Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre

27/07/2026

We are proud to announce that our Fellow Dr. Farah Hasan Ali has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at the Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences, LUMS.

Dr. Ali’s areas of interest include the life and works of Harold Pinter, Theatre of the Absurd, and Twentieth-Century British Theatre, especially the Post-War period. She is interested in issues pertaining to identity politics in different categories: specifically, in the treatment and representation of the individual identity in public and private spheres. Therefore, concepts such as totalitarian regimes, conformity, oppression, and freedom of speech are key components of her research. Additionally, she explores women's and gender representation in Islam, World Literature, and other social contexts, as well as representation of female characters in Pinter's dramas (in particular) and in theatre (in general).

Dr. Ali's focus on Pinter's plays and writing resulted in her book, "Eroding the Language of Freedom: Identity Predicament in Selected Works of Harold Pinter". She has also worked on exploring the connections between Pinter's works and other political and social events across the world.

Dr. Ali's postdoctoral research at the University of Leeds (2016-17), resulted in a journal article entitled, "Where Should the Birds Fly After the Last Sky? Images and Voices of Women of the Iraqi Diaspora in the United Kingdom". In her second postdoctoral project, at the University of Hull (2017-19), she studied the challenges faced by Arabic women living in the UK.

We congratulate Dr. Ali on this well-deserved milestone and wish her continued success in her academic endeavors.

29/06/2026

Pakistan Dialogues is back with another instalment!

In this piece, Dr. Maryam Mustafa (Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science, LUMS) reflects on digital AI tools being piloted to address challenges in the health sector, questioning whether innovation is keeping pace with ground realities, ethics, and sustainability.

Read the piece here: https://mhrc.lums.edu.pk/pakistans-ai-health-gold-rush-and-what-it-costing-frontline

24/06/2026

📢 We are hiring!

📌 Position: Research Assistant

Project: Climate and urban environments

Position: Contract/Full-time

Principal investigator: Dr. Mahvish Shami (Associate Professor, London School of Economics and Political Science)

Duration: 6 months, starting 10 July

Location: Lahore

🔍 This role is part of a research project focused on extreme heat and its impacts across Lahore. Dr. Shami will make regular trips to Lahore, during which the Research Assistant will accompany her in the field. The study involves monitoring and evaluating conditions in 16 markets located throughout the city, contributing to meaningful insights on climate and urban environments.

⌛ Deadline: Rolling basis
To apply, send your CV and a brief introduction to [email protected]

26/05/2026

We are proud to announce that our Fellow Dr. Ali Cheema (Vice-Chancellor, LUMS) has been promoted to Full Professor with tenure at the LUMS - Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities & Social Sciences.

Dr. Cheema is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Development and Economjc Alternatives (IDEAS) and a Lead Academic for the International Growth Center (Pakistan). He co-founded the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP) as well as the Stockholm Challenge Award-winning portal Relief Information System for Earthquakes, Pakistan (RISEPAK).

Previously, he has served on the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex and was Chair of the Economics Department at LUMS from 2004-10. He was also the Mahbub Ul Haq Research Centre's Faculty Director from 2019-24, where he pioneered the now-flagship Pathways to Development Conference. He has also served on the Board of the State Bank of Pakistan, the National Finance Commission, and the Punjab Provincial Finance Commission.

His areas of research include economic development with a focus on human capital, inclusion and economic mobility, gender, public economics, governance and the political economy. His work has focused on how political and wealth inequality shape accountability, representation and development, the role of gender norms and inequality as barriers to women’s political and civic participation and the evaluation of the potential of skills and human capital as instruments for inclusive development. He is particularly interested in how local governance and taxation institutions can be designed to make states more accountable to citizens, and in understanding the role of citizen-state trust in building effective and accountable state capacities for inclusive development.

He holds both a Ph.D. in Economics and an MPhil in Economics and Politics from the University of Cambridge, a BA (Hons.) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) from the University of Oxford where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and a BA in Mathematics and Statistics from Government College, Lahore. He was a visiting Fulbright and SAI Scholar at Harvard Kennedy School in 2010-11.

We congratulate Dr. Cheema on this well-deserved milestone and wish him continued success in his academic endeavors.

19/05/2026

Last week, the Mahbub Ul Haq Research Centre facilitated a framework of collaboration between the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and the Punjab Provincial Transport Authority (PPTA, Transport and Masstransit Department Punjab), aimed at strengthening synergy on transport regulation and evidence-driven governance and policymaking.

This partnership will create a platform for joint research and analytical work on key issues in these areas, including enforcement, compliance, and institutional effectiveness. By combining academic expertise with administrative data and practical policy experience, the collaboration seeks to generate actionable insights that can inform policymaking and improve governance outcomes.

This will also open the door to outputs such as research reports, policy briefs and academic publications, as well as knowledge-sharing initiatives – such as seminars – to connect researchers, practitioners, and public officials.

Representing LUMS were Dr. Tariq Jadoon (Provost, LUMS) and Dr. Farah Said (Executive Director, MHRC). We thank Mr. Muhammad Hassaan Ahsan (Secretary, PPTA), Mr. Sulaiman Majeed (Director Planning, PPTA) and Mr. Saeed Ahmad (Planning Officer, PPTA) for their interest, representation, and support in advancing this collaboration.

12/05/2026

This week, our team met with Ashir Wilson and Zeeshan Fareed of the Network of Organizations Working for People with Disabilities, Pakistan (), a non-profit organization working to create a more inclusive society for all Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), including those with visual, physical, intellectual, and hearing and speech disabilities.

We discussed the possibility of a research-based collaboration with NOWPDP in which the data and insights gathered through their extensive on-ground work would be complemented by our research expertise and technical support to produce actionable, evidence-based outputs. Key areas of focus would include inclusive education and the economic participation of PwDs.

Other potential modes of collaboration include disability awareness sessions led by NOWPDP for LUMS faculty and students.

This meeting marked the beginning of what we hope is a meaningful long-term collaboration with NOWPDP to advance inclusive, evidence-based approaches to disability rights and participation.

For more on NOWPDP’s work, please visit nowpdp.org.pk.

21/04/2026

A conference not to be missed - register now!

📢 REGISTRATIONS OPEN!

The CNM Department of Economics at LUMS will host a two-day conference on May 11-12, 2026, titled "Gender and The Economy." Building on CNM Department of Economics’ long-standing engagement with research on gender, development, labor markets, human capital, and inequality, the conference will provide a platform for rigorous, policy-relevant, and contextually grounded scholarly exchange on how gender both shapes and is shaped by economic and social institutions, markets, and public policy.

Register now: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV-tkuCeSbrQjh--Hb3UYP57-Gohhnm2iBezGP3b7MA4v1Gg/viewform?usp=send_form


LUMS - Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities & Social Sciences

20/04/2026

19/03/2026

(IMPORTANT: Please note that the key responsibilities and eligibility requirements have been revised, and the contract duration has been extended from two to three months. All applications previously submitted will continue to be considered.)

📢 We are hiring!

📌 Position: Research Assistant (full-time)

Project: Punjab Human Capital Investment Project (PHCIP)’s early childhood education program in South Punjab – DARE-RC

Principal investigator: Dr. Farah Said

Duration: Three months

Start date: 1 April 2026

Travel: Not required

The Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre is looking for a qualitative research assistant to assist the research team in conducting an evaluation study of the ’s early childhood education program in South Punjab.

This study uses quantitative and qualitative techniques to evaluate the impact of PHCIP’s multi-pronged early childhood education (ECE) intervention in South Punjab. By targeting public schools serving the poorest segments of society, the study focuses on improving literacy, numeracy, and socioemotional skills among children aged 3–5.

⌛ Deadline: 22 March 2026

To apply, please head to the link in our bio.

09/03/2026

We are proud to announce that our Fellow Dr. Fizzah Sajjad has been awarded the acclaimed S.S. Pirzada Dissertation Prize 2025 (UC Berkeley) for her Ph.D. Dissertation "Speculation and Circulation: Real Estate Development and the Market for Land in Urban Pakistan" at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Her research explores Lahore's rapidly expanding real estate market as a means to contextualize and understand growing housing pressures in the city.

Dr. Sajjad is Assistant Professor at the Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences. She is also co-editor of "Lahore in Motion: Infrastructure, History and Belonging in Urban Pakistan". She holds a Masters in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with a specialization in International Development Planning, and a Bachelors in Social Sciences from the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

We congratulate her on this brilliant achievement and wish her continued success in her endeavors.