Kurdistan Region Board

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Dunya Salahdin Mirdan, PhD

Lecturer and Faculty Member, Department of Social Work

Salahaddin University–Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

dunya.mirdan@su.edu.krd

Dunya Salahdin Mirdan, PhD in Sociology, is a researcher, sociologist, and academic who has served as a faculty member in the Department of Social Work at Salahaddin University–Erbil since 2010. Her academic profile is characterized by an extensive multidisciplinary foundation: she holds an MA in Sociology and Social Policy from the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr (UKH), along with three bachelor's degrees in psychology, education, and English literature. Her scholarly contributions were recognized in 2010 by a committee from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, and she has since participated in high-level research collaborations with international institutions, including the Institute for Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen, Boston University, and UKH. Complementing her academic career is 18 years of experience in the humanitarian and development sectors, where she has held strategic programming and project management roles with international non-governmental organizations and local civil society organizations. She is a member of the Kurdistan International Sociological Association (KISA) and the Director of Social Work Ambassadors (SWA), an organization focused on empowering communities and advancing social justice. She is also a board member of the Institute for Research and Development Kurdistan (IRDK), and serves as a peace mediator and member of the High Council for Women and Development in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. As a specialist trainer and consultant, she provides capacity-building services for national and international organizations across casework, gender equality, women's leadership and protection, media consultancy, child rights, and education. Through her dual roles in academia and the humanitarian sector, she continues to advocate for systemic social change and professional excellence in the community.

Dr. Samya Saeed Khalid

Faculty Member, Department of Sociology

University of Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Dr. Samya Saeed Khalid is a sociologist teaching at the Department of Sociology at the University of Duhok. She earned her MA from Salahaddin University in Iraqi Kurdistan, her first PhD from Van Yüzüncü Yıl University in Turkey, and her second PhD from Salahaddin University (2025). She holds a multidisciplinary specialization in the sociology of violence and the sociology of women. Her academic and research work focuses on women's studies, gender equality, violence, and social policy in relation to social justice and human rights, as well as minorities and marginalized people. She served as Director of the Gender Studies and Equality Center at the University of Duhok. Dr. Samya has contributed to international development education programs in collaboration with European Union universities in Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands, as well as a religious studies program led by the IREX agency in the United States. She has led professional academic training in collaboration with international and national agencies in peacebuilding and education skills, and is considered one of the pioneers of women's protection programs in the Kurdistan Region. In addition to her academic activities, she has published work focusing on women, sexual violence during war, and refugees. Besides her mother tongue, she is fluent in Arabic and has a good command of English.