Ep. 38 - Sahar Kausar, Technical Animator, Walt Disney Animation Studios

Sahar Kausar, based in Los Angeles, California, is a technical animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios. She leverages her hybrid background in both art and computer science engineering to develop immersive experiences while infusing art and storytelling. She was previously a Walt Disney Imagineer and worked as an audio-animatronics/robotics engineer to bring beloved characters to life at Disney theme parks around the world. Her newest work is a film called Encanto that came out on Thanksgiving is working on and tv shows such as Zootopia+, Baymax!, and a short all coming to Disney+. Outside of work, Sahar mentors other underrepresented groups in STEM and enjoys drawing, reading, writing, video games, and hiking the mountains of Los Angeles. Sahar is passionate about combining her love of art, technology, and storytelling to promote the social good and give back to others. Ultimately, she hopes to use technology as her medium to share her stories and creativity to invoke a positive change in the world.

What We Talk About

• The call of technology and collaborative environments
• Adapting to different cultures
• Being drawn to storytelling
• How is animation and audio-animatronics /robotics engineering work together?
• Representing women in STEM in a male-dominated industry
• Advice for younger women who want to get into STEM

Resources: 

IG: @saharkausar
Book: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch