CV

• PhD, Education, 2024, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

• Summer School, Forced Migration, 2023, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

• Master of Science (Distinction), International Management, 2016, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

• Master of Science (Distinction), Business Administration, 2015, HIBA, Damascus, Syria

• Bachelor of Science, Management, 2010, HIBA, Damascus, Syria

Associate Lecturer 2022 –2024, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK

• Taught the course “Sociology of Education” to a class of 55 undergraduate students. The course covered topics such as theoretical approaches and key concepts, social divisions in education such as class, gender, and ethnicity, and education in an international context.

• Taught the course “Mobilities and Migration” to a class of 18 postgraduate students. The course covers topics such as forced and voluntary migration, employability in the context of migration, Integration and theories of migration.

• Taught the course “Research Methods” to a class of 16 postgraduate students. The course covers both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Tutor 2022 - 2023, University of Cambridge, UK

•  Provided tutoring for the course “Critical Debates in Education”, which covers debates concerning the nature, purpose and practices of education. These debates are grouped and presented in three strands: Teaching, Learning and Theories of Knowledge; Ethics and Education; and Curriculum, Pedagogy and Justice.

• Provided tutoring for the course “Education, Global Inequalities and Social Justice”, which covers the synergies between education and international development, the history, constitution and implications of global goals for education, economic frameworks for global development, and the relationship between education and human rights.

Specialist Academic Mentor, 2023 - 2024, University of Cambridge, CAMBRIDGE, Cambridge

• Provided mentoring to 10 students who have accessibility & disability needs, in particular, ADHD, OCD, and Autism.

Dissertation supervisor 2023 Anglia Ruskin University, CAMBRIDGE, UK

• Supervised students in the field of Education.

CO-Principle Investigator, 2024, ERICC Syria, Osman Consultancy, UK

The Education Research in Conflict and Protracted Crisis (ERICC) project is a £15.8 million research program to carry out rigorous and operationally relevant research on the most effective approaches to education delivery in conflict and protracted crisis contexts. My duties as the Co-PI for the Syria Research Project include:

• Design and conduct data collection waves for the specific study protocols defined in the research agenda. This includes back-checks and data cleaning.

• Develop and/or choose appropriate research tools and methods to use in order to undertake effective research on the question identified.

• Define an appropriate analysis plan, including for the writing and publishing of manuscripts.

• Write and review high-level research products that are in line with the studies and questions identified.

• Ensure that research is conducted in line with FCDO’s ERICC ToR and the consortium’s overall approach to the project as outlined in the ERICC proposal

• Author and publish various research outputs, including academic articles to be published in high-ranking peer-reviewed journals.

Consultant & Lead Researcher, 2023, Centre for Operational Analysis and Research., UK

• Analysed the political economy of the education sector in Syria for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

• Identified barriers and opportunities for a national education dialogue.

• Proposed a roadmap for education reform in Syria.

Researcher, 2022 –2023, University of Cambridge, DEFI Innovation Lab, UK

• Conducted research that aims to learn more about how technology games foster future literacy skills that prepare people for an uncertain future such as communication, collaboration, empathy, listening, and dialogue.

• Contributed to a research on the future of assessment, teaching and learning in education.

Consultant, 2022, PeaceJam, London, UK

• Assessed evaluation data from the organisation's peace education youth programmes.

• Identified key themes within the existing evaluation data and reports written by the organisation.

• Proposed a series of recommendations for the organisation on program development and future monitoring and evaluation practices.

Peer Reviewer 

• Educational Research and Evaluation Journal

• The Cambridge Educational Research e-Journal (CERJ)

• Globalisation, Societies and Education

• European Journal of Development Research (EUDR)

• Development in Practice

• International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care

• SN Social Sciences

• Research in Comparative and International Education

Program Manager, Displaced Scholars Mentoring Program, 2023, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW, Sydney

The program aims to provide academic and professional support to early-career scholars who have experienced displacement and are studying or researching refugee and forced migration studies. The program has three elements: mentoring, learning, and group discussions/reflections. The programme is divided into six sections/topics: Setting research/academic goals, writing skills, productivity, methodologies, publishing, and careers in academia. My duties included:

• Re-designed the program from scratch to enrich the mentees’ learning experience

• Built the Moodle learning platform and designed learning materials

• Recruited and supported 16 mentors and 30 mentees throughout the program

• Conducted orientation sessions for mentees and training sessions for mentors

• Organised synchronous and asynchronous skills development workshops and networking events

• Organised end-of-program evaluation and debrief

Co-founder & Programmes Manager, 2017 -2021, The Syrian Association for Education Development, UK

• Oversaw the overall day-to-day management of four academic mentoring programmes:

  • Athar (Impact) programme to support 25 displaced students with disabilities in Lebanon to learn programming languages and access remote working opportunities

  • PADILIEA programme in collaboration with Kings College London to support displaced students in Lebanon and Jordan to access higher education

  • Tariqi (My Way) programme to support displaced Syrian students to apply for Chevening, Said, Erasmus and DAAD scholarships

  • IELTS Master programme in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh to support displaced Syrian students in passing the IELTS exam.

• Managed the strategic planning, including annual programme plans, fundraising and budgeting

• Expanded the team to include 100 active volunteers working in 12 departments

• Expanded the programmes to include seven projects that supported around 600 Syrian students to access higher education globally

• Established collaboration with two of the top academic institutions in the world (Kings’ College London & the University of Edinburgh) and several prominent organisations such as Jusoor, Chevening, and SaÏd Foundation.

• Created the Student Library: an online library that contains 100 videos and articles to help students access HE.

• Organised the Syrians Around the World project: an annual online conference to mobilise the Syrian Diaspora to connect and support Syrian students’ education and employment prospects in Syria and the region (1100 attendees in 2021).

Project Officer, 2016- 2017, Oxfam, UK

• Designed and moderated the Make Change Happen online course that aims to build the capacity of local communities to become change leaders in their contexts. Supported 200 learners, five academic facilitators, and three partner organisations throughout the course.

• Organised A Menu for Change programme National Conference

• Coordinating an independent, snap-shot review of Scotland’s progress in delivering the SDGs

• Delivered workshops across Scotland to raise awareness and mobilise the public on the new Scottish Climate Change Bill (SCCS coalition)

• Researched and designed an engagement plan to identify potential global partners working on gender-responsive budgeting

Co-Chair, 2021 - 2022, Cambridge Peace and Education Research Group (CPERG), CAMBRIDGE, UK

• Ran the day-to-day activities of the research group.

• Facilitated all seminars and workshops.

• Facilitated panel discussions and speakers’ presentations.

• Established connections with other peace education research groups internationally and arranged collaborative events.

Co-Chair, 2022 -2023, The Rowan Williams Cambridge Scholarship, CAMBRIDGE, UK

• Supported all scholarship holders with their transition to Cambridge

• Acted as a liaison between the Cambridge Trust and scholarship holders

• Facilitated social and professional activities at Rowan Williams Community 

Member of the steering committee, 2018- 2020, The University of Sanctuary, UK

• Supported a network of 18 UK Universities to become a more welcoming place for refugees and asylum seekers.

• Collaborated with the Universities to establish scholarships for refugees and asylum seekers.

• Worked closely with the University of St Andrews to become a University of Sanctuary

•  Associate Fellow, Advance HE, UK 2024

• Cambridge Peace and Education Research Group, UK, 2020- Present

• The Centre for the Study of Global Human Movement, UK, 2020 -Present

• British Association for International and Comparative Education, UK, 2022- Present

• UNESCO Ambassador on Refugee Integration through Education, Language and Arts, 2017