2025-12-11 –, General Track
Python is the number one language on GitHub, yet a git log of our shared future reveals a critical system failure. While Python adoption is exponential, women author only 2–3% of core-repository commits and comprise just 22% of the global AI talent pool. This talk moves beyond rhetoric to present a 5-Step Engineering Framework based on quantitative research from 24 global tech communities. We will introduce the VIM Model (Visibility, Invitation, Mechanism)—a proven architecture that drove 179% membership growth and 99% retention in pilot programs.
Python powers the global AI ecosystem, yet 78% of the talent pool is missing.
We are building the most advanced systems in history with a critical "innovation debt." This is evidenced not just by the gender gap, but by biased algorithms and higher error rates in production models. This talk treats this gap as an engineering crisis and provides a research-backed solution.
Drawing on published work from the SciPy Proceedings and a quantitative study of 24 global tech communities, we will introduce the 5-Step Engineering Framework. We will deconstruct the VIM Model (Visibility, Invitation, Mechanism), which drove 179% membership growth in the IBM Women in AI pilot.
Attendees will walk away with three actionable tools:
1) The System Audit: A method to measure "innovation debt" in your own teams using specific retention and contribution metrics.
2) The VIM Patch: A blueprint for deploying high-yield mechanisms—such as hands-on Python labs (requested by 76% of members)—that statistically outperform generic networking.
3) The Retention Fix: A step-by-step guide to stabilizing the "leaky pipeline," specifically addressing the mid-career drop-off point where 50% of diverse talent currently leaves.
This session is for builders and maintainers ready to stop admiring the problem and commit to the fix.
Noor Aftab is the Global Program Lead at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where she drives strategic programs for Amazon S3, supporting some of the world’s most complex data, AI, and analytics workloads. With a foundation in software engineering and data science, she brings over a decade of experience building and scaling cloud-native solutions, AI/ML systems, and developer-focused programs.
She serves as Vice President of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Pacific Northwest section, championing technical leadership and mentoring initiatives across engineering communities. Noor is also Chair of the NumFOCUS Code of Conduct Working Group and User Group Leader for IBM Women in AI, where she fosters inclusive, resilient communities across 300+ open-source projects.
A frequent keynote speaker, Noor has presented at PyData Global, SciPy, ODSC, TEDx, IEEE, and 13+ global venues, delivering talks that connect technical depth with real-world adoption of AI and cloud. She has authored and led initiatives such as the IEEE Hour of Power AI training program, empowering engineers and professionals with practical AI skills.
Her contributions to technology and leadership have been recognized with awards, including the Australia Alumni Excellence Award and Asia Pacific HRM Congress Award, with media features in the BBC, Martha’s Vineyard Times, and Hindustan Times.
GitHub: aftabn81
| Website: www.nooraftab.com