Amal Al Gergawi
Research Assistant
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: BA NYU Abu Dhabi; MSc University of Oxford
Research Websites: Burt Marine Biology Lab
Research Areas: Marine science and conservation; coastal urbanization; political ecology; Arabian Gulf
In her capacity as a Kawader Research Fellow at the Burt Marine Biology Lab, Amal Al Gergawi investigates critical issues affecting marine science, policy, and conservation in the Arabian eco-region. An NYU Abu Dhabi alumna and UAE Rhodes Scholar, Al-Gergawi completed two Master of Science degrees at the University of Oxford, where her final dissertation evaluated the social and environmental impacts of marine conservation interventions in the Arabian Gulf.
Under a two-year grant from the Center for Interacting Urban Networks (CITIES), she presently collaborates with an interdisciplinary team to explore several dimensions related to sustainable coastal urbanization and development in the UAE. Dimensions that specifically involve the examination of the type and scale of coastal change using remote sensing, the assessment of the social implications and consequences of recent urbanization through interviews with the fishing community, real estate developers, and environmental regulators, and monitoring a ‘proof of principle’ demonstration of an ecologically engineered seawall.
Al-Gergawi served as a climate negotiator on adaptation to the Office of the UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change ahead of COP 28. Alongside the delegation, she was conferred with a First-Class Order of Zayed the Second Medal, and remains actively engaged in upcoming negotiations.