Ms Shaadi Shidfar

Shaadi is a Senior Database Manager and Data Developer at the UCL Institute of Education, working within the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS). Her work focuses on the design, management, and governance of large-scale longitudinal research databases, with particular expertise in Microsoft SQL Server development, data linkage, data quality, and secure research data workflows. Alongside her professional role, she has an interest in machine learning, natural language processing, and the application of AI methods within research and healthcare data environments. 

Shaadi originally started her career as a software engineer before moving into database administration, where she worked for several years as an Oracle DBA. Although she enjoyed the challenges of administrating complex education databases, her academic interests led her towards research in computer visualisation and image processing. She later returned to her long-standing passion for databases, this time specialising in Microsoft SQL Server and large-scale research data systems. 

At the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education, Shaadi contributes to teaching in databases and healthcare data science. Her teaching focuses on the fundamentals of relational databases and helping students understand why good database design matters in real-world environments. She particularly enjoys using practical and relatable examples to demonstrate how databases are used to solve organisational and operational challenges. 

Shaadi values creating a collaborative learning environment where adult students can connect their own professional experiences with technical concepts taught in class. What she particularly enjoys about teaching adult learners is that many already understand the realities and challenges of workplace systems and can appreciate how a well-designed database can resolve issues they may have previously encountered in practice.