Umar Khalid

Umar Khalid is an award-winning digital media professional and volunteer contributor to the Media Education Lab. He is an MA student of Media and Communication Science at Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany. He works at the intersection of social media storytelling, community-focused communication, and video-first content strategy. He was recognized with the Intercultural Commitment Award 2024 from the City of Ilmenau and TU Ilmenau for his contribution to intercultural collaboration and community engagement.
Umar currently works as a Working Student in Communication and Content at SAP SE (Berlin). Business Technology Platform (BTP), supporting communication initiatives around AI, data, and digital innovation, and translating complex topics into accessible narratives for diverse audiences. He also brings hands-on creator experience as a small

influencer and video storyteller, with around 38,000 followers on Instagram, 45,000 on TikTok, and 17,000 on YouTube.

Research and volunteer interests at the Media Education Lab
At the Media Education Lab, Umar is interested in strengthening critical media literacy
through human-centered, youth-led media production. His current focus includes:

• Misinformation, disinformation, and misinterpretation, especially content shaped by emotion and identity framing
• Empathy and theory of mind in media literacy learning. Understanding why people share before correcting
• Culture, nation, and gender lenses that influence interpretation and sharing behavior
• Youth-led media production as a learning method. Learners create responsible responses that inform without shaming
  Practical evaluation tools for media literacy programs, including rubrics and short pre and post measures

Umar is exploring this direction as a possible MA thesis pathway, depending on project fit and feasibility.

Professional experience
Working Student, Communication and Content (Oct 2025 to present)
SAP SE, Berlin. Business Technology Platform (BTP)

Operations Associate, Managing Digital Media (Aug 2022 to Jan 2023)
Optimize Digital (Pvt) Ltd

Service, Ministry of Climate Change, Government of Pakistan (6 months)
Following the Digital Media Development Program fellowship, Umar served in a
public-sector role supporting communication and digital media needs for climate-focused initiatives.
Digital Media Development Program Fellowship (Oct 2021 to Dec 2021)
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of Pakistan

Umar also contributed as a content creator in collaboration with DAAD, supporting international education communication through video and storytelling work.

Community engagement
Elected Member, Student Council (StuRa), TU Ilmenau (2024 to 2025)
Volunteer, We4You (3 semesters), supporting international student integration and orientation

Education
MA Media and Communication Science, Technische Universität Ilmenau (expected 2026)BA Media and Communication, Foundation University Islamabad (2021)

Awards
Intercultural Commitment Award 2024, City of Ilmenau and TU Ilmenau

Skills
Social media strategy and analytics. Video storytelling and editing. Community building. Short-form content optimization. Digital communication for public and institutional contexts.

Languages
English, Urdu, Hindi, German (basic)