BREAKING

Aerospace engineer writes children's book about a praying mantis who refuses to die · MIT + ETH Zurich grad pivots from Airbus jets to insect adventures · "The Extraordinary Life of Riz" declared "fresh, funny, and unexpectedly moving" by Indies Today · Pakistani woman who got into MIT, Harvard AND Cornell just wanted to fly planes · Aerospace engineer writes children's book about a praying mantis who refuses to die · MIT + ETH Zurich grad pivots from Airbus jets to insect adventures

YesPress Profile No. 001 — Karachi, Pakistan

Nida Farid

She Fixed Planes. Now She Fixes Destinies.

MIT aerospace engineer. ETH Zurich grad. Airbus programs veteran. Energy policy co-author. And now — against all logical odds — debut children's author. Nida Farid defies gravity in every dimension possible.

MIT SB ETH Zürich MS Airbus A380 Author Karachi KDrama Fan Philosopher

📖 GET THE BOOK

MIT + ETH Zürich 🎓 ✈ Airbus Engineer

Origin Story

From Karachi Kid to MIT Rocket Scientist

01 Chapter One

The Girl Who Loved Planes

Raised in Karachi, Nida's family had roots across the subcontinent. Her mother's side was from India — meaning frequent flights. Planes weren't just transport. They were magic. Connection. Wonder. She decided early: she'd be the one making them fly.

02 The Plot Twist

The School That Wouldn't Accept Her

Pakistan's only aeronautical engineering school at the time? Didn't admit women. So Nida did the only logical thing: she applied to MIT. And Harvard. And Cornell. She got into all of them. She picked MIT. Obviously.

03 Level Up

Airbus. Switzerland. Legends.

After MIT, she went to ETH Zürich for her Master's, then worked for Airbus suppliers on the A350 and Bombardier CRJ. Later, in Abu Dhabi, she worked on the A380 and A320. A Pakistani Muslim woman walking into a Swiss aerospace factory. Their faces? Priceless. Her work? Irreplaceable.

04 The Return

Home to Karachi. Then Words.

Back in Pakistan to care for her parents, Nida launched an energy consultancy, co-authored Pakistan's Integrated Energy Plan, and built savejoules.com. Oh — and started writing three children's books. Simultaneously. Because engineering-brain never idles.

"In our society, entering an unconventional profession for women is not easy. When her parents heard about aerospace, she proposed even more outrageous options — international diplomacy to war reporting — until they agreed MIT was the safer bet."

— Entrepreneurs of Pakistan, on Nida Farid's negotiation tactics

The Journey

A Life Lived at 30,000 Feet

Early Life

Born in Karachi 🇵🇰

Grew up enchanted by flights connecting her Indian family roots. Planes weren't just vehicles — they were portals.

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🎓

MIT Era

SB Aerospace Engineering, MIT

Accepted at MIT, Harvard and Cornell. Chose MIT. Cambridge, MA became her second home. The Bostonian identity was born.

NYC Chapter

New York City Life 🗽

Lived and worked in New York. A New Yorker was added to the list of identities she'd collect like passport stamps.

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Zürich

MS Mechanical Engineering, ETH Zürich 🇨🇭

Graduate school in Switzerland, specialising in aircraft engines and gas turbines. After graduating, worked for Airbus suppliers on the A350 and Bombardier CRJ programs. Swiss precision meets Karachi fire.

Abu Dhabi

Aerospace Work in the Middle East 🏙

Worked on the Airbus A380 and A320 programs in Abu Dhabi, contributing her expertise to some of the world's most iconic commercial aircraft.

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The Return

Back to Karachi, Consultancy + KECA

Returned to care for her parents. Launched energy consultancy, co-authored Pakistan's Integrated Energy Plan, built savejoules.com and the KECA awareness project.

April 2025

🦗 THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF RIZ

Debut children's novel published. A praying mantis. A quest for love. An aerospace engineer's first act of world-building. Critically acclaimed. Available now.

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PERSONALITY DECODER

Who Is Nida Farid, Really?

She's the rare human whose LinkedIn says "Aerospace Engineer" and whose heart says "tell me a story." Five cities on three continents. Five Airbus programs. One universe inside her head, currently escaping through children's books. Weekdays: saving energy. Weekends: saving praying mantises from unhappy endings.

ENGINEERING BRAIN95%

PHILOSOPHICAL DEPTH90%

STORYTELLING MAGIC88%

BATHROOM SINGING TALENT🤷

KDRAMA EPISODES CONSUMED∞

FIELD NOTES

Things Nida Would Never Tell You First

🐼 Real Comfort Her "instant pick-me-ups" are Kung Fu Panda, Korean dramas, and the Dao De Jing. That's one animated panda, one foreign soap opera, and one ancient Chinese philosophy text. All equally valid, apparently.

🎤 Bathroom Singer Self-described "wannabe singer" and "bathroom singer." She has negotiated with parents, convinced Swiss engineers, and pitched energy policy to governments. The bathroom acoustics remain unconquered.

📺 Saturday Morning Growing up she watched Powerpuff Girls, Jackie Chan Adventures and Johnny Bravo on Saturday mornings. Her all-time animated faves: Kung Fu Panda, How to Train a Dragon, Tangled, and Kubo and the Two Strings.

🌍 Five Cities, One Soul Karachiite. Bostonian. New Yorker. Bombaywali. Zürcherin. She doesn't pick one identity — she collects them like stamps in a very well-worn passport.

⚡ Power Crusader Built Pakistan's first comprehensive Energy Flow Diagram. Created savejoules.com so Pakistanis can compare appliances by electricity use. Because if you can design an A380, you can fix a power crisis.

OUT NOW ★★★★★

⚡ THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL

The Extraordinary Life of Riz

A Praying Mantis' Quest for a Happy Ending

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In a world where marriage literally means death, can a praying mantis find a happy ending? Riz needs nobody. He has Big Al and Uncle Qasim. He especially does not need those annoying, pesky, fatal she-mantises. Then Dua arrives — and ruins everything beautifully.

An aerospace engineer who has stared down gender bias in Swiss factories, energy crises in Karachi, and the existential dread of airplane turbines — writes the most human story about fate, love, and refusing to accept the ending the universe wrote for you. Illustrated by her sister, animator Sama Nadeem Izhar.

"A fresh, funny, and unexpectedly moving fable that readers won't be able to get enough of."

★★★★★ — Indies Today

"Existential fantasy meets insect folklore in Riz's heartfelt quest for love, freedom, and a happy ending."

★★★★★ — Reedsy Discovery

"A wild ride. Had me laughing, tearing up, and thinking way more deeply about bugs than I ever expected."

★★★★★ — Joy's Corner

📦 Buy on Amazon 🇬🇧 Waterstones More Retailers →

📚 212 pages · Ages 10–18 · Also a perfect gift for adults who never stopped believing in happy endings.

Why This Book?

Three Reasons to Buy Riz Right Now

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For the Kid Who Feels Trapped

Riz can't escape his biology. Or can he? A story for every child who's ever been told "that's just how it is" — and refused to believe it.

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The Perfect Gift

For the 10–18 year old in your life. For the adult who loves allegory. For anyone who's ever rooted for an underdog. (Or an underinsect.)

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Laugh AND Feel Things

Written by someone who's been the odd one out in Swiss factories and Karachi boardrooms. The humor is real. The heart is realer. The ending? You'll need to find out.

🛒 Get The Extraordinary Life of Riz

Nida Farid

From Karachi Kid to MIT Rocket Scientist

A Life Lived at 30,000 Feet

The Extraordinary Life of Riz

Three Reasons to Buy Riz Right Now

Find Nida's World