Dr. Esmat Zaidan is an Associate Professor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the College of Public Policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. Before joining HBKU, she served as the Director of the Honors Program at Qatar University and as an Associate Professor of Policy, Planning, and Development. She also worked at the United Arab Emirates University and the University of Waterloo, where she earned her master’s and PhD degrees. Her prior professional roles include positions at the World Bank, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Her research focuses on the area of sustainable development policy and planning including the policy pathway for sustainable and people-centric development, sustainable and smart cities, and net-zero carbon communities.

Dr. Zaidan has been an active member of AMEPAA since 2019 and was recently appointed as Vice President of this esteemed association. Additionally, she serves on the governing board of the International Public Policy Association (IPPA). She was also recently selected to join the International Advisory Board of the Jobs in the Circular Economy Initiative by the World Bank, International Labor Organization (Geneva, Switzerland), and Circle Economy Foundation (Netherland).