skills.  

Please provide a brief explanation of your dissertation topic and why it’s important to you.

“My topic is focused on reaching underprivileged people with minimal access to tech communication methods.” 

Faizullah’s drive to pursue his degree stems from the lack of opportunity and access to technology for certain populations. According to the United Nations Development Programme, 2.8 billion people live with less than 2 dollars per day. Faizullah said it’s difficult to reach these people through current technological means: radio, television and internet. Through his research, Faizullah identifies communication tools that will help engage these populations who have been left out of global conversations. 

“I’m trying to find tools to reach those people who have always remained unreachable.”

Faizullah’s interest in this topic was piqued during the COVID-19 pandemic when he watched his son and other students transition from in-person to online learning environments. He lived in Bangladesh at the time and found the state of education unsatisfactory because it didn’t adequately engage young students. Many Bangladeshi students didn’t have the privilege or access to online learning, and nearly 1 million students were left out of online learning initiatives. This disparity in educational opportunities due to lack of access to technology created Faizullah’s desire to find tools to prevent this from happening again. 

Faizullah’s current research focuses on Bangladeshi students, but he believes this information could be implemented globally. 

What made you decide to come to Grady College?

Faizullah chose Grady College because of the intellectual minds that make up the program. He values the work and diversity of the college, and said this college could make his work more meaningful and practical. 

What other projects (research, teaching or otherwise) have you been involved with as a doctoral student?

Faizullah teaches undergraduate students while conducting research for his Ph.D. While teaching students, he finds that he is constantly learning and values the new ideas his students bring with them. 

“I find teaching students to be really rewarding, and I just love it.”

What has been the highlight of your doctoral education to date?

Faizullah said knowing how to implement his research into practical methods of progress has been the highlight of his doctoral education. 

He’s excited to continue collecting research on the ground level in Bangladesh. Faizullah will begin collecting data in Bangladesh next year, but he has previously collected preliminary research from friends and family in Bangladesh which yields promising results. 

“Conducting academic research on the top level can help reach those at the ground level,” Faizullah said. “This will create really good connections and will give me more interesting insights into people and their wants.”