Prior to joining the CMES AM program, Mariam Ghanem worked as a Junior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. There, her research focused on political activism and economic development in Egypt, the relationship between state institutions and religious institutions, Iranian political culture, and gender and sexuality in Islam. Mariam’s research interests include the effect of economic development on women’s rights in North Africa and the relationship between the state and civil society in Egypt. Mariam completed her undergraduate degrees at George Mason University receiving a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Global