I am an Assistant Professor and Cluster Head (International Relations) at SZABIST University in Karachi, where I teach multiple graduate and undergraduate courses including Democratization in Global Politics and International, International Politics of South Asia, and Research Methodology. I also developed and integrated new courses on Comparative Politics and Populism Studies into the curriculum. Previously, I taught at University of Karachi, Iqra Univesrity and Ziauddin University as a Visting Lecturer.
I am a comparativist with keen interest in populism, democratization, and South Asian politics. My research also explores the relationship between religion and democracy, as well as the dynamics of Islamist political parties and movements.
I have co-authored two books with Palgrave Macmillan: Populist Identification in Public Discourse: Pakistanis Constructing Pakistaniat (with Ihsan Yilmaz) and Populist Discourse in Pakistani Politics. At present, I am working on my third book, co-authored with Syaza Shakri and Ihsan Yilmaz on Evolving Visions of Paradise: Instrumentalization of Islam by Mahathir Mohamad, Nawaz Sharif, and Tayyip Erdogan. My reserach articles have appeared in prestigious journals such as South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, Religions, Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, and Pakistan Horizon.
Beyond my academic roles, I have held research fellowships at the Central European University Democracy Institute in Budapest in 2024 and the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C. in 2020.
I also have extensive experience of policy research. I worked as a Project Manager at the Pak Institute for Peace Studies in Islamabad, as a Senior Research Fellow at Center for Peace, Security, and Development Studies, where I contributed to projects focused on Afghanistan Peace Process, countering violent extremism and promoting interfaith harmony in Pakistani universities.