Dr Ahmad Akkad
Research Fellow
Dr Ahmad Akkad is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Education at the University of Oxford and serves as a College Adviser at Blackfriars Hall. He is also a Research Fellow in the Department of Education at the University of Bath.
Dr Akkad is co-leading the Global Observatory on Academic Freedom (GOAF) at King’s College London. He is a member of the Editorial Board of Higher Education Quarterly and Co-Convenor of the Diary Method Community. He is also Co-Founder of the Higher Education and Displacement Network.
Dr Akkad completed his PhD at the University of Warwick, where he examined the lived experiences of displaced Syrian academics, theorising their contributions to higher education reconstruction and the recovery–development nexus in Syria. He has taught on the MA Global Education and International Development at the University of Warwick and has lectured at several universities, notably Oxford, KCL, Bath, and in Syria. He has also collaborated with international organisations, including the Association of Commonwealth Universities and UN-supported NGOs, to promote refugee education across Europe and in conflict-affected contexts.
Ahmad has recently completed a research project as Principal Investigator, ‘Rethinking Academic Inclusion for Displaced and At-Risk Scholars (RAIDARS),’ which explored mechanisms of support for displaced and at-risk scholars at the University of Oxford and offered practical recommendations to help universities provide better, longer-term support. He also led strand of research on international mobility and development in the MENA region with Professor Maia Chankseliani, funded by The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State (2022-2025).
For further information and full details of publications, please see Here.