Dr. Shahida Aman

Designation and Administrative Responsibilities

Professor Chairperson

I am currently working as the Chairperson and a full Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar. With an excellent academic record with distinctions throughout, I have around 3 decades of research, teaching and administrative experience in the field of Higher Education and project management. I have published extensively with around 30 papers in international and local Research Journals. I have served as a Principal and Co-Principal Investigator for 8 international and national Research Projects. These projects range from protracted displacement crisis issues, migrations, to social assistance in crisis, climate change governance, women mainstreaming in the Pakistan Afghanistan borderland, radicalization and de-radicalization. Additionally, I have done consultancy on international projects for prestigious organizations such as the UNICEF funded Samuel Hall Research. I have supervised around 20 PhD., and MPhil thesis and am supervising another 10. I have served as the Coordinator for BS Programme in the Department of Political Science, which is one of the largest BS programmes in University of Peshawar with around 600 students. My varied experiences in Research Consultancies, Project Management, Teaching and Administrative work in managing different academic programmes, department’s financial and student affairs, research projects, consultancies and my services in different Boards of Studies and Selection Boards and a long teaching career have endowed me with critical faculties in the field of project management, research, teaching, and administration.

Research and Teaching Interests

The broader areas of interest include: Climate Change Governance and Environment Politics; Migrations & Displacements; Conflict, Peace and State Building in the Pakistan Afghanistan Region; Gender and Politics; Women, Youth and Militancy; Radicalization and Counter Radicalization; Terrorism and Impacts on Pakistan, and the Erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan.

Education

University of Peshawar, Pakistan — PhD (Politics/ Central Asian Studies), 2014.
University of Peshawar, Pakistan —MA (Political Science), 1994. 1st Division (Gold Medalist). 
Federal Government Girls Degree College Peshawar, Pakistan —BA (Political Science and History), 1992. 1st Division (First Class Third Position in the University). 
Federal Government Girls Degree College Peshawar, Pakistan —FA (Civics, History, English), 1989. 1st Division. 
University Model School, Peshawar — Matric (Humanities Group), 1987. 1st Division (Topped Humanities Group).

Academic Achievements

  1. First class first position in the Ph. D., course work examination of Area Study Centre, University of Peshawar with a 3.9 GPA.
  2. First class first position (Gold Medalist) in the M.A Political Science Examination, University of Peshawar (1994).
  3. First Class Third position in the B.A examination, University of Peshawar (1992) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
  4. First Class Second Position in FA examination in the F. G Degree Peshawar.
  5. First position in the Humanities Group of University Model School in SSCE Examination, Peshawar Board.

Working Experience

A: Teaching: 30 years of Teaching experience

  • PROFESSOR: DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR- 10 MAY 2022 – TO DATE.
  • ASSISTANT PROFESSOR: DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR – 10 November 2015 – 09 MAY 2022.
  • LECTURER (Permanent): DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR, PESHAWAR- 6TH August 1996 – 9TH November 2015
  • LECTURER (Ad hoc): DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR, PESHAWAR – 01 SEPTEMBER 1994 – 5th August 1996

B: Administration:

  • Working as a Chairperson of the Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar since July 14, 2022.

  • Worked as a BS Coordinator (4 years) in the Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar (UoP), which comprises around 600 students and is one of the largest BS programmes in UoP.

  • Administrative experience of managing and executing 7 Research Projects from International and National Funding Agencies (Details Below) as Principal Investigator (P-I) and Co-Principal Investigator (Co P-I).

  • Managing and executing International and National Conferences, International Summer Schools, and Workshops (Details Below).

Grants/Funding

Research Project Grants:

  1. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) funded project Better Assistance in Crises (BASIC) in collaboration with the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex on ‘Climate Induced Displacement and Social Assistance in Chitral, Pakistan’. The project worth is around 6.5 million (£20,000). Awarded in 2024 for 5 months. PI of the project.
  2. UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund & UK Research and Innovation in collaboration with University of Sussex of Rs. 57 million (£175,000) for the project ‘Protracted Displacement Economies’. Awarded in 2020 for three years. Co-PI of the project.
  3. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) funded project Better Assistance in Crises (BASIC) in collaboration with the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex of 18 million (£55,710) Awarded in 2022 for 2 years. PI of the project. 
  4. Higher Education Commission of Pakistan’s Grant of Rs. 3.5 million for the Project ‘Pakhtun Women and Mainstreaming of Erstwhile FATA: Gender (in)Equality, (dis)Empowerment and Reform Processes in Pakistan’. Grant Awarded in April 2022. PI of the Project. 
  5. Higher Education Commission of Pakistan’s Grant of Rs. 5.5 million for the Project ‘Socio-Economic-Political Transformations and Governance Reforms in FATA’. Grant Awarded in March 2016. Co-PI of the Project. 
  6. United Nations Development Programme Grant of PKR 1.24 million for the project ‘Gender and Radicalization in Pakistan: A Case Study of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities’. Grant awarded in 2016. PI of the Project.
  7. CPEC Policy Research Federal Government’s Grant of PKR 0.25 million for the project, ‘A ‘Game Changer’ For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: CPEC, KP Government’s Projects and the Socio-Economic Dividends’. Grant awarded in 2018. PI of the Project.
  8. Higher Education Department (HED), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s grant of PKR 1.38 million for the project, ‘Security Sector Reforms and E-Policing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Challenges and Prospects.’ Project has passed the first stage of peer review process and is in the final stages of approval.
  9. UNICEF study on Generating Evidence on Child Migration in Pakistan in collaboration with Samuel Hall, UK. (2024).

Study Grants:

  1. Secured the Higher Education Commission Pakistan Indigenous Scholarship under the scheme of Development of Social Sciences and Humanities in General Universities in Pakistan for Ph.D., Studies in the Area Study Centre, University of Peshawar (2006-2010).

D. Travel Grants:

  1. UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund & UK Research and Innovation funded project ‘Protracted Displacement Economies’ travel grant to participate in Royal Geographical Society’s Annual conference at London from August 30- September 1, 2023.
  2. UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund & UK Research and Innovation funded project ‘Protracted Displacement Economies’ travel grant to participate in Annual Meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 12-18 March 2023. 
  3. UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund & UK Research and Innovation funded project ‘Protracted Displacement Economies’ travel grant to participate in Annual Meeting in Beirut, Lebanon from 17-22 May 2022. 
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