Sadaf's teaching philosophy emphasises enabling learners to co-create knowledge by situating learning within authentic and relevant contexts, and facilitating iterative learning to achieve proficiency. This philosophy underpins her mission to prepare students to excel in their future workplaces and to become stewards of their communities and the environment.
Sadaf is the Director of Studies at the Ridge View Residential College, where she teaches interdisciplinary courses about urban sustainability, placemaking, and built heritage, using experiential formats. She is an accomplished outdoor educator, and her contributions have been recognised with several university teaching awards (individual and team). She has led curriculum development for undergraduate programmes and successful collaborations with institutional and industry partners to enhance youth engagement on sustainability. She also provides strategic guidance as part of the steering committee of the ASEAN University Network on Ecological Education and Culture (AUN-EEC) since 2019, to enhance collaboration for sustainability education initiatives among ASEAN IHLs, youth, and public stakeholders.
Sadaf is a licensed architect from the School of Planning and Architecture (India), with a Master’s in Architecture & Urban Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her academic and research interests are anchored by a decade of professional experience in architecture and masterplanning. She has worked on diverse projects in SouthEast Asia with an emphasis on placemaking and sustainability, ranging from masterplans for biodiverse locations like Bali (Indonesia), Ream National Park (Cambodia), and Xixi Wetlands (China) to urban redevelopment projects near heritage sites such as Halong Bay, Vietnam and Jal Mahal Jaipur, India.
Beyond the formal demands of academia, Sadaf regularly organises activities to enable students to explore heritage, culture and the arts. She actively fosters an environment of care for students that prioritises their wellness with informal support frameworks. In her free time, she fondly reminisces about the world before social media.
About being a part of the Teaching Academy:
In 2024, Sadaf was selected as a Fellow of the NUS Teaching Academy (NUSTA). She aims to work with other Fellows to leverage digital and emerging Gen AI technology to develop and implement strategies that enhance student learning. Being an educator in the integrated living-learning environment of a residential college, prioritising student wellness and fostering an environment of care is another area of interest for her, with the development of strategies that encourage students to build communities around shared interests in arts and heritage.
Teaching Awards
