Hometown: London, U.K.

Research Interests: Human rights and transitional justice, peace negotiations, identity formation in the Levant, geopolitical risk, sociomateriality and settler-colonial resistance

Kira graduated with First Class Honors from Durham University (UK) in June 2023, with a major in Geography, Politics, and International Relations. Over the past year, she interned at a Westminster-based human rights organization focused on highlighting the importance of advancing equal rights in Palestine/Israel within British foreign policy, furthering her interest in the use and usefulness of human rights paradigms.

During her internship, Kira co-managed a UK diplomatic tour for the Mayor of Masafer Yatta, arranging meetings with various British political figures and organizing a keynote speech for the All-Party Parliamentary Group. She also coordinated a series of collaborative feedback workshops with organizations such as Amnesty International and OXFAM.

Throughout her undergraduate degree, Kira studied the MENA region through an interdisciplinary lens. Specifically, she completed a thesis that questioned the predominant academic perception of cross-crisis landscape relations via a study of Arab-Irish solidarity graffiti in Belfast. Kira's experience in the field has inspired her to expand her understanding of resistance networks, peace negotiations, and transnational justice through the MAAS program.