Nilofar Sakhi

Dr. Nilofar Sakhi is a scholar of security and peace, specializing in regional security, transnational security, human security, peacemaking, and conflict resolution. She is an Associate Research Professor of International Affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. She also directs the Andiana Foundation, a public policy and research organization focused on peace and security. Additionally, she is a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Dr. Sakhi has taught courses in Research Methods, Security, Public Policy Making, Contentious Politics, Conflict Analysis and Resolution, and Conflict Assessment and Evaluation. She has contributed extensively to the literature on regional and transnational security, peace processes, Track 2 Dialogues, and human security. She is the author of the book Human Security and Agency: Reframing Productive Power.

A former Fulbright scholar, Nilofar has held several significant roles. Notably, she served as an Instructor at the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute through a contract with McColm & Company, where she also served as the Director of Policy and Diplomacy. She has worked as Country Director at the Open Society Foundation and held leadership roles as Executive Director and Trustee at the American University of Afghanistan.

With a strong research background, Nilofar has served as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, the National Endowment for Democracy, and Columbia University. She has also been a Fellow at the Asia Society and the International Center for Tolerance Education. Dr. Sakhi has written op-eds for globally recognized outlets including Foreign Policy, The Hill, and The National Interest. She is also a frequent media commentator, with appearances on CNN, BBC, and NPR.

She holds a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University, a master’s degree in international public policy from Johns Hopkins University, and a second master’s degree from Eastern Mennonite University.