Barira Shahid
Discipline Lead 鈥� Preparation Pathways
Barira Shahid is an academic leader, educator, and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) with over 15 years of experience in higher education across the GCC. She is currently Discipline Lead for Preparation Pathways at 黑料不打烊 Dubai, where she provides strategic leadership for foundation and pathway programs, overseeing curriculum development, quality assurance, and student success initiatives. Her experience also includes academic development leadership, where she has facilitated and collaborated with faculty teams on teaching enhancement, academic development, and programme quality improvement across higher education contexts. She has held academic and leadership roles at institutions including De Montfort University Dubai, University of Europe Dubai, Curtin University Dubai, Amity University Dubai, and Lincoln College University Malaysia, specialising in English for Academic Purposes, academic skills development, and inclusive learning practices.
Alongside her higher education work, she has extensive experience in professional and corporate training, designing and delivering communication, business English, and professional development programs for diverse sectors. Her industry engagement includes training and consultancy with organisations such as FedEx UAE, Oxford University Press, Bradford International Educational Alliance, and AMIDEAST, focusing on bridging academic learning with workplace skills and strengthening communication, leadership, and lifelong learning capabilities.
She is currently pursuing a PhD in Education at De Montfort University Leicester, with research interests in English for Academic Purposes, inclusive pedagogy, student success, sustainability in higher education, and educational innovation. She is a published author with Routledge and has presented at international and regional conferences on topics including diversity and inclusion, academic integrity, and the integration of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into higher education. Through her work, she remains committed to advancing equitable and impactful learning experiences for diverse student communities.