Ali has years of experience working in the human rights space. He has conducted research and advocacy on the documentation of human rights abuses in conflict, focusing on improving the conduct of different parties under the International Human Rights Law (IHRL) and International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Ali previously worked for Mwatana, a leading Yemen-based human rights organization, as a researcher mainly focused on IHL and mitigating civilian harm in conflict. In addition to his work in human rights, Ali is a Cambridge certified English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor to adult learners. He worked closely with his students on international education and the overall improvement of communication skills.

Having grown up in Yemen, Ali has a special interest in education and making books available for young adults in underserved communities. He implemented two projects to establish libraries in public schools in different cities across Yemen.

Ali finished a year-long program at Columbia University as an Obama Scholar focusing his studies on human rights issues, civil society and leadership. He is an alumnus of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) having taken classes in civil society, civic engagement and leadership at Georgetown University and the University of Delaware. He is a member of the American Middle Eastern Network for Dialogue at Stanford (AMENDS). He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Sana’a University in Yemen. He is the recipient of the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship granted by the European Commission to study international relations at the University of Warsaw in Yemen.

Ali strongly believes in the protection of individual freedoms, education and Transitional Justice (TJ).

Ali enjoys a wide variety of activities including the simple pleasures of walking, listening to music, hiking and appreciating nature. Ali likes to pretend to know how to cook, but that does not go beyond the incredibly easy recipes he knows.