Shifaa Alsairafi is a research associate for politics, arts, and culture at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Her interests include social policy in the Gulf, particularly in the fields of education, health care, and entertainment. Alsairafi earned her bachelor’s and master’s from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.   

Prior to joining AGSIW, Alsairafi worked in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain in consulting and research spaces focusing on issues related to education and health-care equity and access through working with ministries of health, education, and culture. Beyond the professional world, Alsairafi found a passion in storytelling, working on films and podcasts in her spare time to share tidbits on khaleeji culture and art.