Center for International and Regional Studies

Mehran Kamrava

Interim Dean
Director of CIRS

Dr. Mehran Kamrava is Interim Dean of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar and Director of the Center for International and Regional Studies. In addition to a number of journal articles, he is the author of Revolution in Iran: The Roots of Turmoil (1990), The Political History of Modern Iran: From Tribalism to Theocracy (1992), Revolutionary Politics (1992), Politics and Society in the Third World (1993), Understanding Comparative Politics: A Framework for Analysis (1996), Democracy in the Balance: Culture and Society in the Middle East (1998), Cultural Politics in the Third World (1999), Politics and Society in the Developing World, 2nd ed. (2000), The Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War (2005), and Iran's Intellectual Revolution (2008). He has also edited The New Voices of Islam: Rethinking Politics and Modernity (2006) and is the co-editor of the two-volume work Iran Today: Life in the Islamic Republic (2008).

Naila Sherman
Associate Director

Naila Sherman joined CIRS as the Associate Director in January 2007. She holds an MA in International Communication and a BSBA in International Business, both from the American University. Previously, she was the Assistant Director at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University. Naila has worked in the field of study abroad and international student advising, including with the American University in Cairo, New York office.

Maha Uraidi
Events Manager

Maha joined CIRS in September 2007. She previously worked at the British Council in Doha and brings with her significant experience in events planning in the educational field.

Zahra Babar
Project Manager

Zahra Babar joined CIRS in December 2008.  She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Government from Smith College in Northampton, and her Masters from the School of International Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.  She previously worked in the international humanitarian aid and poverty alleviation sector, primarily with the United Nations Development Programme, the International Labour Organisation and one of the largest multi-sectoral NGOs in Pakistan. She has experiences in projects aimed at strengthening the economic capacity of low income women through micro finance and skill development initiatives.

Suzi Mirgani
Publications Coordinator

Suzi Mirgani is a doctoral candidate in the field of Communication and Media Studies at Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus. Her dissertation is entitled "Piracy as Translation: the Transformation of Commercial Discourse." Currently she is the Publications Coordinator at the Center for International and Regional Studies at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar. Suzi writes and publishes poetry and short stories in addition to – and as respite from – her academic work.

Aphrodite Hammad
Administrative Assistant

Aphrodite Hammad joined CIRS in August 2007. She previously worked for the Public Affairs team at the School of Foreign Service in Qatar.

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