Ayan completed her BSc in Psychology and Biology at Manchester Metropolitan University and her MSc in Neuroscience from King’s College London.

Ayan's PhD research at the University of Surrey has focused on khat usage among adults and adolescents in the United Kingdom and Ethiopia, investigating its psychological and neurobehavioral impacts. Ayan's research interest lies in addiction and mental health in marginalised populations, employing clinical, behavioural, computational, and brain imaging methods. Ayan is actively involved in developing tools and screening approaches to improve inclusivity and diversity in psychology and neuroscience research.

Lastly, Ayan is passionate about open science, neuroscience and psychology education and capacity building in Africa.