Islah Jad is the Director of the Institute of Women's Studies at Birzeit University and is one of its founding members. She also founded the Outreach Department at the Institute. She obtained her PhD from SOAS (School of African and Asian Studies) – University of London – and currently lectures on gender and politics at the Cultural Studies Department and at the Institute of Women's Studies. Islah is an active community member and has carried out many voluntary social roles including teaching in Al-Dimirdash refugee camp. She is one of the founders of the Women's Affair Centre in Gaza and Nablus (1989), "Les Amies du Francis" (1990), "Child Corner' project in el-Bireh (1991) and WATC (pan-national Women's coalition of the Women's Affair Committee). She was also a member of WUS Program's steering committee of WUS aimed at building Palestinian women capacity in research skills and gender awareness. She previously carried out Gender Consultancy for UNDP and a co-author for the Arab Human Development Report.is currently a member of the International Board of the Human Development Institute in UC-Irvine, California.