Malaak Jamal is HRF’s director of policy and research, overseeing its research and analyzing political regime developments in countries under authoritarian rule. She received a Master of Arts in diplomacy and international relations from Seton Hall University, specializing in human rights, international law, and post-conflict state reconstruction and sustainability. Jamal received her Bachelor of Arts from Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU), where she double majored in sociology and political science with a concentration in international relations. She was awarded FDU’s Outstanding Achievement in Political Science award. She completed her minor in Middle East studies at the American University in Dubai. Jamal’s opinions have been featured in TIME, The Washington Post, The News Lens, and CNN.