I am Associate Professor in Social Research Methods.  I hold a PhD in Languages (HWU), an MSc in Translating and Conference Interpreting (HWU), as well as a Diploma in Critical Literary Studies and a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature from Syrian universities.

My background is in languages and intercultural studies and my research sits within the Intercultural Research Centre at Heriot-Watt University. My work is interdisciplinary and focuses on a number of related topics that might be summed up as ways of approaching issues of sameness and difference in multicultural contexts. As a migrant academic from a historically marginalised group, my research is deeply personal and politically engaged. I am particularly interested in how individuals like myself navigate the same social and institutional systems that shape life in the UK. My work focuses on the challenges and opportunities that influence migrants and refugees’ sense of home and belonging in a new country.

Beyond exploring these experiences, I also examine the broader contexts in which migration-related issues are studied, advocating for alternative and anti-colonial approaches to research. My recent work has centered on decolonial methodologies, narratives, and autoethnographies of migration, challenging dominant narratives about migrants and refugees. A recent publication on poetic narrative forms as a decolonial methodology has garnered significant interest, contributing to a shift in discourse around inclusive academic practices. This piece calls for a reimagining of academic writing, embracing fragmented and unique migrant experiences within British academia.

Currently, I am working on a book commissioned by Routledge (forthcoming in 2026), which adopts a meta-analytic and human-centred approach to research methods. This project seeks to identify novel and equitable ways of conducting research by and with marginalised communities, pushing for more creative and just methodological frameworks.

Project IWW24\100759: Developing High-impact Research on Language, Culture and Migration: Collaborative Workshops with Women Early Career Researchers in Malaysia

2-year International project (PI: HWU - Strani). Funder: British Academy. Co-Is: Professor Gina Netto, Heriot-Watt University; Dr Lina Fadel, Heriot-Watt University; Professor Noraida Endut, Universiti Sains Malaysia; Professor Salasiah Che Lah, Universiti Sains Malaysia; Dr Siti Nurnadilla Mohamad Jamil, International Islamic University Malaysia.

The project builds on previously developed networks in Malaysia to deliver collaborative writing and mentoring workshops on research publications and grant applications in the intersecting fields of Language, Culture, and Migration. The joint project with two Malaysian universities targets women early career researchers (ECRs) as underrepresented, historically marginalised, and disadvantaged in academic publishing and funding. The workshops and mentoring sessions are designed in an equitable manner which fosters both North-South and South-South collaboration. Experienced academics, including key journal editors, will develop and deliver the workshops, providing targeted feedback and support. This collaboration will result in the formal establishment of a research network, at least one proposal for a journal special issue, a collaborative funding application including one or more of the project partners, and one international webinar. The project's aim is to foster empowered and independent women researchers in Malaysia who will transform our understanding of Language, Culture, and Migration. Value: c. £28,817 [ongoing].

I am a member of the School of Social Sciences Doctoral Centre team, where I deliver core and advanced Social Science Research Methods training to postgraduate and doctoral candidates. Additionally, I am part of the Intercultural Research Centre, where I serve as PGR Lead, and a member of the School’s Postgraduate Research Committee.

I supervise doctoral research on both DBA and PhD programmes and welcome projects in the areas of cultural studies, migration and refugee studies, and anti-colonial research methods—including feminist autoethnographic approaches. My interests also extend to home and place-making practices, liminal identities, race, and othering in relation to identity negotiation and formation.

Current PhD and DBA projects I supervise include:

• Home and belonging of Syrian women in Scotland
• Perceptions of Greekness among Greeks living in Scotland
• A decolonial study of Kenyan media practices
• Indigenous reconciliation in the Canadian tourism sector

I also act as an internal and external examiner for viva voce examinations.

Additionally, I serve as Programme Director of the PGCert in Social Research Methods and Acting Programme Director of the MSc in Social and Behavioural Research Methods. I am also a member of the School of Social Sciences Ethics Committee.

Outside academia 

My engagements outside academia underscore my dedication to elevating migrant and refugee voices and fostering dialogue about inclusion and belonging. I am a creative writer and my poetry has been published and nominated for The Pushcart Prize. Since 2022, I have worked as a poetry editor for The Other Side of Hope, a literary magazine of sanctuary, allowing me to amplify the narratives of underrepresented groups through creative expression.

Migration Research Group, Intercultural Research Centre: https://irc.site.hw.ac.uk/migration-research-theme/