Dr. Joyce Killen Shah is one of the longest teaching international professors at The American University of Afghanistan (AUAF). In 2006 Dr. Killen Shah and her husband donated money to the American University of Afghanistan Foundation and subsequently met AUAF board of trustees’ member Dr. Jack Maas over lunch in California. When Dr. Killen Shah voiced her interest in visiting the University and working pro bono, Dr. Maas put her in touch with AUAF leadership in the summer of 2006. That summer she began working pro bono both at AUAF and the Afghan Ministry of Higher Education primarily engaged in analysis and drafting project proposals.
Once the undergraduate program began, the university asked Dr. Killen Shah to teach science, one of her professional areas of expertise. She currently teaches Biology, Chemistry, and Physiology. Another area of expertise is Intellectual Property law, in which she is registered to practice before the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

In addition to being heavily involved with teaching courses, Dr. Killen Shah also participates in a leadership role in a number of extra-curricular activities at the university. She is the Chair of the AUAF Academic Advising Committee, a member of AUAF’s Faculty Evaluation Retention and Promotion Committee, and Faculty Advisor to the student’s Model United Nations club. Outside of AUAF, Dr. Killen Shah is a Founder of the both The Afghanistan Intellectual Property Association (AIPA) and The Scholars Association Working for Afghanistan Development (SAWAD).

Dr. Killen Shah graduated with her B.S. & M.S. degrees from Ohio State University, and her Ph.D. from Wayne State University Medical School. She has been at AUAF since the summer of 2006, and is the longest serving international employee after AUAF Founder, Dr. Sharif Fayez.