Biography

Currently completing her second PhD in Educational Technology and Learning Design at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada), Dr. Aigerim 'Aia' Shilibekova is a Full Professor of Strategy at University Canada West and the founding Director of its Centre for Teaching Excellence. Her doctoral research focuses on AI-powered instructional design and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in faculty professional development, advancing inclusive, evidence-informed approaches to teaching and learning.

In 2025, her research on integrating AI into professional development courses was selected for publication by the MIT AI+OER Initiative, and she presented her Localized Intelligence Principle for AI-based Instructional Design at the MIT AI & Education Summit. She also collaborates with the University of Oxford’s AI in Education Interdisciplinary Research Hub (AIEOU), where she will present her study on emerging AI in education frameworks at the AIEOU Collaborators Conference in fall 2025.

As part of an Oxford-led collaboration, her policy recommendations on AI governance in education were published on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy website, within the U.S. National AI Action Plan’s 10,000+ public submissions. Co-authored with colleagues from the Department of Education at the University of Oxford, these recommendations highlight the global implications of AI in education.

Dr. Shilibekova also participated in the EDUCAUSE AI Adoption Summit in Minneapolis and moderated an international panel on AI, Human Rights, and Education for the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of Canada (FPSE) in 2025.

Feel free to contact her and join her network through LinkedIn.