Rana Tomaira
Research Scientist and Senior Lecturer of Social Research and Public Policy
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: University of California at Berkeley (Ph.D); University of California at Berkeley (Masters); University of Jordan (BSc.)
Research Areas: Development and public policy; Comparative development practices; Development
My teaching and research fall in the area of development and public policy. I am particularly interested in comparative development policies and practices in the Arab world. My research at NYUAD has focused on three areas so far. The first is centered on emerging global cities. My work examines policies that have led to the rise of Dubai in the network of global cities. My second area of research is focused on philanthropy. This work stems from over twelve years of being personally involved in volunteer humanitarian and medical work in Iraq. My third area of research focuses on the demise of Arabic as the primary language of instruction in K-12 schools in Jordan, Lebanon, and the UAE.
I hold a PhD in City and Regional Planning and a Masters in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley, and a BSc in Architectural Engineering from the University of Jordan.