Maria Kiame Maalouf holds a bachelor’s degree in Law from the Lebanese University, and a Master’s degree in Strategic Research, from the Research and Strategic Studies Centre at the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Lebanese University. Her master’s thesis entitled “The UNHCR and the States Sovereignty – Lebanon as a Case Study”, analyzed the legal and practical framework of the UNHCR within the framework of the Lebanese sovereignty. Maria has two years of experience working with local NGOs on Women’s and team with Disabilities rights. She also had a research internship with the Refugee Research and Policy Program at Issam Fares Institute For Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at AUB. Further, her interest in forced migration led her to participate in several workshops and training on this topic to develop her research skills.