Dr
Amina Abubakar
Empowering At-Risk Children Through Locally Relevant Research
Children who face developmental delays or impairments often risk falling behind—not just because their needs go unnoticed, but also because they may lack access to the locally relevant support and interventions that could help them thrive.
Professor Amina Abubakar, a distinguished Kenyan researcher, developmental psychologist, and global leader in Early Childhood Development, has dedicated her career to closing this gap. Her contributions have helped advance health equity in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. She currently serves as the Director of the Institute for Human Development at the Aga Khan University.
Driven by a fundamental desire to ensure that science serves those most in need, Dr Abubakar's work focuses on addressing developmental delays and impairments in children and adolescents, particularly in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. She has helped develop culturally appropriate ways to identify, monitor and rehabilitate children and adolescents at risk. The neurodevelopmental tools and measures she has helped create have been used in numerous low- and middle-income countries, filling critical gaps in treatment.
Through her work with the UtiliZe health Information for Meaningful impact in East Africa through Data Science (UZIMA-DS) project, which she leads, Dr Abubakar is also exploring ways in which technology-based approaches, including AI-powered tools, can be used to scale up early identification and intervention.
With nearly two decades of research experience under her belt, Dr Abubakar has published over 180 studies. Her contributions have earned international recognition, including a place among the world's top 2% most-cited researchers, according to Stanford University, and the prestigious Royal Society Pfizer Award in 2016 for her pioneering psychological research in East Africa and for advancing neurodevelopmental assessment.
Beyond research, Dr Abubakar is a passionate educator committed to building capacity for African scientists. She has mentored PhD students from Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia, contributing to the growth of the next generation of researchers on the continent.
Dr Abubakar has also served as a consultant or on technical working groups for various national and international organisations, including governmental agencies, the World Health Organisation, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (USA), Firelight Foundation, Save the Children, Autism Speaks, and Open Society. She is also a Visiting Professor at the Kenya Medical Research Institute/Wellcome Trust Research Programme, King's College London, the University of Oxford, and the University of Michigan.
