Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) organized its second Student Research Forum, featuring for the first time student presentations from the College of Islamic Studies (CIS), College of Law (CL), and College of Public Policy (CPP). The Forum gave talented students the chance to present their innovative research projects to the university community.

Master’s and PhD students from the four colleges gave 19 presentations spanning topics in the fields of culture, economics, fashion, finance, gender, healthcare, and sports. Each participant gave a ten-minute overview of their research projects followed by questions and answers. A jury panel composed of members of the organizing colleges evaluated each presentation based on the student’s research communication skills and the quality of their research.

Dr. Michael J. Benedik, Provost; Dr. Mehdi Riazi, Associate Dean for Research, CHSS; and Dr. Hassan Hakimian, Interim Dean, CHSS, inaugurated the event with opening remarks and reaffirmed the Forum as a platform for reinforcing a culture of research excellence at HBKU.

Safae Bouyahyaoui, MA in Intercultural Communication, CHSS, won the first place award for her project, "A Discourse Analysis of Ultras Chants in Morocco: Expressing Political and Social Concerns of Moroccan Youth." Rawan El Sheikh, MA in Digital Humanities and Societies, achieved second place for her paper, “Café Culture and Conspicuous Consumption in Qatar," while Jamila Abubakar, PhD in Islamic Finance and Economy Program, CIS, took third place for her paper, "(Un)Risky commitments."

Farukh Azad, PhD in Humanities and Social Sciences, impressed the audience and won the People’s Choice Award by popular vote for his paper, "Fashion as Non-verbal Communication: Towards Cultural Diplomacy in Qatar."