Afifah Muharikah, S.S., M.Hum., Ph.D. is a new lecturer and researcher at Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia, with a growing focus on inclusive education, neurodiversity, and second language acquisition. She earned her Ph.D. from the School of Humanities, Language, and Social Science at Griffith University, Australia, where she explored inclusive classroom interactions between autistic and non-autistic students in second language (L2) learning environments. She also holds a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics for L2 Teaching from Universitas Indonesia and her first degree in English Language and Literature, Universitas Nasional, Jakarta, Indonesia. She has taught at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her teaching and research emphasize accessible learning spaces and communication strategies that support diverse learners.

She recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Public Policy Research Centre, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), contributing to inclusive policy research in higher education. In 2024, she founded the Muharikah Institute, a small but growing initiative to promote inclusive education in Indonesia. In its first year, the initiative has focused on teacher engagement and community outreach, aiming to bridge research and everyday practice in education.