Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) is expanding its multidisciplinary approach to international affairs this academic year, welcoming new faculty with expertise in environmental science, computer science, data analytics, economic statecraft, migration, and Arabic language and culture.
The university is also launching a new Science, Technology and International Affairs (STIA) major, along with minors in Arts, Heritage and Cultural Diplomacy and Women’s and Gender Studies.
In a press statement, the GU-Q noted that these additions build on a curriculum that has long encouraged students to look at global questions from different angles.
What is changing, the statement added, is the range of expertise and new areas of study being added to that foundation, giving students more ways to understand the forces shaping the world around them.
The new STIA major is one of the clearest examples of this approach, connecting international affairs with scientific and technological expertise.
The statement explained that the programme prepares students to examine questions that increasingly sit at the intersection of policy, technology and society.
Three new faculty members will help GU-Q students make that connection.
Associate teaching professor Mazen El-Masri, an expert in artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and data analytics in international affairs, will offer computational and data analysis courses.
For him, the need for this major is especially clear in the way technology is already reshaping the region.
“In Qatar, the case studies are outside the window,” El-Masri said. “The region is running some of the world's most ambitious experiments in energy transition, digital finance, food security and smart infrastructure.”
Resident Fellow Kareem Darwish brings expertise in large language models, Arabic language processing and computational social science.
He also serves as a research scientist at the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute.
Hydrologist and space scientist Raha Hakimdavar, who previously served as senior adviser to the deans at the GU-Q and the Earth Commons Institute, joins the faculty as visiting assistant professor of environmental science.
“Science that helps someone make a better decision is the common thread here,” he said. “Most of my research focuses on risk and resilience, particularly how communities manage environmental change when water, food, climate, technology and development pressures intersect.”
That same interdisciplinary approach extends into the International Politics (IPOL) and the International Economics (IECO) majors, where four scholars bring new perspectives to questions shaping politics and economics today.
Assistant professor of International Economics Hana Attia studies why governments turn to sanctions, how they make those decisions and the humanitarian consequences of those choices.
“Sanctions particularly fascinate me because they have developed into go-to tools that states increasingly deploy,” she said. “It's important to understand the decision-making behind their use and highlight their humanitarian consequences.”
Assistant professor of International Politics Olgahan Cat studies migration and forced displacement.
Associate professor of International Politics Andrew Heiss examines how civil society and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) navigate restrictive policy environments, while assistant professor of International Economics Joanne Haddad brings an economic lens to questions of gender, including employment and pay gaps and household decision-making.
Their research expands what students can explore in the classroom.
However, for the new faculty, the opportunity to work directly with students and help them develop the skills they need as international affairs practitioners matters just as much.
For Heiss and Haddad, that includes making data science approachable, even fun.
The university is also expanding its Arabic faculty, with four full-time appointments strengthening the programme.
They are Iman Alramadan and Sarrah Zuhair, along with visiting professors Nesrine Basheer and Maha Houssami.
They were drawn to the GU-Q by its vibrant Arabic programme.
Both Alramadan and Houssami have mentored Arabic debate teams, with Houssami working with Duke University’s championship-winning team and Alramadan with the team at Indiana University Bloomington.
“We are thrilled to welcome faculty whose expertise reflects the breadth of questions our students will encounter throughout their lifetimes,” acting GU-Q dean Clyde Wilcox said. “This is a strong set of additions to our already excellent faculty.”
