I am a political scientist specializing in political communication and research methodology. My research interests lie at the intersection of communication channels, beliefs, and social change in authoritarian contexts. It is motivated by core questions such as: To what extent is belief formation shaped by the transmitting medium? In environments lacking free expression, what constitutes the primary locus of ideational change? And how do shifts in media technologies reshape these dynamics and their broader effects? I investigate these questions primarily in the Middle East, the region of my early observations and curiosity. My book project, Margins of Power: Media and Social Fault Lines in Authoritarian Contexts, analyzes how successive media transformations—including the cassette tape, online forums, and Twitter—have influenced social conflict under repressive regimes, with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia and comparative cases. My work has been published in Contemporary Politics and the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, and has received support from the National Science Foundation and the American Political Science Association, among others. Additional information on my published, under review, and ongoing research is available here.

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In fall 2023, I joined Marist University as Assistant Professor of Political Science, where I teach courses on research methodology, the Middle East, media, and the politics of religion. Prior to Marist, I was a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Political Science at MIT and a predoctoral fellow at the Middle East Initiative program of the Kennedy School at Harvard.

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I was born in Syria and raised in Yemen. I moved to the United States for secondary education at the United World College (UWC). I subsequently earned my Bachelor of Arts at Duke University in Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy. After completing my BA, I pursued and completed my PhD in Political Science at Northwestern University.

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Research Focus

• Research Interests: Political Communication; Research Methodology; Public Policy; Middle East; Religion & Politics; Ideology; Economic Development; Social Change; Authoritarian Regimes; Institutions; Technology

• Regional Specialization: Middle East 

• Subfield Specialties: Comparative Politics; Research Methodology