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Team Bios

  1. Research
  2. Centers and Labs
  3. Access to Knowledge for Development Center
  4. Meet The Team
  5. Team Bios

Nagla Rizk

Founding Director

Nagla Rizk is an experienced and competent scholar with diverse professional experience as a:

To visit Rizk's website, click here.

Nadine Weheba

Associate Director for Research, Global North and South

Nadine Weheba’s research interests are the political economy of Information communication technologies, innovation, and development.

As part of the Open African Innovation Research project, of which A2K4D is the North African hub,  she is engaged in research on knowledge governance, openness, collaboration, and alternative metrics for innovation in Africa. Weheba's also studies the sharing economy and issues of artificial intelligence and inclusion in the context of Egypt, Africa, and the region.

She received her MSc in development studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London in 2013 and holds a BA in economics from The American University in Cairo.

Nagham El Houssamy

Associate Director for Research, Middle East and Africa

Nagham El Houssamy is working on research on the intersection of knowledge, technology, entrepreneurship and development. She joined the Center in June 2012, serving as the North Africa Hub coordinator for the Open African Innovation Research Partnership (Open AIR).

Prior to joining A2K4D, El Houssamy was an Economic Researcher in the Macro-Fiscal Policy Unit at the Egyptian Ministry of Finance. She interned at the ICT Policies Unit of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia in Beirut. El Houssamy graduated from The American University in Cairo with an MA in economics in international development and a BA in political science, specializing in international law and International relations, with a minor in economics.

Aliaa Hashim

Administrative and Outreach Manager 

Aliaa Hashim is responsible for managing the operations at the Access to Knowledge and Development Center (A2K4D) within the School of Business at the American University in Cairo (AUC). She serves as the main point of contact for the center's activities both internally at AUC and externally with collaborators and institutions within the center's regional and international networks. In this role, she oversees agreements and ensures smooth communication and collaboration.

With over 15 years of experience in administration, event management, and project coordination, Aliaa has a strong background in the field. Prior to joining A2K4D, she worked at the International Executive Education Institute and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program within the School of Business from 2009 to 2016. Before that, she held a position at UNESCO from 2003 to 2009. Aliaa Hashim earned her BA in Commerce from the English section of Ain Shams University. 

Nur El-Mahrakawy

Communications and Digital Content Consultant

Nur El-Mahrakawy is a feminist activist and currently serves as the Communications and Digital Content Consultant at Access to Knowledge for Development. Nur was awarded a distinction in her MSc in Labour, Social Movements, and Development from SOAS in London and also holds a BA in Political Science from the American University in Cairo. Her research interests include social movement, post-colonial theories, and mobilization in the Middle East. Nur is a firm believer in the power of storytelling and activism to lead the movement for progressive change.

Khadiga Hassan

Researcher

Khadiga Hassan completed her undergraduate studies at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Science in economics with honors. She moved back to Cairo and joined Access to Knowledge for Development as a researcher. Prior to her move back to Cairo, Hassan was an international market researcher at the Massachusetts Export Center located in Boston. She developed an interest in econometrics, data analysis, market research, and economic theory for development. She is aiming to pursue her master’s degree in development economics.

Eisha Afifi

Research Assistant

Eisha Afifi recently graduated from The American University in Cairo (AUC) with a Bachelor of Arts in economics. She joined the center as a research assistant and has since worked on several projects related to the gig economy, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and new forms of work. Her work at the center has allowed her to develop an interest in the gig economy, labor law, and unionization.

Alia Shaddad

Researcher

Alia Shaddad is an anthropologist based in Cairo and recently joined the Access to Knowledge for Development Center in September 2022. She obtained her Master of Arts in sociology-anthropology from The American University in Cairo (AUC) in 2021. Shaddad holds a Bachelor of Arts in honors political science with minors in economics and anthropology from AUC. She believes in the necessity of interdisciplinarity and often works with different media to express her work. Her work often explores space, time, subjectivity, relationships, alternativeness, affect, and potentialities. She has more recently explored these themes within the context of tech, data, and AI in Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa region.

Nada Nassar

Research Assistant

Nada Nassar earned her undergraduate degree from The American University in Cairo (AUC) with a Bachelor of Arts in economics with honors. She recently joined the Access to Knowledge for Development Center during the fall of 2022. Her research interests include global and human development, policy, technology, and innovation for development. She aspires to pursue a master's degree in developmental economics.

Farah Elbehairy

Researcher

Farah  Elbehairy is an interdisciplinary urban planner and researcher. She holds a master's degree in Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design (IUSD) from Ain Shams University and the University of Stuttgart, Germany. Her master's thesis, ''Knowledge co-production: An innovation model towards institutionalization for the case of Cairo (Rethinking the relationship between knowledge and action through the case of Cairo Urban Initiatives),'' discussed knowledge co-production and urban knowledge systems in Egypt. She holds a Bachelor of Science in architectural engineering, urban planning, and design from Ain Shams University, Egypt. Elbehairy is interested in working on research on the intersection of knowledge, power, and justice. At A2K4D, she is currently working on the responsible governance of data and Artificial Intelligence for development towards (knowledge and) data justice in the context of Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.