Principal Investigators
Francine Menashy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at OISE, University of Toronto. Her research explores global education governance, international education policy, and aid to education in development and humanitarian contexts. Her studies seek to expose and understand power hierarchies within global education policy-making processes and governance structures.
Zeena Zakharia is Assistant Professor of International Education Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research examines conflict and peacebuilding in education and advances a critical approach to refugee studies in the Middle East. These interests stem from over two decades of educational research, teaching, and school leadership in war-affected contexts.
Co-Investigator
Co-Investigator
Profile
Maha Shuayb is the Director of the Centre for Lebanese Studies and an Associate Lecturer at the University of Cambridge. She has a PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge. Dr. Shuayb’s research focuses on the sociology and politics of education, particularly equity and equality in education, and the implications of inequalities on marginalized groups such as refugee children and persons with disabilities.
Research Consultants
Research Consultant
Profile
Therese Cregan is an accomplished international cooperation and development professional, specializing in Education and Early Childhood Development. She holds an MPhil in Critical and Cultural Theory from the University of Cambridge. She works as an independent consultant supporting national and international stakeholders in humanitarian and development contexts, with an extensive background in protracted crisis situations.
Research Consultant
Profile
Robin Shields is a Professor of Education at the University of Bristol. His research focuses on the globalization of education and he has worked in a number of contexts, including international development education. Dr. Shields has expertise in advanced quantitative methods and he is particularly interested in applying new forms of quantitative data collection and analysis to study global trends and processes in education.
Research Assistants
Research Assistant
Profile
Ola Al Samhoury is a junior researcher at the Center for Lebanese Studies. She earned a master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in leadership and management from the Lebanese American University, where she explored the educational challenges that Syrian refugee children face in Lebanon Ola’s research interests are in refugee education and minimizing education gaps and gender inequities.
Research Assistant
Profile
Samira Chatila is a PhD student in Comparative and International Development Education at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and is a fellow at the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change. Previously, she was a researcher and project manager with the Centre for Lebanese Studies. Samira’s research interests include forced migration, global south studies, disability studies, and language and identity.
Research Assistant
Profile
Langan Courtney is a PhD student studying International Education Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to starting her PhD, she spent 15+ years working in refugee education and support services in the U.S., Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Langan has a masters in International Comparative Education from Stanford University (2007) and was a 2012 Rotary Peace Fellow in Thailand.
Research Assistant
Profile
Nina Kunimoto is a PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts Boston – Urban Education, Leadership and Policy Program. Nina is a faculty member of the Spark Teacher Education Institute teaching Global Social Problems and Ethnicity and Diversity in the U.S. In the past, she taught secondary social studies and in refugee camps internationally. Also, Nina collectively hosts Indigo Radio.
Research Assistant
Profile
Olivia Maamari previously was a Senior Researcher and Program Manager at the Centre for Lebanese Studies (CLS), in the field of disability and education. She has a PhD in Biochemistry from Saint-Joseph University. Dr. Maamari is interested in projects and activities related to sustainable development and, since June 2019, she has been working as an Environmental & Social Manager for three wind farm projects at InfraTech.
Research Assistant
Profile
Katya Murillo (she/hers/ella) is a PhD student at the University of Maryland College of Education studying International Education Policy. She received her Master’s degree in International Educational Development from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018 and her Bachelor’s degree from Whittier College in 2016. Her research interests include refugee and migration education, particularly between North and Central America.
Research Assistant
Profile
Sara Niño is a PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts, Boston in the Urban Education, Leadership, and Policy Studies Program. She currently works as a Statewide Senior Trainer for the Federation for Children with Special Needs and Invited Lecturer at Lasell University. Her research interests are in education policy and the learning experiences of multilingual learners with and without disabilities.
Research Assistant
Profile
Erin Sorensen is a PhD candidate studying International Education Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. She has previously worked with the International Rescue Committee resettling refugees in the United States and as an adjunct university instructor. Her research interests are in refugee education and education in emergencies.
The Centre for Lebanese Studies is an independent academic institution established in 1984 to undertake impartial and balanced research and contribute to Lebanon’s development. CLS is affiliated with the University of Cambridge and the Lebanese American University.
Dubai Cares is a UAE-based global philanthropic organisation that works towards providing children and youth in developing countries with access to quality education. Since its inception in 2007, the organisation has successfully launched education programs reaching over 20 million beneficiaries in 60 countries.
The Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) is an open, global network of members working together within a humanitarian and development framework to ensure that all individuals have the right to a quality, safe, relevant, and equitable education.
The Evidence for Education in Emergencies Research Fund aims to strengthen the evidence base in EiE, by supporting contextually relevant and usable research, and disseminating global public goods. Dubai Cares partnered with INEE in 2017 to design and manage this research fund.
The University of Massachusetts Boston is a public research university with a dynamic culture of teaching and learning, and a special commitment to urban and global engagement. It is nationally recognized as a model of excellence for urban public universities in the United States.
The University of Maryland College Park is the flagship university of the state of Maryland and one of the preeminent public research universities of the United States. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is dedicated to the pursuit of Fearless Ideas.
