Dr. Fella Lahmar

Assistant Professor of Education

Email

flahmar@hbku.edu.qa

Office location

C.02.073

Dr. Fella Lahmar

Assistant Professor of Education

Educational Qualifications

PhD in Education

MA in Educational Research Methods

Entity

College of Islamic Studies

Division

Comparative Education

Biography

Dr. Fella Lahmar is an Assistant Professor of Education whose research bridges comparative education, Islamic educational thought and practice, and decolonial methodologies. Her work examines how education reform and curriculum politics shape learners’ ethical and aesthetic formation, leadership, and inclusion in Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority contexts, with particular attention to knowledge hierarchies and culturally grounded pedagogies.

She leads competitively funded research spanning education, accessibility, and indigenous heritage. As Leading Principal Investigator on a Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council (QRDI)–funded project on Inclusive Islamic Education for Deaf learners, she is developing and evaluating scalable, Deaf-centred models of accessible Islamic learning. She is also Principal Investigator for Higher Education and Accessibility in Qatar, a Ministry-authorised, sector-wide study mapping institutional accessibility and accommodations to inform a practical national roadmap. In addition, she led the Algeria strand of the UKRI–AHRC-funded Decolonising Education for Peace in Africa (DEPA) programme, examining indigenous arts and heritage as resources for educational transformation within a 14-country collaboration.

Dr Lahmar is a Senior Fellow (SFHEA) and Fellow (FHEA) of Advance HE (UK), and holds a PhD in Education and an MA in Educational Research Methods from the University of Nottingham, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Loughborough University.

PhD in Education

University of Nottingham, UK

2012

MA in Educational Research Methods

University of Nottingham, UK

2007

MA in Islamic Studies

Loughborough University, UK

2005

PGC in Higher Education Practice

Birmingham Newman University, UK

2019

PGCPSE in Professional Studies of Education

The Open University, UK

2002

BA In Quran and Hadith Sciences

Emir Abdelkader Islamic University, Algeria

1993

Baccalaureate in Sciences

Al-Karmet College, Guelma, Algeria

1989

  • Comparative and decolonial education
  • Islamic educational thought and pedagogy
  • Multilingual and culturally sustaining education
  • Arts, heritage, and peace education
  • Digital pedagogies and technology in education

Assistant Professor

College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University

2025 – Present

Educational Consultant

College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University

2023 – 2024

Visiting Research Fellow

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, School of Social Sciences and Global Studies Geography, The Open University, UK

2024

Research Fellow

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, School of Social Sciences and Global Studies Geography, The Open University, UK

2023

PhD Supervisor

Centre for Islamic Finance, University of Bolton, UK

2020 – 2021

Educational Consultant

National Foundation for Education Research (NFER), UK

2018 – 2023

Head of Department & Lecturer –Islamic Education and Islamic Studies programs

Markfield Institute of Higher Education (MIHE), UK

2017 – 2020

Academic Director & Lecturer –BA and MA programs

European Institute of Human Sciences, UK

2015 – 2017

Research Associate

University of Nottingham, UK

2013 – 2014

Lecturer & Student Support Officer

London Open College (LOC), UK

2002 – 2011

Head of Department & Secondary School/Post-16 Teacher

Department of Islamic Studies, Dar-al-Ulum – Jamiaa’ Al-Huddaa College for Girls, UK

2001 – 2005

Primary and Secondary School Teacher (English)

Department of Islamic Studies, Manaraat International School, Saudi Arabia

1997 – 1998

Lahmar, F. (2024). Redefining leadership: The role of spirituality and motherhood in Muslim women’s educational leadership. Religions, 15(12), 1565.

Lahmar, F. (2024). Educational reform in Algeria: Dilemmas of globalization, equity, and decolonization. In B. Akgün & Y. Alpaydın (Eds.), Global agendas and education reforms (Maarif Global Education Series, pp. xx–xx). Palgrave Macmillan.

Lahmar, F., & Abbou, F. Z. (2023). Educational leadership and administration in Algeria: Policy, development and reflective practice. In S. Turan, S. Gümüş, A. Sellami, & K. Arar (Eds.), Demystifying educational leadership and administration in the Middle East and North Africa (pp. xx–xx). Routledge.

Lahmar, F. (2023). Islamic-based educational leadership in marketised UK higher education: Islamic values and identity positions. In R. Sawalhi, K. Arar, A. DeCuir, & T. Amatullah (Eds.), Uncovering Islamic-based educational leadership, administration, and management: Critical insights from the globe (pp. xx–xx). Routledge.

Lahmar, F. (2020). Islamic education: An Islamic “wisdom-based cultural environment” in a Western context. Religions, 11(8), 409.

Complete Publication Listing(s): Google Scholar | ORCID

  • 2020 – Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), UK – International recognition for leadership in teaching and learning in higher education.
  • 2020 – Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), UK – Acknowledging professional excellence and commitment to higher education pedagogy.
  • 2019 – Inspirational Muslim Women Recognition, Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), UK – Recognized for contributions to education and community engagement.
  • 2016 – British Imams and Scholars Contributions and Achievements Award (BISCA), UK – Honored for outstanding contributions to female scholarship.
  • 2007 – Full-Time PhD Scholarship, University of Nottingham, UK – Highly competitive award covering tuition and a three-year stipend.