Waleed holds PhD in applied linguistics (Arabic sociolinguistics) and an MA and BA in Arabic language from the University of Jordan. Waleed was a professor of applied linguistics at QU, Petra University, Jordan, and a professor of applied linguistics at CASA (Center of Arabic Study Abroad), Harvard University, Jordan. Waleed has over thirty publications, including articles in refereed papers and seven books on various aspects of applied Arabic linguistics, including teaching Arabic as a foreign language, teaching Arabic as a native language, linguistic globalization, Arabic computational linguistics, internet linguistics, discourse analysis, and forensic linguistics.

Riham obtained a master’s degree in Arabic language and literature from Al-Albayt University after completing her BA in Arabic language and literature at Jerash University. She worked as an Arabic instructor at the Jordanian Ministry of Education and as an Arabic instructor and language coordinator at international schools in Saudi Arabia. In 2009, Riham began volunteering as an SIT Jordan language instructor for intermediate high and advanced levels. In 2010, she joined SIT full time and has been teaching Modern Standard Arabic ever since. Riham also works as academic coordinator for the Arabic Intensive Language summer program.

Rania received her master’s degree in international business management from the University of Surrey in England in 2009 after completing her BA in business administration at the Applied Science University in Jordan. Throughout her career, she has accrued significant experience in human resources management while honing her language and cross-cultural intrapersonal skills to fit the needs of SIT’s diverse student population. Her past experience in sports management has also helped her in dealing with a wide variety of personalities. Rania is responsible for managing student affairs and helping students cope with the day-to-day challenges they face while studying abroad in Amman.

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Dr. Alqudah holds a PhD in clinical and medical psychology from the College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, and an MA in psychology from the University of Jordan. He specializes in clinical medical psychology and the psychology of chronic pain. His area of research interest includes psychopathology, psychological treatments and psychotherapies, and psycho-social support for refugees and displaced persons. He is also affiliated with the department of psychology at the University of Jordan in Amman and has worked on projects conducted by a number of health organizations that included Doctors of the World Organization, the War Trauma Foundation, and the Antares Foundation. He is a member of the Jordanian Mental Health Licensing Committee. Since 2008, he has been involved with the SIT Modernization and Social Change program in Jordan as lecturer, ISP advisor, and then as coordinator of the Research Methods and Ethics course. Dr. Alqudah has co-authored a number of articles that have appeared in the Journal of Cybertherapy and Rehabilitation, the Journal of Pain Research, and the International Journal of Psychological Studies.

Dr. Al-Tabini, a Jordanian national, holds a PhD in environment and sustainability from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK. He is a former general director of the Hashemite Fund for Development of Jordanian Badia in Jordan and has managed a variety of development projects in the Middle East and North Africa on such diverse topics as environment and sustainability, management of scarce water resources, and developing sustainable livelihoods in pastoral communities. He is a frequent presenter at international conferences and is well-published in the field of sustainable development. He has served as an academic director with SIT in Jordan since 2007. His role as academic director is multifaceted, as he designs the various academic and field-based components of the program, administers the program as a whole, and acts as a resource and intellectual guide. He has also delivered lectures on water and environmental policy and taught a course on research methods and ethics. The SIT program is heavily research-oriented, and he ensures that ethical standards are met, and that research is thoroughly professional, academic, and topical to the program of study.