Professor Saja Al Zoubi’s research focuses on development studies through a gender lens. Her work has primarily addressed gender and rural development, particularly women’s empowerment and its role in rural development. Since the outbreak of the war in Syria, her research has concentrated on improving the livelihoods and food security of affected households, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, with a special focus on women-headed households. Additionally, she has worked on supporting young people to access education, build capacity, and find employment opportunities.

Professor Al Zoubi is currently based at Dalhousie University and has previously worked at Saint Mary’s University, the University of Glasgow, and the University of Oxford, specializing in Gender and Forced Migration as well as Middle East Politics. She has also conducted research at Oxford’s Department of International Development.

With over 10 years of experience as a development economist, Dr. Al Zoubi has worked with academic institutions and national and international foundations. She is the recipient of numerous awards from international and regional foundations.

An advocate for academic and scientific freedom, Dr. Al Zoubi is committed to supporting at-risk scholars. She serves as an adviser to prestigious institutions, including the University of Sanctuary in the UK, and is the co-lead of the Global Young Academy’s At-Risk Scholars Initiative. She is also a steering committee member of the Science in Exile Initiative.