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 in the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Lebanese University. Her Master’s thesis, titled “The UNHCR and States’ Sovereignty: Lebanon as a Case Study,” explored the legal and practical framework of the UNHCR’s operations within the context of Lebanese sovereignty.

Maria brings over two years of experience working with local NGOs on women’s rights and the rights of people with disabilities before completing a research internship with the Refugee Research and Policy Program at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut (AUB).

Maria has been a researcher at the Centre for Lebanese Studies (CLS) since 2020. Her research focuses on migration, displacement, and education.