Graduation 2025: From Pakpattan to Canberra

When Misbah Khan left Pakistan to begin a PhD in Computer Science at UNSW Canberra, she knew it would be a big step, but she didn’t realise just how much the experience would teach her about resilience.

“I never thought I was this strong,” Misbah said.

“Moving to a different country, being away from my family and navigating difficult times while balancing life and study it taught me resilience. I survived with grace.”

The move came right after COVID and Canberra was quieter than she expected, but what surprised her most was how familiar the city felt.

“It reminded me of Islamabad as both cities were built for the sole purpose of being a capital. They share that planned, structured feel but Islamabad is a bit livelier.”

However, Canberra started to grow on Misbah, with its peaceful vibe and scenic surroundings quickly became a source of comfort.

“Back home, hiking meant driving five hours to get to a trail. Here, you can escape into nature so easily and I would often head down to the coast on weekends.”

Misbah also found ways to stay busy beyond her research. She attended astronomy meet-ups, played badminton and soccer, and served as a committee member for the Australian Information Security Association. On campus, she took on leadership roles as an HDR student representative and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Arc Canberra.

“Most PhD students at UNSW Canberra are international, so we have a diverse culture on campus,” she said.

“I wanted to make sure we created events that everyone could enjoy. One highlight was organising Arabian Night and seeing people bring their families to the event was such a special moment.”

Studying on a campus inside the Australian Defence Force Academy was another unique experience.

“It wasn’t the typical university vibe, but it turned out to be interesting and collaborative,” Misbah said.

“UNSW Canberra offered high-quality research, strong supervision, and the freedom to explore new ideas and that proved to be true.”

Amid these personal milestones, Misbah pursued research with real-world impact. Her PhD focused on improving how blockchain systems reach agreement faster and more securely using Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs), a structure that allows blocks to be created in parallel.

Blockchain is a decentralised digital ledger that records transactions. Traditional blockchains add each block one after another in a single chain, which can slow things down as the system grows. DAG-based blockchains allow multiple blocks to be added at the same time, making the process faster. However, agreeing on the correct order of those blocks is complicated. Misbah’s work focuses on developing new consensus algorithms (agreement and total order) to make that process quicker, more scalable and more secure.

This innovation could transform applications that rely on third parties i.e. banking, digital identity, supply chain, social media and many more. One area Misbah is currently working on as a Research Associate is smart farming. Australian is a deeply agricultural nation: agriculture directly contributes around 2–3% of Australia’s GDP, and roughly 10–11% when you include the broader food and agribusiness sector.

“Just imagine a wool farmer in a remote part of Australia wanting to sell premium Merino to a major fashion house in Paris,” Misbah explains.

“Normally, both sides rely on brokers and middle-layers because they don’t fully trust each other. The farmer can’t prove the quality, the buyer can’t verify the origin, and payments often move through several intermediaries.

“Blockchain changes that dynamic. Every step of the process such as shearing, scouring, spinning, quality checks, transport, and final delivery is captured on a secure, tamper-resistant ledger. No one can alter the records, and everyone involved sees the same version of the truth. The farmer can prove the wool is authentic, eco- friendly and ethically sourced, and the buyer can trace it all the way back to the paddock.

“This shared visibility replaces the need to ‘trust the middleman.’ Instead, you trust the data itself. That transparency and verifiable authenticity gives small farmers the confidence to trade globally and give international buyers the assurance that they’re purchasing exactly what was promised.”

With a strong background in software engineering and industry experience, Misbah now aims to bridge academia and industry.

“When I started, I assumed I’d go straight back into industry after completing my PhD as I worked there for three years and loved it. But doing pure research changed my perspective,” she said.

“What I want now is to build a bridge between academia and industry, where rigorous research turns into real systems that people actually use.”

Her advice for future students?

“Be curious and don’t be afraid of hard problems. A PhD unfolds step by step, you just have to stay patient and consistent.”