Faculty and Staff
Prof.Mahjoob Zweiri
Professor - Director of Gulf Studies Center
Contemporary History and Politics mzweiri@qu.edu.qa (+974) 4403 4703
Profile website
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Dr.Md Mizanur Rahman
Research Associate Professor
Gulf migration, Social research methods, and Social theories mizan@qu.edu.qa (+974) 4403 4951
Profile website
Md Mizanur Rahman teaches migration studies, social theories, and research methods at the Gulf Studies Program. His areas of expertise include Gulf migration, diaspora engagement, migrant businesses, labor migration, migration policy and migrant remittances. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in the Gulf, East and Southeast Asia, South Asia, Europe and North America. He has published extensively on international migration issues in the Gulf and Asia. Four of his journal articles became the top ten cited and/or downloaded articles in ISI and Scopus ranked journals. Dr Rahman is a member of Migration Research Leaders Syndicate for the 2018 Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, spearheaded by the IOM – the UN Migration Agency - based in Geneva. Download Resume
Dr.Nikolay Kozhanov
Research Associate Professor
nikolay@qu.edu.qa +974 4403 4987
Profile website
Nikolay Kozhanov is a Research Associate Professor at the Gulf Studies Center of Qatar University. He is also a Consulting Fellow at the Russia and Eurasia Programme of Chatham House and Non-resident Fellow at the Center of Middle Eastern Studies at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) under the Russian Academy of Science. His research interests are focused on the geopolitics of the Gulf hydrocarbons, Russian foreign policy in the Middle East as well as Iran’s economy and international relations. Nikolay has his PhD in economics from St.Petersburg State University (2010). He holds an MA degree in Oriental Studies (2006, St.Petersburg State University) and MA degree in Middle Eastern Studies (2012, University of Exeter). Dr. Kozhanov has been a visiting fellow at a number of leading international think tanks including Chatham House and Carnegie Moscow Center. His recent publications include Russia and the Syrian Conflict: Moscow’s Domestic, Regional and Strategic Interests (Gerlach Press 2016); Iran’s Strategic Thinking: The Evolution of Iran’s Foreign Policy 1979-2017. (London, Berlin: Gerlach Press, 2018) and Russian Policy across the Middle East: Motivations and Methods (Chatham House 2018). Download Resume
Dr.Amr AlAzm
Associate Professor
aalazm@qu.edu.qa +974 4403 7596 Building 109 ,Male section 3rd floor
Profile website
Amr Al Azm was educated in the UK, at University College, London and graduated with a doctoral degree in1991. He taught at the University of Damascus until 2006 and then as a visiting Professor at Brigham Young from 2006-2009. Since then, he has been a Professor of Middle East History and Anthropology at Shawnee State University in Ohio and currently teaching research methodology in the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University.
Amr Al-Azm is a keen follower and commentator on current events in Syria and the Middle East in general and has written articles in numerous journals, and major media outlets including guest editorials for the New York Times, Time Magazine and Foreign Policy and Foreign Affairs.
Amr Al-Azm is a founder and board member on The Day After project (TDA) and currently coordinates the Heritage Protection Initiative (TDA-HPI) for cultural heritage protection at the TDA. He is also a co-Director of the Antiquities Trafficking and Heritage Anthropology Research (ATHAR) Project and a co-founder of ACCO.
Prof. Sanaa Ashour
sashour@qu.edu.qa 4403 4974 Prof. Dr. Sanaa Ashour is currently a Professor of Gulf Studies at the Center of Gulf Studies at Qatar University. Previously, she served as the director of the Sociology program at the College of Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Al Ain University in the United Arab Emirates. She also served as a visiting professor at TU Dresden, DZHW, and FiBS in Germany. She has a PhD in Development Studies from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Bonn, Germany, and a master's degree in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Professor Sanaa Ashour's has published her work in leading international journals on higher education institutional and policy dynamics. Professor Sanaa Ashour's research helps to shed light on the complex dynamics that are shaping higher education in the Gulf region, and it provides valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners who are working to improve the quality and equity of higher education in the region. One of the key areas of Professor Sanaa Ashour's research is the impact of globalization on higher education in the Gulf region. She examines how globalization is leading to increased internationalization of higher education in the Gulf region, and explores the challenges and opportunities that this presents for institutions and policymakers. Besides, she authored a book on ethnic politics and policy-making process.
Dr.Pinar Akpinar
Assistant Professor
P.Akpinar@qu.edu.qa 4403 4979 Pınar Akpınar currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Gulf Studies within the Department of International Affairs and the Gulf Studies Program at the College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University. She earned her PhD from Keele University's School of Politics, International Relations, and Philosophy (SPIRE) with her dissertation titled 'An emerging mediator on the periphery: Turkey's mediations in the Syrian-Israeli talks and in Somalia.'
Her academic interests encompass a wide range of topics, including foreign policy, conflict resolution, international mediation and diplomacy, peacebuilding, and humanitarianism, with a primary focus on the Middle East, Turkey, and the Gulf region. Akpınar has taught at various universities, including Sabancı University, Kadir Has University, and Keele University. She has also conducted numerous professional training courses on conflict resolution for diplomats, executives, and local communities. She also served as a visiting scholar at George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.
In addition to her academic endeavors, Akpınar has played advisory roles for institutions such as the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the Qatari Ministry of Defense on matters concerning mediation, conflict resolution, and regional politics
Dr.Amna Sadiq
Assistant Professor asadiq@qu.edu.qa 4403 4944 Dr Amna Abdulla Sadiq holds a DPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern studies from the University of Oxford.
Amna is specialized in Gulf history and political economy, with a particular concentration on regionalism
and the Indian Ocean. During her time in Oxford, Amna became familiar with the networks of the Indian
Ocean trade, in which she conducted research on the history of the Gulf and the Indian Ocean. Her
research includes investigating local archives (Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia), transcribing and translating
local records and drawing network maps. Amna is fluent in Arabic and English.
GSP Graduate Faculty
Prof.Ahmed Ibrahim Abushouk
professor of modern History
ahmed.abushouk@qu.edu.qa 4403-4745 +974-3313402 Ahmed Ibrahim Abushouk is a Professor of Modern and Contemporary History with special focus on the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Qatar University. Received his PhD in History from Bergen University, Norway, in 1998. Before joining Qatar University in 2012, he worked at Bergen University (1998-1999) and International Islamic University Malaysia (1999-2012). During this period, he has set up a wide network with various academic institutes, including the International Institute for Asian Studies, University of Leiden, the Netherlands (Holland); the Institute of Theology, University of Lund, Sweden; the Centre for Modern Oriental Studies, Berlin-Germany; University of Pittsburgh (USA), St. Norbert College, and University of Wisconsin (Green-Bay). Administratively, he held the headship of the Department of History and Civilization, International Islamic University Malaysia (2004-2007), and the Deputy Deanship for Research and Postgraduates, the College of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (2007-2010), Directorship of International Institute of Muslim Unity, and the Coordination of History Programme, Department of Humanities, Qatar University (2013-2015, 2016-2017). He is current Associate Dean for Social and Humanities. The areas of his interest are Islam and Arabs in Southeast Asia, Islamic revivalism, and British colonial rule in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa. His latest publications include: The Hadrami Diaspora in Southeast Asian: Identity Maintenance or Assimilation? (With Hassan Ahmed Ibrahim), Leiden: R.J. Brill, 2009; The National Elections in the Sudan, 2010: Analytical Study (Doha: AlJazeerah Centre for Studies, 2012), King Abdul Aziz in al-Manar Magazine, Beirut: Arab Scientific Publishers Inc., 1914; Interdisciplinarity in History: An Old Method in New World Context (edited with Mahjoob Zweiri) Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishers, 2016; The Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Gulf Arab Emirates, Doha: Forum of Arab and International Relations, 2019. Download Resume
Dr.Amr Osman
Professor
aosman@qu.edu.qa 4403-4744 Associate Professor of Islamic History in the Department of Humanities at Qatar University. He received a BA in political science from the American University in Cairo (2000), an MPhil in History from University of St. Andrews (2004), an MA and PhD from the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University (2010), and a JD from Hamad bin Khalifa University (2020). His research interests include Islamic studies, modern and contemporary Arab politics and thought, and law. He has published books and academic articles in English and Arabic and attended many conferences in the US, Europe, and Arab countries. Download Resume
Dr.Mohammad Al-Saidi
malsaidi@qu.edu.qa 4403-4952 Dr. Mohammad Al-Saidi is an assistant professor at the Department of International Affairs & the Center for Sustainable Development at Qatar University. He has worked on projects and published papers on the Gulf, East Africa, Yemen and Jordan on issues ranging from development and the environment to water resources management, and sustainability transitions. Dr. Al-Saidi holds a Ph.D. in economics from Heidelberg University..
Research interests related to the Gulf:
Environment and development; sustainability transition in the Gulf; water policy; water-energy nexus; regional environmental cooperation
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Dr.Eiman Mustafawi
Associate Professor
eimanmust@qu.edu.qa 4403-4908 Dr Eiman Mustafawi is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at the department of English Literature and Linguistics. She teaches sociolinguistic and language and society courses. Her research interests and publications cover the areas of Arabic Phonology, Gulf Arabic, language policies, bilingualism and bilingual education, and the manifestations of language in identity, politics, and social issues, in addition to clinical applications of linguistic theories. She obtained her PhD from University of Ottawa in Canada in 2006. She assumed a number of administrative roles between 2007-2016 including the role of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. She is currently the Vice President of Student Affairs. Download Resume
Dr.Rizwan Ahmad
Associate Professor
rizwan.ahmad@qu.edu.qa 4403-4903
Profile website
Rizwan Ahmad is associate professor of sociolinguistics in the Department of English Literature & Linguistics at Qatar University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. His earlier educational achievements include an MA and M. Phil in linguistics from the University of Delhi and BA (Hons.) from JNU, New Delhi.
In his research, he studies issues of language and identity, language policy, language and communication, and orthography. His main research sites are north India and the Arabian Gulf. He has published papers on various aspects of Urdu and Hindi in India and Arabic in the Gulf. He is a fluent speaker of Urdu, Arabic, English, and Hindi.
He has written extensively on issues related to language for the popular press including Aljazeera, ThePrint, The Wire, The Dawn, Scroll, and ‘Language on the move.
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