The Team

Dr Julie Cross is an accomplished higher education leader with over twenty-five years of experience within the sector, including six years within the Middle East.

Earlier she worked as an Academic at the University of Central Lancashire, between 2010 and 2020 and at the University of Salford holding positions of Associate Dean (International) and latterly Dean. Dr Julie was also instrumental in forging the University of Salford partnership with the British University of Bahrain and within the partnership held positions of VP Academic, Vice President and President. She received her MRes and PhD from the University of Salford and her Bachelors Degree from the University of Central Lancashire.

Dr Alessandro Stefano Ala is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Accounting and Finance at the University of Aberdeen’s Qatar Campus. He also serves as Program Director for both the M.A. in Accounting and Finance and the M.Sc. in International Business Management.  A distinguished graduate of a QS World Top 6 University in Business and Management with Triple Crown Accreditation (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA), Dr Alessandro holds a combined B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Law and Business Administration, along with a Ph.D. in Accounting and Finance. 

Dr Kate Amanda is the Programme Leader for MSc International Relations at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen. She's an accomplished higher education professional, with 10 years of experience in teaching and research at both postgraduate and undergraduate levels. She has worked at universities on and on academic projects around the world, and brings a global, inter-disciplinary perspective to her work. Her scholarship focuses on critical security studies and feminist approaches. She has successfully supervised several PhD projects.

Maha is a passionate law lecturer at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen, where she teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate students. With an LLM in Private Law from the esteemed Lebanese University, she brings a strong academic foundation to her teaching. Her legal expertise is further enriched by certifications in International Refugee Law from the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in Sanremo-Italy, adding a global and humanitarian dimension to her perspective.

Prior to joining AFG, Maha contributed to a transnational higher education partnership in the GCC, where she delivered a wide-ranging portfolio of law courses to a culturally diverse student body. Her classroom is a dynamic space shaped by her academic depth and her ability to engage students across three languages, fostering inclusive dialogue and cross-cultural understanding.

Maha’s research delves into the nuanced intersections of Shariah Law within multi-confessional societies, with a particular focus on legal pluralism and the coexistence of diverse legal frameworks in local religious court systems.

Dr Nadia DeGama is the Interim Head of AFG College School of Business. She has extensive experience in higher education leadership, programme development, quality assurance and executive education. Nadia holds a PhD from York University, Toronto, and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her career spans academic and professional roles across Canada, the UK and Qatar, alongside earlier experience as an HR practitioner in the financial services sector.

In her current leadership role, Nadia has responsibility for academic strategy, programme development, student experience and the continuous enhancement of teaching and learning across the Business School at AFG College. She has expertise in quality assurance, programme review and enhancement, accreditation and the development of quality cultures within higher education. She has contributed to institutional and programme-level quality processes and works closely with academic teams in both Qatar and Aberdeen to translate quality frameworks and standards into meaningful improvements in academic practice.

Nadia’s key areas of teaching include human resource management, leadership, business management, and organisational studies. She has taught and supervised dissertations at the undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Nadia’s research sits at the intersection of work, organisations and careers, with particular interests in critical approaches to HRM, alternative and emerging careers, identity, global careers and expatriate experiences. Her research has been published in leading international journals, including Organisation, Organizational Research Methods, Journal of Business Ethics, and Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, among others.

Nadia has led various successful leadership, management and professional development programmes across organisations in Qatar. Nadia’s approach to executive education combines contemporary organizational research with interactive, discussion-led learning, creating spaces where leaders can critically examine assumptions, challenge established ways of thinking and translate research into practical organisational action, empowering professionals to navigate complex workplaces with confidence.

Stephen started his career working for the Mapping and Charting Establishment (Royal Engineers) as a cartographer. He moved into education as an administrator and has held various management and leadership roles within the private and public sectors. He was director of development at a leading independent business school in London, and, as a member of the strategic management team there, was responsible for domestic and international student recruitment and selection, as well as all aspects of marketing and promotion.

He completed an MBA in 1994, and for the past twenty years he has concentrated on teaching and lecturing. He has taught on various university programmes (The University of Hull, The University of Plymouth, The University of Northampton, and The University of Wolverhampton), at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He was an external examiner for The University of Teesside and an Examiner for the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Stephen brings a wealth of experience both as a theoretician and a practitioner in management, marketing and strategy. In his professional and academic roles he has travelled widely around the globe and has experience of delivering programmes externally in China other Asia countries and across the African continent.

Thayyiba Ibrahim is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations with over seventeen years of experience in higher education across Qatar, the UK, and Canada. Over the last five years, she has taught at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen (Qatar), along with the University of Doha for Science and Technology and Qatar University. Her teaching has covered subjects such as international relations theory, globalization, political ideologies, research methods, and human development in Qatar. She has also contributed to curriculum design, accreditation processes, and student mentoring, including the supervision of undergraduate dissertations and master’s theses. In addition to teaching, she has been involved in program development, accreditation reviews, and strategic planning initiatives, helping to shape degree programmes in International Affairs, Global Diplomacy, and Defence Studies.

Dr Saad Kashem is a Senior Lecturer in Computing Science at the AFG College with the University of Aberdeen. He has 11 years of experience as an Instructor, Course Coordinator, and Researcher of Robotics, Computer Science and Engineering courses in Australia, Malaysia, and Qatar. He received his B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from East West University and Ph.D. degree in Robotics and Mechatronics from Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. At present, he is the Visiting Assistant Professor at Presidency University. Prior to that he worked at Qatar Armed Forces - Academic Officers Program, Qatar University, Texas A&M University, and Swinburne University of Technology. Dr Saad also worked in industry for two years as an Executive Electrical Engineer and Control System Engineer in Brisbane Australia.

Dr Saad has already published 1 patent, 1 book, 5 book chapters, 37 peer-reviewed journals (Web of Science indexed:12, Scopus indexed:19), and 22 conference articles (Total= 63). https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_Sxh6SUAAAAJ&hl=en

He is a professional member of Institution of Engineering and Technology, UK (IET), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, and International Association of Engineers (IAENG). He is an editorial board member and reviewer of many international reputed Journals such as Journal of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (USA), IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology (USA), Vehicle System Dynamics, Taylor and Francis Ltd, (UK) etc.

His research interests include vehicle dynamics, electric vehicle, renewable energy systems, intelligent and autonomous control, robotics, nonlinear control theory, and applications.

Dr Semih Kerestecioglu is a Senior Lecturer in Finance at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen. Prior to this appointment, he served as an Assistant Professor of Finance at the University of Aberdeen in the UK, where he coordinated and lectured on undergraduate and postgraduate finance courses.

He holds his PhD in Finance from the University of Liverpool and MSc in Finance and Investment from the University of Exeter. His research focuses on economic uncertainty and financial markets, with particular interests in asset pricing, behavioural finance, market microstructure and pricing anomalies. His work has been published in ABS 3-star journals. Dr Kerestecioglu also supervises postgraduates dissertations and contributes to the development of core finance programmes.

Dr Mohammad Naiseh is the Programme Leader for MSc Artificial Intelligence and a Lecturer in Computing Science at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen. He earned his PhD in Responsible Artificial Intelligence from Bournemouth University, United Kingdom, where his research focused on designing safe and effective explainable AI (XAI) systems for clinical applications.

Following his doctorate, Dr. Naiseh served as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Hub, University of Southampton. Prior to joining the University of Aberdeen, he held the position of Assistant Professor in AI and Data Science at Bournemouth University, where he designed and delivered computing programmes and led the Social XAI Research Group, exploring the intersection of explainability, ethics, and human–AI interaction. Naiseh is also an Editorial Board Member of Discover Artificial Intelligence and an active peer reviewer for leading international journals, including AI & Society and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine. His academic contributions lie at the crossroads of explainable AI, human-centered design, and responsible innovation, with a strong emphasis on real-world impact in healthcare and other critical domains.

Dr Nara Tagiyeva is a Senior Lecturer in Public Health at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen. She also holds an honorary position as a Senior Lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, where she previously worked.

At AFG College Nara leads a range of courses on the Master of Public Health (MPH) programme, including Research Methods, Epidemiology, and Systematic Reviewing.

Externally, she contributes as a member of Working Group 5 within the Euro-CAN (Multi-Sectoral Responses to Child Abuse and Neglect in Europe) Action network, funded by the European Cooperation on Science and Technology (COST). In this role, she providesmethodological expertise on research into child maltreatment in Europe, focusing on theimpacts during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nara is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the Royal Society for Public Health, as well as a member of The International Society of Global Health and The External Examiners’ Community of Practice.

These affiliations enhance her educational and public health expertise, which she brings to her role.

She holds a PhD in Environmental Medicine from the University of Aberdeen and an MPH from Cardiff University. While her research initially centred on respiratory epidemiology, her interests have expanded to include broader public health challenges, with a particular focus on evidence synthesis and quantitative research.

Nara has a strong track record of securing research funding and publishing in high-impact journals. Her professional experience includes working with humanitarian organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN World Food Programme, collaborating on TB projects with the WHO and Ministries of Health and, and a clinical background specialising in asthma and allergies in Azerbaijan.

Dr. Zhaohui Tian is a Lecturer in Global Business Communication at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen. She holds a PhD in Intercultural Communication and an MSc in Intercultural Communication for Business and the Professions from the University of Warwick. She is the Systems Director of SIETAR UK (Society for Intercultural Education, Training, and Research) and serves as the Newsletter Editor, Social Media Manager, and Editorial Board Member of IAICS (International Association for Intercultural Communication Studies). Her research interests lie mainly in the multidisciplinary field of intercultural communication and interaction, social pragmatics, (im)politeness and evaluation, higher education pedagogy, workplace ethics, and morality. She also welcomes projects at the intersection of these areas, including but not limited to those in the fields of healthcare and well-being, social media communication and discourse, and the internationalization and transformation of higher education.

Dr Muhammad Wasim is a Senior Lecturer in Business Management at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen. He holds an MBA and DBA from the University of the West of Scotland, where his research focused on entrepreneurship, organisational orientations, and SME performance.

Dr Ahmed Al-Adaileh is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Artificial Intelligence at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen. He holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning from Kingston University, London, and has more than 25 years of combined academic and industry experience across Germany, the UK, Turkey, the UAE and Bahrain. He graduated with Distinction in his MSc in Software Engineering from Kingston University, where he received the Best Project Prize. He is also the inventor of a registered German patent (utility model), Reinforcement Learning-Based Framework for Adaptive Radiotherapy Decision Support, reflecting his research interest in applying artificial intelligence and reinforcement learning to healthcare and clinical decision support.

Before joining academia, Dr Al-Adaileh spent more than 20 years working with one of Germany’s leading companies as a lead developer and IT consultant, contributing to major software, data-driven and technology projects. His industry career included work in cloud systems, big data analytics and Industry 4.0, providing him with extensive practical experience that continues to inform his teaching and research. In addition, he led the development team for a healthcare ambulance-transfer application, similar to an Uber-style platform, designed to facilitate the transfer of patients in war-affected areas. The application was developed for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), reflecting his commitment to applying technology to address complex healthcare and humanitarian challenges.

His research interests include artificial intelligence and machine learning, deep learning and neural networks, natural language processing, sentiment analysis, smart systems, IoT and energy optimisation. His research has been published in international journals and presented at international conferences, including work published in Intelligent Systems with Applications. He has also received a Best Presentation Award at the XIV International Conference on Smart Energy Management and Energy Efficiency.

Dr Al-Adaileh is actively involved in research, student project supervision and academic peer review, including reviewing for IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems and Elsevier’s Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. His teaching approach is research-informed and practice-oriented, combining case-based and project-based learning to help students connect theoretical concepts with real-world applications.

Dr Chris Storey is a Lecturer in Business at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen. He has more than 16 years of experience in international higher education across the UK, the Middle East and East Asia. He holds a PhD in Business Management, specialising in entrepreneurship, from Newcastle University and an MBA from Durham University. He is also a Fellow of Advance HE and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice from Northumbria University.

Before joining AFG College, Chris was a Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Strategy at Northumbria University, where he led courses in management and entrepreneurship and supervised undergraduate and postgraduate research projects. He previously taught at Newcastle University and spent ten years at the Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates, where he held several academic leadership positions, including Programme Chair for International Business Management across six campuses. Earlier in his career, he taught at the University of Kitakyushu in Japan.

Chris teaches across business management and marketing, including Digital Marketing at postgraduate level. His teaching is participant-centred, research-informed and practice-based, using problem-based learning, applied projects and reflective activities to help students connect academic ideas with contemporary business practice.

His research interests include business growth and enterprise policy, entrepreneurial ecosystems and managerial decision-making. He is also a researcher on GETM4, a major international and interdisciplinary project spanning nine countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. He has also contributed to a forthcoming handbook on entrepreneurship.

Dr Earl Gammon is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Politics whose teaching and research span international relations, global political economy, environmental politics and international development. He holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Sussex, as well as MA degrees from the University of Chile and the American University in Washington, DC. Prior to joining AFG College with the University of Aberdeen, he held academic positions at the University of Sussex and the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom, where he taught and convened a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as supervising several PhD researchers.

His research lies at the intersection of international relations theory, global political economy and environmental politics, with a particular focus on the role of emotion, affect and subjectivity in shaping political and economic life. Drawing on insights from political theory, psychology and social theory, his work explores how institutions, markets and forms of political authority are sustained through emotional investments, habits and shared understandings, as well as material interests. His broader research interests include theories of international relations and global political economy, political-economic psychology, the history of political-economic thought, cultural political economy and the political economy of environmental change.

Dr Gammon has published in leading journals in the fields of International Relations and Global Political Economy and is committed to research-led teaching that encourages students to think critically about the political, economic and environmental challenges facing the contemporary world. He is passionate about fostering analytical skills, intellectual curiosity and global awareness among students, helping them to engage with the complex forces shaping contemporary global affairs.

Dr Emine Canan has more than ten years of experience in UK higher education and has previously taught at Middlesex University and SOAS, University of London. She is a Fellow of Advance HE and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education.

Dr Emine Canan holds a PhD in Migrant Labour and an MSc in Research Methods in Business and Management Studies, as well as an MA in Globalisation, Ethnicity and Culture and a BSc in Economics.

She has undergraduate and postgraduate teaching experience across human resource management, employment relations, learning and development, organisational behaviour, and international HRM, with particular interests in workforce management and contemporary employment challenges. Having taught diverse international cohorts, she brings an inclusive and cross-cultural perspective to her teaching.

Her research lies at the intersection of global talent management, labour migration, strategic human resource management, and workforce diversity. Drawing on her interdisciplinary background in labour markets and migration policy, she examines how migration and labour market policies, changing employment conditions, and wider economic and technological transformations shape labour mobility and workforce dynamics. More recently, she has extended this work to the digital age, exploring the relationship between digital transformation, university students’ career aspirations, and mobility intentions, and considering the potential implications for the future workforce and emerging patterns of global talent mobility.

Dr Fowad Murtaza is a Senior Lecturer at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen, where he teaches across the Business and Public Health programmes. He is an interdisciplinary academic with more than two decades of experience in higher education, teaching, research and academic leadership in the UK and internationally.

Fowad holds a PhD in Economics and an MA in Public Health from the University of Essex, UK, as well as an MPhil and MSc in Economics. Prior to joining AFG College, he spent more than twenty years at the University of Essex, UK, where he taught across a broad range of areas including economics, finance, accounting, econometrics, quantitative methods and research methods, alongside contributing to curriculum development, programme leadership and international partnerships. 

His interdisciplinary research interests span economics and public health, with particular interests in poverty and inequality, socioeconomic determinants of health, health inequalities, behavioural economics and quantitative analysis. His research has examined topics including poverty measurement, child health inequalities, immunisation, water and sanitation, household fuel choices and exchange-rate behaviour, and has been published in peer-reviewed academic journals.

Fowad has also contributed to applied research and consultancy projects involving international organisations, government agencies and other stakeholders, including UNIDO, and UNFPA. His teaching draws on this interdisciplinary and applied experience, with an emphasis on connecting academic concepts to contemporary economic, business and public health challenges. 

Outside academia, Fowad enjoys travelling and discovering new places and cultures, going to the gym, and playing cricket.

Dr Mahmoud Al Qerom is a Senior Lecturer in Computing Science at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen. He holds a PhD in Computer Science with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Salford, United Kingdom, and brings more than 13 years of teaching experience in higher education.

Prior to joining AFG College, Dr Al Qerom served as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the British University of Bahrain, where he also held academic leadership responsibilities in programme development, quality assurance, and curriculum enhancement.

Alongside his academic career, Dr Al Qerom has more than five years of industry experience in software development, enterprise information systems, database technologies, and IT consultancy. His professional experience includes the design, development, implementation, and support of business-critical software solutions, providing him with a strong practical perspective that complements his academic work.

His teaching and research interests include Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Mining, Database Systems, Software Engineering, image compression, and data security. He has published several peer-reviewed research articles in Scopus-indexed journals and continues to pursue research focused on practical applications of artificial intelligence and emerging computing technologies.

Dr Mark Barrow is a Lecturer in International Relations and Politics at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen. He has previously taught undergraduate and postgraduate students at several British universities, including the University of Cambridge, University College London, and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). He has taught a wide range of subjects and topics within International Relations and Politics, including International Organisation, International Conflict and Cooperation, Democracy & Authoritarianism, The Politics of Conflict and Peace, International Security, and European Politics. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Mark's research specialism is within the subfield of Peace and Conflict Studies, specifically conflict and violence, political repression, peacebuilding, and the role of civil society actors in global governance. His research has been published in a range of academic and non-academic outlets, including the Journal of Peacebuilding & Development, Negotiation Journal, Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, E-International Relations, and the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum (MENAF). He has written two book chapters in edited volumes and is currently completing his first book, provisionally titled: Innovation and Adaptability: Effective Indigenous Peacebuilding in Cyprus. What is Effective Indigenous Peacebuilding and When does it Occur?. It is due to be published next year (Palgrave Macmillan). Mark regularly presents his research at international conferences and workshops.

Dr Raymond O’Brien is a Lecturer at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen, where he teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate business programmes, including Business Strategy, Operations Management, Internationalisation, Strategic Marketing and Research Methods. He is an academic, educator and business professional with a strong background in strategy, international business, management education and applied business practice.

Raymond holds a PhD in Strategy and International Business from the University of Birmingham, an MSc in International Business from Ulster University, and a First-Class BSc (Hons) in Business Management from the University of Roehampton. He is also a Fellow of Advance HE and a Chartered Member of Business Educators, reflecting his commitment to high-quality teaching, student support and professional standards in higher education.

Prior to his appointment at AFG College, Raymond taught at Birmingham Business School as a Visiting Lecturer, delivering undergraduate and postgraduate seminars and workshops to more than 500 students. His teaching experience includes Strategic Management, Business Planning, Operations Management, HRM, Business Strategies in Emerging Economies, Research Methods, Dissertation supervision, Leadership and Marketing Strategy.

Alongside his academic career, Raymond brings extensive professional experience across business, project management, logistics, operations, marketing, graphic design and brand development. His industry background includes work with the National Health Service, the Ministry of Defence, oil and gas operations, maritime security and operational environments. This experience gives him a distinctive applied perspective on leadership, strategy, risk, stakeholder management, organisational problem-solving and employability.

Raymond’s academic interests centre on international business, SME internationalisation, strategy, entrepreneurship, innovation, digital transformation and the future of work. His teaching approach is practical, student-centred and research-informed, with a strong focus on helping students develop critical thinking, academic confidence, professional judgement and real-world business insight.

Dr Sophie Strecker is a Senior Lecturer in Law at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen in Qatar. She is an experienced higher education academic with many years of experience in teaching, course leadership, academic management, quality assurance, and research across the UK and Qatar.

Dr Strecker’s academic expertise spans International Trade Law, International Commercial Law, Qatar Business Law, Public and Private International Law, and International Dispute Resolution. She holds a PhD in Commercial Private International Law from Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Trent University, an LLM in International Trade, and Bachelor and Master of Laws degrees from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. She is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

Prior to joining AFG College with the University of Aberdeen, Dr Strecker held a number of academic and leadership positions at Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Trent University, including Principal Lecturer, Course Leader for Academic LLM Programmes, and Deputy Head of the Postgraduate Portfolio. She has also taught in Qatar at the University of Doha for Science and Technology and the Sorbonne Programme at Lusail University.

Dr Strecker’s research and scholarly work focuses particularly on international and commercial law. Her publications include contributions to EU Law Complete, published by Oxford University Press, as well as research on international business practices. She has also presented her research at international academic conferences, including the Journal of Private International Law Conference.

With an international academic and professional perspective, Dr Strecker is committed to providing students with a rigorous and engaging legal education, while connecting legal principles to contemporary issues in international commerce, business, and dispute resolution.

Dr Xinyu Hu is a Lecturer in Real Estate at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen. She holds a PhD in Accounting and Finance from the University of Portsmouth and an MSc in Accounting and Finance from Cardiff University.

Prior to joining AFG College, she taught at the University of Portsmouth and worked as a Teaching Assistant in the UK. She has also gained professional experience in accounting and education in China. Dr Hu has experience teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate students across a range of subjects in real estate, accounting, and finance. Her teaching covers modules including Real Estate, Taxation, Management Accounting, Advanced Financial Accounting, and other related areas. She has also contributed to several funded research projects in the UK, including projects supported by AHRC and DCMS, as well as CARE International UK.

Her research lies at the intersection of accounting, finance, and organisational behaviour, with particular interests in ESG and symbolic representation, financial reporting, earnings management, and corporate governance. Her work focuses particularly on emerging market contexts and examines how organisational practices and governance mechanisms shape corporate reporting and behaviour. She welcomes opportunities for research collaboration in these areas.