Advisor: Mr. James Seevers, Director of Studies, ISD, Georgetown

Research topic: Security Implications of Gulf Lobbying on the Arab Middle East

Ruba Hafayda is a masters’ candidate in the Contemporary Arab Studies program concentrating in development. Her research interest includes economic development, political economy, economic statecraft, and post-conflict reconstruction and investment in the Middle East and North Africa. Ruba was the Arab Studies representative at the SFS Graduate Student Council, and currently co-chairs the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Forum, hosting policy practitioners and decision-makers to discuss different MENA region related issues.

Her previous work includes two years as an event coordinator with the USAID Rule of Law Project in Jordan, a journalist for UNRWA in Jerusalem, and as a volunteer program coordinator for Tomorrow’s Youth Organization in Nablus. Ruba was selected as a young leader for various fellowships including the US Department of State’s Community Solutions program, the Youth Summit with the Arab League and American Middle Eastern for Network and Dialogue in Stanford University (AMENDS). She gained her BA in English Language and Literature from An-Najah University in Palestine.