Salma Shaheen (Amman-based): Salma Shaheen leads the programme’s day-to-day operations at IGC Jordan, working closely with the local team and in coordination with the global hub at the London School of Economics (LSE). She represents IGC locally and builds strategic partnerships with key stakeholders across government, civil society, academia, and the private sector. Prior to joining IGC, Salma worked as an Economist at the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) in London—focusing on the MENA region—and as a Researcher at Yale’s Economic Growth Center, contributing to projects across South Asian countries. She also brings valuable private sector experience, having worked with the Palestinian consulting firm Solutions, and previously at McKinsey & Company and Goldman Sachs.
Salma has over five years of experience in policy and data-driven research, with a focus on labour markets, spatial economics, and energy access and green transitions in the MENA region. Her work bridges the gap between research and implementation, using economic theory, modelling, impact evaluation, and quantitative analysis to inform evidence-based policymaking. She has collaborated with government institutions, development partners, and academic organisations on a range of applied research and policy reform initiatives.
Salma holds an MSc in Economics for Development from the University of Oxford and a BA in Economics from Yale University. She has been awarded several prestigious fellowships to research labour dynamics in Palestine, and currently serves on the boards of the Yale Arab Alumni Association and United World College
