Past Assistants
Salma Hassabou
Salma Hassabou (class of 2022) is a student at GU-Q majoring in International Politics. She was a CURA Administrative Assistant at CIRSwhere she assisted with all administrative and departmental tasks. She is interested in Comparative Political Systems and Middle Eastern Politics. Salma has previously interned at the Inland Mission in Munich and University association office in Berlin, Germany. For the 2019-2020 year, she has joined Georgetown Model United Nations (GMUN) and is interested in joining the Honor Council.
Khushboo Shah
Khushboo Shah (class of 2022) is a student at GU-Q and was a CURA Administrative Assistant, where she assisted with all administrative and departmental tasks at CIRS. For the 2018-2019 academic year, she also served as Public Relations Officer for the SGA, and directed the DISEC committee for the Georgetown Model United Nations. She is interested in research pertaining to middle-eastern politics, and legal studies. Previously, she has also interned in Kyrgyz Republic, and at a news firm in Goa, India.
Abdullah Ahmed(2013-2014)
Abdullah Ahmed (class of 2016) graduated from GU-Q with a major in International Economics. He was an active member of the GU-Q community and served as the president of the Student Government Association during his senior year. As a student, Abdullah interned at the Qatar Development Bank, Silatech, and Mathaf Museum of Modern Art. He currently works for the Government of Qatar.
HazimAli(2012-2014)
Hazim Ali graduated from GU-Q as a member of the class of 2016. As a student, he gained professional experience by interning in corporate communications at Siemens. After completing his undergraduate degree, Hazim pursued a master’s degree in Social Sciences at the University of Chicago. He currently works as senior writer at Qatar Foundation.
RawanAl-Khulaidi(2016-2017)
Rawan Al-Khulaidi (class of 2018) majoredin Culture and Politics at GU-Q. She served asa department assistant at CIRS. Rawan’s research interests are focused mainly on different approaches to feminist discourse and specifically the contextualization of women within different religions.
Al Johara Al Khulaifi
TamimAl-Nuweiri(2011-2012)
Tamim Al-Nuweiri (class of 2016) graduated from GU-Q with a major in International Economics. After graduating, she pursued a career as a writer, and has written on various topics including music, beauty, fashion, and wellness. Tamim is a regular contributor to several notable publications including Fashionista, Nylon, Into the Gloss, and others.
JihaneBenamar(2015-2016)
Jihane Benamar(class of 2018) majored in International Politics with a focus on African development. She will be joining Oxford University’s Development Studies program in fall 2018. Currently, she is working on a Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)-funded project on water security in the Gulf. Jihane would like to use her academic background to work for an NGO dedicated to rethinking the development discourse in the non-West.
MariamBengali(2012-2013)
Mariam Bengali (class of 2015) graduated from GU-Q with a major in Culture and Politics. She received an MA in history from Royal Holloway, University of London, and currently works as a junior researcher at Concord Consulting in Denmark.
MalikHabayeb(2011-2012)
Malik Habayeb (class of 2013) majored in International Politics and completed a certificate in Arab and Regional Studies. He received a masters’ degree in public administration (2018) from London School of Economics and Political Science. He works as a MENA Researcher at the Business and Human Rights Resource Center.
RanaHaider(2016-2017)
Rana Haider Tahir Koshal(class of 2018)joined GU-Q after completing his high school from Aitchison College, Lahore, where he was awarded a distinction in International History inCambridge International Examinations. At CIRS, he helped compile and catalog books, journals and policy papers. More recently, Rana has worked with two national dailies published from Lahore – contributing opinion pieces for The News Internationaland reporting on health, education, and politics forPakistan Today.He has also worked forUNDP’sdesalinization program.
Omar Hashem(2014-2015)
Omar Hashem (class of 2015) majored in International Economics at GU-Q and worked at CIRS as an Administrative Student Assistant. He was also a fellow at the organization Teach for Qatar.
Jihad Hassan(2011-2012)
Jihad Hassan (class of 2013) graduated from GU-Q with a major in International Politics. He was active in the Model United Nations and International Relations clubs, and went on for further studies at Copenhagen Business School. He is the co-founder and chief operating officer of GetFresh Ventures.
Umber Latafat(2012-2015)
Umber Latafat (class of 2016) graduated from GU-Q and majored in International Politics. She was a core part of the Georgetown student community and was involved as a volunteer in the HELP teaching program.
RihamMansour
Riham Mansour (class of 2019) is a senior at GU-Q majoring in International Economics with a minor in Arabic. Alongside her degree, she has also conducted field research for a market research agency based in Qatar. Currently, Riham works as an Administrative Fellow at CIRS. She is also a Public Relations Intern at the American Embassy in Doha. Her senior thesis studies the effect of women’s economic independence on marital violence based on evidence from India.
Kevin Mark Lee(2013-2014)
Kevin Mark Lee (class of 2015) graduated from GU-Q with a major in International Politics. While at GU-Q, Kevin pursued the accelerated BSFS/MSFS program in Global Business and Finance the Georgetown main campus in Washington, DC. He currently works as a Foreign Service Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore. Kevin’s research interests include energy markets, specifically LNG in the Asia Pacific.
LeenaNady-Mohamed(2011-2012)
Leena Nady-Mohamed (class of 2015) graduated from GU-Q with a degree in International Economics. Throughout her studies, she worked with CIRS as a Student Assistant and later as a Research Intern, assisting Dr. Mehran Kamrava. After graduation, she went on to work with local SMEs in Qatar, improving their business processes and strategies. Leena then went on to receive a MSc at University College London, specializing in economics and policy of energy and environment. She is currently pursuing a career in the energy industry, where she is facilitating investment in low-carbon solutions internationally.
Aida Tariq Nasir(2013-2014)
Aida Tariq Nasir graduated from the Australian National University in Canberra in 2017 with a major in International Business. During her time at GU-Q and CIRS, she helped with logistical operations by assisting with organizing the CIRS monthly dialogues and distributing publications. Currently, Aida works as a projects coordinator at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar.
Nayab Rana(2015-2016)
Nayab Rana (class of 2018) worked as a research assistant and as a front desk assistant for CIRS. She conducted research on citizenshiprights and citizenship stripping, and participated inseveral CIRS working groups on varying topics. She also helped with logistical operations by assisting in organizing CIRS monthly dialogues and distributing publications. Nayabis a recent graduate from GU-Q with a major in International Politics. She is particularlyinterested in human rights issues and plans to work for an NGO and pursue graduate studies.
Fatemeh Salari(2018-2019)
Fatemeh Salari (class of 2020) is a junior majoring in International Politics with a minor in Arabic at GU-Q. Originally from Iran, her research interests include the politics and international relations of the Middle East with a focus on Iranian politics and foreign policy.
Farah Saleh(2014-2016)
Farah Yousef Saleh(class of 2016) is currently a master’s candidate in Political Studies at the American University of Beirut. She pursued a majorInternational Politics at GU-Q. As an undergraduate, she worked at CIRS for two years and her main tasks assisting the department with research and logistics. She conducted research on the topics of water scarcity in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s relations with the GCC, and labor laws in South Asia. She also translated documents from Arabic to English and vice versa. Her research interests revolve around the Arab-Israeli conflict and more currently, the Gulf diplomatic crisis against Qatar.
RumshaShahzad(2015-2016)
Rumsha Shahzad (class of 2016) worked as a student assistant at CIRS. She is currently an Erasmus Mundus scholar, pursuing a masters degree in migration and intercultural relations. During her time at GU-Q, Rumsha studied International Politics and developed an interest in migrant worker rights through her work as a teacher for the HELP education program, a community engagement trip to the Philippines, and her participation in the Qatar Foundation’s Social Innovation Boot Camp. After graduation, she worked with Humanity United and Migrant-Rights.org on strengthening the worker welfare programs of construction companies in Doha, and on raising awareness for domestic worker visibility. Rumsha also worked with Justice Project Pakistan and wrote a report for JPP on the rights of migrant worker prisoners on death row in GCC jails.
Mohamed Sirelkhatim(2012-2014)
Mohamed Sirelkhatim(class of 2015)was actively involved in the Georgetown community as a student and he served as the president of the school’s Student Government Association. He interned at the United States Embassy in Qatar as a foreign commercial service research intern. Mohamed currently works as an events and gaming specialist at ADabisc Future Qatar.
LeenaZahir
Leena Zahir (class of 2014) is a native of Al Ubayyid, North Kurdufan, Sudan, and a long-time resident of Doha, Qatar. She holds a BSFS degree from GU-Q, and currently works as an impactand research specialist atTeach for Qatar, a local NGO. She is passionate about education development, data-driven policy, and a other development issues. Leena was a CIRS intern in her senior year, where she worked on research projects on food security and political activity on social media.
