Researcher & Chemist | Product Lead @ Google | Founding health & conservation startups

Dr.
Aidha
Shaikh
From
Academia
My
Journey
To Tech
& Beyond
 
Discover
My goal is to help build a better life for the inhabitants of our planet.
I'm a tinkerer, life-long learner and expert researcher who also really loves birds.
With more than eight years of technical and research experience in organic chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology, I found that the intersection of technology and lab sciences was lacking.
Tinkering with computers and playing video games was a solid hobby since I was a child, but while working in Biotech, I'd decided to complete Codeacademy's Year of Code courses, learning Javascript and Python, and diving head first into the world of tech. I've spent the last decade (affectionately referred to as my 'Tech-ade') in roles ranging from developer and analytics engineer at early startups to a product leader at Google where I worked on a variety of productivity and AI-related initiatives in Google Workspace. Looking at the world around me, it's hard to just settle in and ignore the impact of human activity on climate, ecosystems, birds, and all of our planet's inhabitants big and small. During the last year, I joined Google's sustainability efforts as a volunteer to strategize on projects that would help people navigate extreme heat.
I believe in taking a new "career" dive every decade or so. The best way to get invoved in a new area is reflection and immersion and for that I'm on an extended life sabbatical. I'm currently levelling up my skills with a health coaching certification for one of my startups and working on a passion project called Wonders In The World. My hope is that we can capture the beauty of nature through personal stories and pair them with the realities of climate change, showing how our favorite moments—watching a sunflower bloom, feeling the hum of a hummingbird’s wings—are at risk. Outside of that, I'm birding around the world, observing how observed and expected species vary and generally just observing. There's a lot to learn from nature.
Drop me a line if you'd like to work together, contribute to the Wonders project or have interesting conservation initiatives you'd like to discuss.
Let's work together.
 
Develop
Select projects, initiatives and personal development / education.
Scroll below to see highlighted projects, and links to the rest of my experience and education.

Wonders In The World

Founder

Wonders In The World is a project that aims to capture the beauty of nature through personal stories and pairs them with the realities of climate change, showing how our favorite moments—watching a sunflower bloom, feeling the hum of a hummingbird’s wings—are at risk.

Imagine a world where fireflies no longer light up summer nights, where snow falls less each year, and where the wonders we cherish slowly fade away. Our project captures the beauty of nature through personal stories and pairs them with the realities of climate change, showing how our favorite moments—watching a sunflower bloom, feeling the hum of a hummingbird’s wings—are at risk. By inspiring mindfulness and action, we empower people to protect what they love before it's too late. Because the first step to saving something is realizing how much it matters.

Google Workspace

Product Manager

Product Manager on the Google Workspace Platform team and the lead behind Google’s Chat App strategy.

Chat apps—also known as chat integrations, give developers a way to build interactive tools directly within Google Chat conversations and DMs. As Google Chat and Gemini becoming central to Google Workspace, these apps have grown more powerful, including integrating with Gemini which unlocks new possibilities for deeper interactions, smarter integrations, and streamlined workflows.

Google & Extreme Heat

Product Manager

Product Manager leading cross product area strategy on consumer solutions for mitigating extreme heat.

Heat is the deadliest form of extreme weather. With a vast suite of consumer products, Google offers several useful features, but has considerable opportunities to support people before and during an extreme heat event. As a 20% project, with a small team of design strategists, proposed the highest value initiatives for teams to build.

Education History

Doctorate in Chemistry

Doctorate in Chemistry - dissertation on designing enzymes to create universal blood | Self taught full-stack developer | Health coaching diploma (in progress)

For a full list of publications, education and previous work history see here.

 
Dream
I Dream of a world where we respect and care for our planets and all its inhabitants.
Currently birding, exploring conservation initiatives, and understanding how different agricultural and cultural practices impact health as I travel the globe. Get in touch if you're a fellow birder, wildlife enthusiast, or want to work together.
Get in touch.