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Umar Saif
Umar Saif (Urdu: عمر سیف; born 1979) is a Pakistani computer scientist and academic. He is known for his contributions to the tech ecosystem in Pakistan. He is the founder and CEO of aiSight.ai (formerly SurveyAuto Inc.), Chief Digital Officer of the Jang Group and CEO of Khudi Ventures. He served as interim Federal Minister For Science and Technology, as well as Minister of IT from August 2023 to March 2024. He is also serving as an advisor to the United Nations Development Programme in Pakistan.
After studying computer science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Saif received his doctorate from the University of Cambridge at the age of 22. He then moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he did his postdoc. He returned to Pakistan in 2005 and joined LUMS where he taught as an associate professor of computer science between 2006 and 2013.
In 2011, Saif was appointed as chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and also became a cabinet member in Government of Punjab. During his tenure as a chair of the PITB between 2011 and 2018, he founded Pakistan's first technology incubator, Plan 9 and carried out more than 300 projects. Simultaneously, he served as the founding vice-chancellor of the Information Technology University from 2013 to 2018.
For his research, entrepreneurial ventures, and for being the brains behind digital governance of Punjab and one of the main driving forces behind the IT ecosystem in the country, he was awarded numerous notable awards and titles such as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, Google's Faculty Research Award, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, UNESCO Chair for using ICT for Development, and was named as one of the top 35 young innovators in the world by the MIT Technology Review (TR35). He was named among The 500 Most Influential Muslims consecutively between 2015 and 2025.
Saif was born in Pakistan. He attended Aitchison College before enrolling at Lahore University of Management Sciences where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science in 1998. He received a doctor of philosophy degree in computer science from the University of Cambridge at the age of 22 in 2001. In 2002 he did his postdoc at MIT, also in computer science. From 2001 to 2005 he taught at MIT and worked at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) as a research scientist, becoming part of the team which developed Project Oxygen.
Upon returning to Pakistan in 2005, Saif joined LUMS where he worked as an associate professor of computer sciences between 2006 and 2013. He became one of the youngest tenured professors at LUMS in 2009. While teaching full-time, Saif carried out several research projects.
In 2010 Saif was named as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2011 he was placed on MIT's TR35 list, naming him as one of the world's top 35 young innovators for developing a bittorrent client, BitMate, and a text message-based social network, SMSall. The same year he became the first Pakistani to receive the Google's Faculty Research Award. Upon learning of his achievements the Chief Minister of the Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif, invited Saif to head the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB). In November 2011 he was appointed Chairman of the PITB. In his role as Chairman of the PITB Saif was made responsible for all public-sector information technology projects in Punjab. In 2012 he established Pakistan's first technology incubator, Plan 9, with financial support from the government and became known for introducing the startup culture to Pakistan. During his tenure as Chairman of the PITB, he also established E-Rozgaar programme.
He also founded Pakistan's first start-up incubator, SCI. In response to the 2011 outbreak of dengue fever in Pakistan PITB, under Saif's supervision, developed a smartphone-based early warning system to assist medical teams in curbing the outbreaks which received extensive recognition. He played a vital role in digitalising the land records in Punjab as well those of police, and other departments of the Punjab government.
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Umar Saif
Umar Saif (Urdu: عمر سیف; born 1979) is a Pakistani computer scientist and academic. He is known for his contributions to the tech ecosystem in Pakistan. He is the founder and CEO of aiSight.ai (formerly SurveyAuto Inc.), Chief Digital Officer of the Jang Group and CEO of Khudi Ventures. He served as interim Federal Minister For Science and Technology, as well as Minister of IT from August 2023 to March 2024. He is also serving as an advisor to the United Nations Development Programme in Pakistan.
After studying computer science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Saif received his doctorate from the University of Cambridge at the age of 22. He then moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he did his postdoc. He returned to Pakistan in 2005 and joined LUMS where he taught as an associate professor of computer science between 2006 and 2013.
In 2011, Saif was appointed as chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and also became a cabinet member in Government of Punjab. During his tenure as a chair of the PITB between 2011 and 2018, he founded Pakistan's first technology incubator, Plan 9 and carried out more than 300 projects. Simultaneously, he served as the founding vice-chancellor of the Information Technology University from 2013 to 2018.
For his research, entrepreneurial ventures, and for being the brains behind digital governance of Punjab and one of the main driving forces behind the IT ecosystem in the country, he was awarded numerous notable awards and titles such as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, Google's Faculty Research Award, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, UNESCO Chair for using ICT for Development, and was named as one of the top 35 young innovators in the world by the MIT Technology Review (TR35). He was named among The 500 Most Influential Muslims consecutively between 2015 and 2025.
Saif was born in Pakistan. He attended Aitchison College before enrolling at Lahore University of Management Sciences where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science in 1998. He received a doctor of philosophy degree in computer science from the University of Cambridge at the age of 22 in 2001. In 2002 he did his postdoc at MIT, also in computer science. From 2001 to 2005 he taught at MIT and worked at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) as a research scientist, becoming part of the team which developed Project Oxygen.
Upon returning to Pakistan in 2005, Saif joined LUMS where he worked as an associate professor of computer sciences between 2006 and 2013. He became one of the youngest tenured professors at LUMS in 2009. While teaching full-time, Saif carried out several research projects.
In 2010 Saif was named as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2011 he was placed on MIT's TR35 list, naming him as one of the world's top 35 young innovators for developing a bittorrent client, BitMate, and a text message-based social network, SMSall. The same year he became the first Pakistani to receive the Google's Faculty Research Award. Upon learning of his achievements the Chief Minister of the Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif, invited Saif to head the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB). In November 2011 he was appointed Chairman of the PITB. In his role as Chairman of the PITB Saif was made responsible for all public-sector information technology projects in Punjab. In 2012 he established Pakistan's first technology incubator, Plan 9, with financial support from the government and became known for introducing the startup culture to Pakistan. During his tenure as Chairman of the PITB, he also established E-Rozgaar programme.
He also founded Pakistan's first start-up incubator, SCI. In response to the 2011 outbreak of dengue fever in Pakistan PITB, under Saif's supervision, developed a smartphone-based early warning system to assist medical teams in curbing the outbreaks which received extensive recognition. He played a vital role in digitalising the land records in Punjab as well those of police, and other departments of the Punjab government.