Contributor Biographies
Abdullah K. Al-Kindi, Ph.D., is Professor of Journalism and Electronic Publishing at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. In his research, he focuses on media policies, media coverage of wars and crisis, and Omani media. He has authored and translated several books, and he recently co-authored a book entitled Omani Pioneer Journalists (2020).
Abdulrahman Al-Shami, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Broadcast Journalism at Qatar University. In his research, he focuses on new media and social change, as well as on satellite channels. He is the co-founder of AREACORE, the Arab-European Association of Media and Communication Researchers, and a board member of AUSACE, the Arab-US Association of Communication Educators.
Fatima Alsalem, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Mass Communication at Kuwait University, College of Arts. In her research, she focuses on social media, public opinion and journalism, as well as on online extremism and radicalization.
Mohammad Ayish, Ph.D., is Professor and Head of the Department of Mass Communication at the American University of Sharjah, UAE. His research interests include Arab world satellite broadcasting, media ethics, social media and convergence, and digital storytelling. His most recent co-authored book, with Noha Mellor (2015), is titled Reporting in the MENA region: cyber engagement and pan-Arab social media. Previously, he served as Dean of the College of Communication at the University of Sharjah, UAE.
Hanan Badr, Ph.D., is Associate Professor in Mass Communication at the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST), Kuwait, Assistant Professor at Cairo University, and a long-time affiliate of Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. Her research focuses on comparative media systems, Arab journalism, political communication and digital public spheres.
Yazan Badran is a Ph.D. fellow of the Research Council–Flanders (FWO) and a researcher at the Echo and imec-SMIT research centers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. His research lies at the intersection of new journalism and political activism in the post-2011 Middle East and North Africa region (MENA).
Sarah El-Richani, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Communications at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. She was Visiting Fellow and Academic Visitor at the Centre for Lebanese Studies and St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford during the academic year 2016–2017. Her research interests include political communication, contentious politics, media history, and comparative media studies.
Ehab Galal, Ph.D., is Associate Professor at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, Copenhagen University, Denmark. His research focuses on Arab media, Arab audiences, mediatized religion and politics, and Arab diaspora. Since 2018, he has been leading a research team working on the project “Mediatized Diaspora”, which investigates transnational media use and contentious politics among Arab diaspora in Europe.
Mahmoud M. Galander, Ph.D., was Associate Professor in the Department of Mass Communication, Qatar University. Currently, he is a freelance Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication affiliated with several Sudanese universities. He was formerly the editor of a Sudanese newspaper, Al-Quwat Al-Mussallaha, and is a member of the Sudan Journalists’ Union. He is the co-founder of the Arab-European Association of Media and Communication Researchers (AREACORE), and a member of the International Association of Media and Communication Researchers (IAMCR).
Mohammed Ibahrine, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Integrated Marketing Communication at the American University of Sharjah, UAE. His research interests cover technology and marketing, entrepreneurship, innovation, and the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution.
Marc Owen Jones, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Middle East Studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University. His work focuses on social media, disinformation and propaganda in the Middle East. He has written extensively on the use of digital media as a tool of social control, and has an upcoming book on Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East (2021) with Hurst/OUP.
Gretchen King, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Communication and Multimedia Journalism at the Lebanese American University in Beirut. She serves as the Director of Pedagogy and Curriculum Design at LAU’s Institute for Media Research and Training. In her research, she focuses on alternative media and community radio in the regions of North America, North Africa, and West Asia.
Claudia Kozman, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Multimedia Journalism and the Research Director at the Institute of Media Research and Training at the Lebanese American University in Lebanon. Her research primarily focuses on news content and audience perceptions in the Arab world, in addition to comparative studies at the regional and international levels.
Marwan M. Kraidy, Ph.D., is Dean and CEO of Northwestern University in Qatar, and the Anthony Shadid Chair in Global Media, Politics and Culture at Northwestern University, Evanston, USA. He is a Fellow of the International Communication Association. Previously he was the founding director of the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication, at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. He has published 130+ essays and 13 books.
Nacer-Eddine Layadi, Ph.D., is Professor of Communication Studies at Algiers 3 University. He has previously worked as a professor at Arab Gulf universities, and as a journalist. In his research, he focuses on media and cultural change in Algeria and the Arab world.
Noureddine Miladi, Ph.D., is Professor of Media and Communication and former Head of the Department of Mass Communication at Qatar University. His research interests include social media and social change, youth, identity and social media networks, media and democracy, media ethics, Al-Jazeera, and changes in the global media flow. He is the editor of JAMMR, an international peer-reviewed journal specializing in Arab and Middle Eastern media and society, and a founding member of the Arab Media and Communication Network (AMCN).
Carola Richter, Ph.D., is Professor of International Communication at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. In her research, she focuses on Arab media, foreign news coverage, media and migration, and public diplomacy. She is the co-founder of AREACORE, the Arab-European Association of Media and Communication Researchers.
Sahar Khalifa Salim, Ph.D., is Professor at the Department of Journalism of the College of Media of Iraqia University in Baghdad, Iraq. Her research interests include digital media education, investigative journalism and propaganda. She is the Vice Chairperson of the Al-Baseera Society for Media Research and Development, a member of the Arab-European Association for Media and Communication Researchers (AREACORE), and a board member of the Advisory Committee of Arab Research Id (ARID).
Basim Tweissi, Ph.D., is Professor in Media Studies, former Dean of the Jordan Media Institute (JMI), and former Chairman of the Jordan Radio and Television Board of Directors. He has published six books on media, social development and political issues. He is a senior researcher in the national research project “Development of Quality and Professional Criteria for Media in Jordan”.
Bouziane Zaid, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Global Communication at the University of Sharjah, UAE. His research interests lie in the areas of media technologies, media law and policy, media advocacy, and corporate communication.