Aya is part of Presencing Institute’s core team, holding the role of Program Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Coordinator.  She collaborates with the wider Faculty and team by working on innovative and adaptive approaches to MEL, capturing learning, and driving program improvement.

Aya is an experienced MEL practitioner with a background in development, humanitarian, and human rights sectors, primarily in crisis-affected regions of the Middle East, namely Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. She has worked across diverse multisectoral programs, including health, water and sanitation, education, protection, livelihoods, emergency response, and peacebuilding among others. She has designed and overseen MEL frameworks and has led numerous third-party monitoring missions. Fostering inclusivity and accountability for affected populations has been a central focus of her work.

Aya holds a BA in the multidisciplinary Social Sciences of anthropology, sociology, and rhetoric from Drake University in the US, and an MSc in urbanization and development from LSE in the UK. She afterwards published her thesis titled ‘Towards Spaciocide’ at the Institute of Jerusalem Studies.

Coming from Palestine, Aya recognizes the need for unique practices and solutions to drive sustainable change for the planet and its inhabitants, which has drawn her to PI, and inspired her to work with like-minded people to contribute meaningfully to societal transformation.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Aya is passionate about environmental conservation, particularly clean oceans, and cultivating mindfulness in daily life. She also enjoys a collection of interests, including writing, boxing, delving into books on psychology, and indulging in the timeless pleasure of playing vinyl records.