Postdoctoral Scholars and Visiting Scholars

Dr. Houyame Hakmi

Dr. Houyame Hakmi is a Fulbright alumna and holds a PhD in Political Science and Global Studies from Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco. Her research focuses on conflict prevention, preventive diplomacy, governance, and peacebuilding in Africa. Her doctoral thesis examined the effectiveness of the African Union’s conflict prevention strategies, with a case study of Mali, drawing on fieldwork at the African Union, elite interviews, and extensive documentary analysis. She is also a member of the African Union WiseYouth Network, where she contributes to youth engagement in early warning, mediation, and preventive diplomacy, including through field missions and consultations in several African countries. Her broader research agenda explores preventive governance, democratic resilience, post-conflict state-building, and the governance-security nexus.

Dr. Hakmi’s current research project, Preventive Governance and Democratic Resilience in Post-Conflict Societies, examines why post-conflict societies often relapse into violence or authoritarian rule despite peace agreements and stabilization efforts. Building on her doctoral research on the African Union’s conflict prevention in Mali, the project shifts the focus from crisis management to structural prevention. It explores how states emerging from conflict can build resilience before breakdown occurs through stronger institutions, better-sequenced reforms, and adaptive governance systems that connect early warning with political action. Focusing on African cases, including Libya and Sudan, the project aims to develop an African-centered framework of preventive governance that links state institutions, community networks, and inclusive political participation to durable peace and democratic resilience.

Supervisor: Dr. Siobhan Byrne

Wajiha Mehdi, Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Postdoctoral Fellow

Wajiha Mehdi is a Killam Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Political Science. Her research centres on Muslims in South Asia, with attention to how communities navigate and make meaning within contested urban spaces. She is committed to community-based inquiry and draws on anti-colonial and feminist participatory approaches. Wajiha completed her PhD at the University of British Columbia and has received several distinguished awards, including the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, the International Development Research Centre Award, the UBC Public Scholars Initiative Award, and the Graduate Global Leadership Fellowship. Her work has appeared in Antipode, the Journal of Contemporary Asia, and across numerous public-facing platforms.

Supervisor: Dr. Mojtaba Mahdavi