Dr. Abdulfatah Mohamed is an assistant professor of Islam and Global Affairs at the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) in Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), and a former senior research fellow at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. He was also a senior advisor for the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in Qatar and a consultant for the World Humanitarian Summit at the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs. He is a visiting professor at the Graduate Institute in Geneva. He combines both corporate sector and non-profit NGO experience, having worked for numerous corporations, including Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC), Dallah Al Baraka Group in Islamic Finance, and Savola Edible Oils in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. He has worked as Director General for Al-Muntada Trust in London, supervising all operations in London and Africa. 

Dr. Mohamed has also acted as a consultant for several government institutions in Qatar, including advisor for the Minister of Labour in Qatar, advisor for the International Cooperation Strategy of Qatar 2024–2030, and a consultant for the Islamic Development Bank, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), among many other NGOs and philanthropic institutions. He has organized and participated in several international and regional conferences.  
 

Dr. Anis Ben Brik is an associate professor and founding director of the Program for Social Policy Evaluation and Research (PROSPER) at the College of Public Policy, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).

Before joining HBKU, Dr. Ben Brik served as director of the Family Policy Department at the Doha International Family Institute. He previously served as a senior policy advisor and consultant to many government ministries and organizations in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Dr. Ben Brik is the founding president of the MENA Evaluation Society and the Global Observatory for Family Research and Policies. He also serves as the MENA region Organizing Partner of the United Nations NGO Major Group. Additionally, he has published empirical research in a wide range of international peer-reviewed journals, including Children and Youth Services Review, Early Child Development and Care, Child Indicators Research, and Decision Sciences. His most recent publications include Families and Social Change in the Gulf Region (Routledge).

He is the lead principal investigator of the UN-sponsored international research project “The Impact of the Pandemic on Family Life Across Cultures”, a research study that has been conducted in 72 countries across Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia, North America, and the MENA regions. 

He is a frequent speaker on family issues, child welfare, and social protection, and an advocate of family policy and child rights, and has appeared on numerous radio and TV programs.

Logan is a Professor in the College of Public Policy at HBKU. His research includes diverse geographic and disciplinary foci, covering broad thematic areas of food security, climate change, social justice and governance. For the last 15 years, he has worked in non-governmental organizations internationally, including in Afghanistan, Benin, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Logan has served as a director for two non-governmental organizations, and worked as a consultant with clients such as Global Affairs Canada, International Development Research Centre, Save the Children, Management Sciences for Health, the Liaison Office, UNICEF and UNAIDS. 

Dr. Puthen Veettil Jithesh holds a Master’s degree in Microbiology, an Advanced Diploma in Bioinformatics, and received his PhD in Bioinformatics from Queen’s University Belfast, UK. He has over 20 years of research and development experience in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at several prestigious institutes in India, Qatar, and Russell Group research universities in the UK.

Before moving to Qatar, he was the Head of Bioinformatics for the Oxford Translational Molecular Diagnostic Centre at the University of Oxford and held honorary appointments with the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics and the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Dr. Dalal Aassouli is a distinguished academic and development finance leader with extensive international experience across Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Renowned for pioneering innovative solutions in SME finance, humanitarian finance, sustainable food systems, Islamic and sustainable finance, and digital transformation, she specializes in leveraging emerging technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence to drive systemic financial innovation.

Throughout her career, Dr. Aassouli has advised global organizations, including multilateral agencies, governments, charities, and financial institutions, on designing and implementing advanced Islamic and sustainable finance strategies. Her work focuses on integrating market-based solutions, expanding financial inclusion, and utilizing digital financial services to efficiently empower vulnerable communities, refugees, and host populations. She is an authority in sustainable capital markets, digital sustainable finance, social and humanitarian finance, and AI-driven solutions critical to supporting robust humanitarian responses.

In addition to her advisory roles, Dr. Aassouli has led large-scale research initiatives on food security, SME finance, generative AI, and humanitarian and development finance, advancing capacity building and executive education for both public and private sectors. Her strategic vision, cross-sector leadership, and unwavering commitment to financial innovation have established her as a trusted advisor in forging more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable financial ecosystems worldwide.

Dr. Dalal Aassouli holds master’s degrees from NEOMA Business School and Paris Dauphine University, as well as a PhD from ENS de Lyon in France.

In addition, Dr. Aassouli is a respected invited speaker at international sustainable and Islamic finance conferences and events, regularly sharing insights and consultancy expertise with global audiences. Her involvement at conferences, workshops, and industry gatherings further highlights her role as a thought leader and recognized authority in the fields of sustainable and Islamic finance.

Dr. Nasim Shah Shirazi is a Professor of Economics and Finance at CIS. He has more than 36 years of experience in the areas of teaching, research, consultancy, and administration. He has designed, developed, and taught courses at graduate and postgraduate levels in the fields of development economics, finance, Islamic economics, and decisions sciences both at national and international universities.

With more than 76 publications, Dr. Shirazi is well-respected for his research in the areas of development economics, public finance, and Islamic finance for social development.  Dr. Shirazi has also completed several consulting assignments with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), and private organizations.

Dr. Shirazi is active in community service and currently acts as a member of the editorial boards of the Islamic Economic Studies Journal (IRTI), Pakistan Journal of Contemporary Sciences, and Pakistan Journal of Management & Social Sciences.

Dr. Mustafa Disli serves as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and is an Associate Professor of Economics and Finance at the College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University. He received a BA in Economics, an MA in Economics, an MA in Banking and Finance, and a PhD from Ghent University in Belgium. His research interests are Islamic banking and finance, energy and sustainable economics, and behavioral economics and finance. His scholarship examines Islamic banking and financial intermediation, the links between energy markets, credit, and investment, and behavioral drivers in Islamic finance that shape household and institutional financial choices.

At HBKU, he teaches Islamic Banking and Financial Markets, Behavioural Islamic Economics & Finance, and Advanced Topics in Islamic and Sustainable Finance. His work has appeared, among others, in Economic Modelling; Emerging Markets Review; Energy Economics; Finance Research Letters; Journal of Comparative Economics; Journal of Financial Services Research; Journal of Financial Stability; Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money; Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews; and The World Economy. He supervises master’s and doctoral students, contributes to curriculum design and the college’s research and impact agenda, and collaborates with industry and public institutions to translate research into practice.

Houda Yasmine Ali Moussa obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science from Qatar University in 2015. Her graduation project on Water Cooling Systems in Qatar was the first study of its kind in the country. It was held under the supervision of Dr. Gheyath Nasrallah. 
Moussa pursued her Master’s degree in Clinical Neurology at the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, UK. During her master’s research project, she investigated the effects of vagal nerve stimulation on mitochondrial bioenergetics in individuals with epilepsy.

Moussa joined Qatar Biomedical Research Institute's Neurological Disorders Research Center in 2018.

Dr. Alberto de la Fuente van Bentem obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Netherlands. He went on to earn his Master’s degree in General Biology at the University of Amsterdam , and a PhD in Systems Biology at the Free University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. He undertook post-doctoral research at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, USA, and was a researcher at CRS4 Bioinformatica in Sardinia, Italy, and at the Leibniz Institute in Germany. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles and chapters in books – including Nature Biotechnology, Bioinformatics and Diabetes. Dr. van Bentem is currently a postdoctoral researcher at QBRI, HBKU.

Dr. Nathan Townsend is an applied exercise physiologist with extensive industry, research and academic teaching experience, with over 40 research publications and international conference presentations. He obtained his PhD from the Australian Institute of Sport and the University of Sydney. He has held positions at the New South Wales Institute of Sport, Deakin University and Aspetar Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Hospital, Qatar. Dr. Townsend has worked with several world championship gold medalists in his career.