Dr. Hanaa Almoaibed has been a research fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh since March. Her research is focused on youth and education-to-work transitions in Saudi Arabia, with an emphasis on vocational education and training.
She gained a Ph.D. from University College London’s Institute of Education, a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington.
Prior to her Ph.D. studies, Almoaibed managed several multi-stakeholder research projects related to youth, careers, and education in the Kingdom, building relationships between private and public sector entities.
She is currently the head of strategic communications and public engagement at ZADK Culinary Academy in Alkhobar.
In a recent virtual event hosted by British think tank Chatham House, Almoaibed said that Saudi leadership of the G20 has had a huge impact on the Kingdom’s civil society.
Despite the challenges of holding the summit online, the G20 was “definitely a capacity building process for a lot of young Saudis.”
She added: “Being involved in the political process, in the policymaking process for the first time for a lot of young professionals, is a huge insight into the way international relations works.”
Instrumental in this was the W20, a specific group of the G20 focused on fostering gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
