Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies

Dr. Aisha Azhar, a Fulbright Scholar, has completed her PhD and master's degrees in Public Administration & Policy from Florida State University (FSU), Florida, USA. Part of her PhD program was funded by the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program, FSU, USA. She is currently working as associate professor and Dean of the School of Governance and Society at University of Management and Technology, Pakistan. She also serves as the Honorary Dean of Academics at the Zakat Foundation Institute (ZFI), Indiana, USA, overseeing curriculum development and graduate program accreditation. 

She attended BIARI 2017 (USA) for the Humanitarian Response and Post-Conflict Reconstruction at Brown University, USA. Since 2017, Dr. Azhar has been affiliated with the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies (CHRHS) at Brown University, contributing to research on humanitarian policy, digital governance, and ethical AI integration in public organizations. She remains actively engaged in global policy discussions, bridging academic research with practical policymaking to advance governance and human rights initiatives. 

Dr. Azhar has received multiple funded research grants, leading projects that address humanitarian governance, public health crises, and digital transformation in public organizations. She was awarded the CHRHS Seed Grant (2023) for her project on the impact of the War on Terror on polio vaccination programs in Pakistan, which examined how security dynamics and misinformation affected immunization efforts. Previously, she won a CHRHS grant (2019) for her research on post-disaster relief coordination in Pakistan, developing a conceptual framework for improved inter-agency collaboration. Additionally, she has secured funding for projects on disaster risk reduction (DRR) education, ethical AI adoption in public service, and governance challenges in digital transformation. 

Dr. Azhar worked as a consultant for the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), where she conducted a comprehensive examination of Pakistan’s Public Administration education system. This study assessed curriculum effectiveness, institutional capacities, and alignment with global governance challenges. Recognizing the significance of her work, AKDN invited her to present her findings at the prestigious Ismaili Center in Dubai, where she engaged with international experts on governance and higher education reforms. Dr. Azhar has published several research papers in national and international journals. Her areas of expertise include governance, emergency management (relief and recovery phases), non-profit management, social network analysis, and public service motivation.