Rima Rassi

Since 2008, Rima Rassi  has worked exclusively in academic and research settings, holding positions spanning universities, think-tanks, and research institutes in Lebanon and abroad. Rima holds a Master of Arts in Sociology from the American University of Beirut (2008). For the past twelve years, her research has been dedicated to the study of population movements and refugee crises in Lebanon and the greater Arab region. She has presented at and participated in more than twenty conferences, seminars, and workshops and has a number of publications on refugee issues. For her Ph.D. dissertation, Rima is exploring the phenomenon of the UN "surrogate state", focusing specifically on the case of Lebanon and UNHCR. Broadly speaking, her research interests include refugees, international organizations, the United Nations, the ethics of refugee research, and social justice. Rima has been asked to serve as a reader on Masters theses at the American University of Beirut as well as Harvard University and is often asked to guest lecture in graduate seminars on the Syrian refugee crisis and UNHCR.