Shaikha Hussa bint Khalid Al Khalifa
Developing a Framework for Sport for Development and Peace Initiatives Focusing on Women in the GCC
Hussa is well-known for her work in women football in her region and globally. Having worked closely with FIFA, the West Asian Football Federation and her native Bahrain association to shape and develop the landscape of women football, Hussa now focuses her efforts on the social aspect of sport. Hussa's PhD topic focuses on Sport for Development and Peace and how to effectively deliver programs focusing on women within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
Hussa has a Bachelor of Science in Management from Bentley University, Massachusetts, USA.
Hussa has a Master's in Business Administration from DePaul University, Chicago, USA and a Master of Science in Human Resources from DePaul University, Chicago, USA.
PhD research description
The research aims to study the Sport for Development and Peace landscape in the GCC, focusing on initiatives that target women. Programs will be explored in depth and compared across GCC countries; specifically Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The investigation will lead to an exploration of the broader social issues affecting these countries and their women, followed by the development of a proposed framework for delivering SDP initiatives in a more effective manner. The research aims to fill the knowledge gap that exists about this relatively unexplored region in terms of Sport for Development and Peace, and add significant contributions to the SDP sector which has largely been classified as undertheorized with a lack of agreement as to its processes, guidelines and program structures. The research is timely as the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals advocates the use of sport to reach social targets and this research can thus be useful to policy-makers and International bodies.
PhD supervisors
Hussa's PhD is supervised by Dr Holly Collison and Professor Aaron Smith.
Interests and activities
Hussa speaks four languages and is looking to increase this!