What is your background?

I am Canadian and Lebanese. I started my higher education with a Bachelor of Finance at McGill University but quickly realised that it was not the field I was interested in. I then returned to Lebanon in 2006, and three days after the 33-day Israeli offensive began destroying much of the country’s infrastructure. I stayed in Lebanon to work for a local NGO for a year and became interested in development. During that period, I applied to the Institute after hearing positive feedback about it. Exploring development studies quickly revealed my interest in the field of peacebuilding, which led me to do a Master’s thesis on the Moroccan experience in transitional justice.

What are your current activities?

I am preparing my thesis on the transition from conflict to peace in Lebanon and plan on completing it in 2013. This academic year, I am living in Beirut, undertaking fieldwork and am affiliated to the Saint Joseph University’s Centre for the Study of the Modern Arab World as a resident researcher. I am looking forward to exposure to researchers from all over the world from diverse backgrounds and their work on a wide range of issues.

What professional activities have you pursued during your studies?

I worked as a Research Assistant at the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding which was immensely useful on many levels. I benefited from having close contact with researchers who worked on issues similar to the ones I was interested in. Exploring theory building, methodology and follow-up on research projects was inspiring. By regularly attending roundtables and conferences, I was exposed to many ideas and eye-opening perspectives. I acquired professional skills and worked on design, coordination and dissemination of in-house publications and communication material. Having a salary and an office while studying was also helpful.

Why were you interested in becoming Contributing Editor at the Journal of Public and International Affairs?

I know that my predecessor, Sandra Tinajero Alvarez, also a PhD candidate at the Institute, considered it a very valuable experience. I am eager to meet students from Princeton as well as to exchange ideas, meet professors as well as build contacts. Having my name appear on an issue of the JPIA as a contributing editor is absolutely exciting. One of my main objectives is to try to get as many papers from students of the Institute published in the issue I will be working on.

The Journal of Public and International Affairs is a publication of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs (Princeton University) and the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), of which the Institute is a member, that provides students a forum to present their research and exchange ideas.

This interview appeared in the spring 2012 issue of Globe.