Research Associate
E-mail: Christine.assaad@dsg.ae
Languages: English, Arabic, French
Specializations: gender, development, political economy, international relations

Christine Assaad joined the Dubai School of Government in May 2007. Her primary research interests include women and empowerment, public policy, international and community development, political economy and youth, with a focus on the Middle East.

In 2001, Ms. Assaad earned her master’s degree with merit in Development Studies with a concentration on Gender, Women and Development from The Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, The Netherlands. In her thesis, entitled "Empowerment as Kaleidoscope: A Comprehensive Empowerment Approach for Young Women in a Cairo Squatter Settlement," she examined the impact of women’s economic participation on their overall empowerment as active agents within their community.

Prior to joining DSG, Ms. Assaad worked as Project Manager at the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (Egypt), where she managed projects in the fields of health, human resource development, solid waste management, vocational training, small industry startups and micro-credit. She also worked as a consultant / evaluator to UNICEF and CIDA on a community development educational initiative, and as a Micro-Credit Officer with Environmental Quality International (EQI), one of the leading development consultancy firms in the Middle East.