Meet Our Team
Born from a multidisciplinary collective of policy experts, development practitioners, and academics — with roots stretching from Damascus to Oxford — SyriaDev embodies a unique fusion of deep local knowledge and international best practices.
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The Syria Development Centre operates through this dynamic network of Fellows, experts, and policy advisors, anchored by our central research and analysis hub. This structure allows us to be agile, responsive, and deeply embedded in the contexts where we work, ensuring that our insights are not only academically sound but also practically relevant and politically astute.
Our Strategy and Management Team
Ammar Sabouni
Ammar Sabouni is the Founder Director of the Syria Development Centre, Partner, and current Practice Lead for Health. He is an MPP degree holder in Public Policy from the University of Oxford concentrating on post-conflict reform in fragile settings. He is a psychiatrist in the UK, academic, and public health consultant. His interests range across disciplines including health system reconstruction, public health, humanitarianism and academia. He brings strong methodological expertise in systematic reviews and bibliometric analysis and has previously worked for Cochrane UK, Chatham House, the University of York, The Lancet - American University of Beirut Commission on Syria, the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, and the International Growth Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Alnarjes Harba
Alnarjes Harba is the Executive Manager at the Syria Development Centre. She is an MSc degree holder in Global Health in Conflict from St. George's, University of London with a background in management graduating from Southern New Hampshire University. Alnarjes is experienced in coordinating community mental health and education programs. She has been awarded the Hansen Fellowship on International Cooperation and Conflict Resolution from the Hansen Leadership Institute at San Diego University.
Alaadin Zaza
Ala’a Zaza (Alaaddin) is the Manager of the Syria Development Centre and an expert in international development and education, with over 15 years of experience leading stabilisation and development initiatives in crisis-affected contexts including Syria, and Yemen. He is currently a PhD candidate at University College London (UCL), focusing on education governance and its role in development in Syria. He also holds a Master’s degree in Special Education from Qatar University. Ala’a has held senior leadership roles with organisations such as Save the Children International, Chemonics International, and Adam Smith International. His positions have included Chief of Party and Senior Advisor, where he led large-scale, complex programmes across the MENA region. His core expertise includes scaling the impact of development solutions, strengthening education systems , advancing policy reform, and delivering education in emergencies and conflict-sensitive contexts.
Our Areas of Practice
Kouteba Alkhalil
Kouteba Al-Khalil is the Practice Lead for Education at the Syria Development Centre. He is a specialist in education planning, child protection, and safeguarding, with extensive experience in strategy development, capacity building, and programme management across emergency, early recovery, and development settings.
He has held key advisory roles, including with the Aid Fund for Syria (AFS) and the FCDO-funded Syria Education Programme with Chemonics International. Kouteba has played a central role in establishing education and safeguarding systems in Syria and the MENA region. His expertise covers education policy and governance, protection in emergencies, early childhood development, social-emotional learning, resilience, and mental health and psychosocial support.
Yamama Bdaiwi
Yamama Bdaiwi is Fellow at the Syria Development Centre. She completed her master’s degree at the Nuffield Department of Health Sciences, University of Oxford, and wrote her thesis on Medical Education and Health Professional Training in Syria. She is a co-lead for education for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded King’s College, London project: Research for Health Systems Strengthening in northern Syria (R4HSSS). She is a member of the Conflict and Health Research Group, and a GP Trainee in West Yorkshire and the Humber.
Abdulkarim Ekzayez
Abdulkarim Ekzayez is Senior Fellow at the Syria Development Centre. He has a PhD in Health Systems from King's College London, MSc in Epidemiology from LSHTM with a clinical experience in neurosurgery from the University of Aleppo. Abdulkarim is a Health System Expert at the Centre for Conflict and Health Research at King's College London and a Co-Investigator of a four-year NIHR funded project, Research for Health System Strengthening in Northern Syria (R4HSSS). He specialises in health systems strengthening, humanitarian health, health security, epidemiology, and building health research capacity in conflict settings. His publications span over 40 academic journal articles and book chapters. His 15 years experience includes academic, policy and humanitarian health programmes for Save the Children International, Expertise France, Chatham House among others with involvement in polio eradication programmes, primary health care, health information systems and health governance initiatives.
Fadi Alhalabi
Fadi Alhalabi is Senior Fellow at the Syria Development Centre. He is a master’s degree holder in Health Management and Policy from the American University of Beirut with a background in neurosurgery. Fadi’s training in neurosurgery was interrupted by his displacement to Lebanon. Fadi established the Multi Aid Programs (MAPs) organisation which has pioneered innovative and sustainable solutions to long-term education and health issues facing Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Turkey, and Syria. This impact resulted from the labour laws that limit Fadi’s employment as a healthcare worker. With MAPs, he leads refugee camps children to international robotics competitions, runs schools and healthcare centres providing employment to Syrian refugee teachers and healthcare workers as well as incubates local refugee-led social enterprises for funding the schools and centres.
Hani Fakhani
Hani Fakhani is Senior Fellow at the Syria Development Centre. He is an architect, urban practitioner, researcher, and graduate of University College London. Hani holds an MSc degree from the Development Planning Unit at the University College London where he researched the interlinks between reconstruction, governance, and peace. His work is focused on housing and reconstruction in Syria and other post-conflict settings through research and practice. As a researcher, he has been part of programs and published articles tackling topics including reconstruction policies, displacement, and urbanism in conflict with several organisations and research centres, including, GIZ, ESCWA, AUB, and Carnegie centre. As a practitioner, he is the managing director and co-founder of Sakan Housing Communities Sakan Housing Communities tackling social and economic recovery in Syria through strategic affordable housing programs.
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Omer Abdrabbuh
Omer Abdrabbuh is part of the social research team at the Syria Development Centre. Currently, he is pursuing a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern in the USA, having graduated from Istanbul University CerrahpaÅŸa Medical School. With a passion for volunteering and leadership, Omer co-founded and served as the president of MedX, a medical student assembly dedicated to build distinguished, scientifically influential, and socially effective young medical students in Turkiye. He is the coordinator of the medical education working stream of NIHR funded project, Research for Health System Strengthening in Northern Syria (R4HSSS) and was a co-author of research papers focused on rebuilding the medical education system and enhancing research capacity in conflict zones. Omer actively volunteers with the Multi Aid Programs (MAPs), and the Turkish Red Crescent and leads initiatives focused on improving refugee access to education in Syria and Turkiye.
Leen Al-Rabbat
Leen Al-Rabbat is a Research Assistant at the Syria Development Centre. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, with a strong commitment to advancing political, social and economic development in the Middle East. Leen earned her undergraduate degree in International Politics, with a minor in Arabic, from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar in 2021. Her professional experience spans research and consulting, including roles at Qatar University, Qatar’s Ministry of Culture and Strategy Hub Consultancy. Her work is driven by a deep interest in post-conflict nation-building, particularly in Syria and she is dedicated to supporting the development of more just, effective and resilient governance systems across the region.
Alaa Alsayed Ahmad
Alaa Alsayed Ahmad is a Research Assistant at the Syria Development Centre and a PhD researcher in Social Policy at Anglia Ruskin University. Her doctoral research explores the employment integration of highly skilled Syrian refugees in the UK labour market. She holds an MSc in Accounting, Finance and Strategic Investment from Newcastle University and a BA in Accounting from Damascus University. Alaa has experience in applied qualitative research, including survey design, in-depth interviews and community-based engagement with refugee populations in the UK. She has contributed to refugee advocacy efforts through her work with Human Rights Watch and led educational initiatives for displaced communities. Her research interests focus on refugee integration, labour market access and inclusive social policy in contexts of displacement.
Adnan Hadid
Adnan Hadid is a Senior Fellow at the Syria Development Centre. He is a consultant Neonatologist at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh. With over 15 years of clinical experience in tertiary neonatal care, Adnan is a seasoned expert in managing critically ill neonates, especially preterm infants requiring advanced respiratory support, including high-frequency oscillatory ventilation. He leads multidisciplinary NICU teams, drives quality improvement initiatives, and serves as a mentor in neonatal resuscitation. Holding a Doctor of Medicine from Damascus University and specialty certification in neonatology from the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, Adnan complements his clinical work with a strong academic and research portfolio. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on neonatal outcomes, perinatal COVID-19 impacts, and systemic inflammatory syndromes in neonates. His interests also extend to neonatal safety, healthcare quality, and medical education—fields in which he holds additional diplomas. A recognised contributor to neonatal healthcare advancement in Saudi Arabia, Adnan continues to shape clinical practice through evidence-based care, education, and leadership in research and professional forums.
Amina Olabi
Amina Olabi is a Research Fellow at the Syria Development Centre and at Queen Margaret University’s Institute for Global Health and Development. She is an expert in public health and humanitarian response. She holds an MSc in International Public Health with Humanitarian Assistance from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Amina has a decade of experience working across conflict-affected and displacement contexts including Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Ukraine, and Pakistan. Her expertise spans health systems strengthening, monitoring and evaluation, research capacity building, and medical education in fragile settings. She has led and contributed to projects with UNHCR, WHO EMRO, and UOSSM as well as smaller NGOs and health agencies. Amina has presented and published on a range of global health issues including COVID-19 response, health financing, and non-state health actors in conflict zones.
Hiba Salem
Hiba Salem is a Senior Research Fellow at the Syria Development Centre and a Research Fellow in Forced Migration Studies at the University of Oxford. She received her PhD and MPhil in Education from the University of Cambridge. Her expertise lies in the field of education in contexts of conflict and forced displacement, including education policy, teacher well-being, student experiences of integration and inclusion, and aspirations in displacement. She has published both academic and policy-based papers on educational responses to children and young people in the Middle East, as well as in other contexts including Uganda, Bangladesh, and Somalia. She is currently writing a monograph for Oxford University Press based on her research on the educational experiences of Syrian young people across time.
Azmi Wali
Azmi Wali is a Research Assistant at the Health Practice at the Syria Development Centre. He is a medical student, public health researcher, and humanitarian serving as a monitoring and evaluation assistant at the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. He is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in medicine at Homs University and holds a diploma in public health from YGCA. His interests range across disciplines including health policy, humanitarianism and public health in disaster settings. He has published research on various public health topics in Syria and is actively involved in initiatives related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Azmi is committed to continuous professional development in public health and aims to get higher education in the field.
Boushra Alameen
Boushra Alameen is a Research Assistant at the Health Practice at the Syria Development Centre. She is a psychiatry resident with the Syrian Board of Medical Specialties and a committed advocate for mental health and healthcare development in conflict-affected settings. She completed a research fellowship with the Syrian Public Health Network (SPHN) and has led qualitative studies with the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), focusing on breast cancer patients in Northwest Syria. Her academic journey includes an M.B.B.S. from the University of Aleppo (2023), and she brings experience as both a clinical researcher and a former English teacher. Boushra is actively engaged in medical education and public health training. She was selected to represent psychiatry residents in Syria in discussions with the European Union in 2024.
Feras Bouri
Feras Bouri is a Research Assistant at the Health Practice at the Syria Development Centre. He holds an MBBS in Medicine and a Master’s degree in Public Health. With over five years of combined clinical and managerial experience, he has worked extensively with NGOs in various challenging environments, including both conflict and non-conflict settings. In Syria, he served as a general physician and response officer within a disease surveillance system, playing a key role in disease tracking and outbreak response. His experience extends to Turkey, where he managed healthcare projects funded by the IRC and Relief International. Currently, he is an A&E doctor in the NHS. Besides his professional roles, he has actively volunteered in various initiatives related to health and education, demonstrating his commitment to community service and development. His dedication to advancing public health and improving healthcare delivery drives his daily efforts.
Oula Abou Amsha
Oula Abu-Amsha is a Senior Research Fellow at the Syria Development Centre. She is a former Syrian professor. She completed her Ph.D in Computer Science in 1998. She has significant experience in e-learning technologies and curriculum development. Since her exile in 2012, she started her activities in the domain of Education in Emergencies, working with the World Bank education team and conducting research in Lebanon. She has been the academic adviser of Mosaik Education. She then served students and facilitators from Guyana to Myanmar as the Chief Academic Officer of Jesuit Worldwide Learning. She has also worked as a senior consultant at the Center for Professional Learning on projects related to teacher professional development in displacement contexts. Till recently, she contributed to the capacity strengthening of education practitioners globally as the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies Learning & Development coordinator.
Hashem Darwish
Hashem Darwish is a Senior Fellow at the Syria Development Centre. He holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) and an MSc in International Public Health from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and he is currently pursuing a PhD on rebuilding health systems in humanitarian settings. He is a health programmes specialist and humanitarian health leader with over 20 years of experience in international public health, emergency medical response, and health system strengthening. Since 2004, he has worked in 14 countries across Asia, Africa, and the MENA region. He has worked with the Qatar Red Crescent Society, USAID health projects, and leading INGOs, advancing health services through intervention design, emergency response oversight, and strategic health system frameworks. He supported innovation and digital health initiatives to improve access and efficiency in low-resource and crisis-affected settings. He contributes to regional health clusters and resilient governance and community-centred health models bridging humanitarian response with sustainable development.