Founder, Haven for Artists
Dayna Ash is an intersectional feminist, performing artist, published writer, playwright, and the founder & Executive Director of Haven for Artists; a cultural feminist organization working at the intersection of art and activism.
Dayna was named one of the BBC's 100 most inspirational Women in 2019, awarded the Woman of Distinction award in 2020 by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, and Leader in LGBT Health Equity award from the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health in 2021 for advancing LGBTQ wellbeing in Lebanon. Dayna was the Cultural Delegate for Momentum in the Edinburgh Festivals Cultural Diplomacy program in 2022.
Professor in Japanese Studies
Dr. Habib Badawi is a scholar in Japanese Studies since 2005, with a dissertation on the Modern History of Japan. He an Assistant Professor at the Lebanese University and a freelance researcher in International Relations. In 2016, he became the coordinator of the "United States of America History and Civilization" course at the History Department for the university's five branches. Dr. Badawi earned the "Academic Excellence Award in the Arab World” for the category of “Academic Personality of the Year 2018" for his role in introducing "Japanese studies" to the Arab world as a stand-alone academic field of "Human Sciences".
Finance Manager
Mohammad is a finance specialist with almost 10 years of experience in Beirut and Berlin. He has been living in Berlin for the last 5 years and currently holds the position of finance manager. Alongside his career, Mohammad likes to stay active and DJs occasionally at local parties.
Professor in Film
Ali Jaber is a Professor of Film and researcher of western philosophy, deconstruction, phenomenology, and cinematic studies.
He is a PhD candidate at Vrije University Amsterdam specializing in Philosophy and Film and holds an MA in Film Studies from Kingston University London.
Lawyer & President of LOUDER
Dr. Khouloud Khatib is the president of LOUDER; she is a human rights defender, researcher, trainer, lawyer, gender and advocacy expert in the MENA region.
She holds a PhD in Public International Law and human rights from the Lebanese University.
Entrepreneur
Waddah Malaeb founded DLOC Biosystems in 2017, a biotech startup that is developing new technology to accurately predict drug failure in human trials to enable preclinical trials on-chip. This technology is expected to make clinical trials cheaper and safer. The organ-on-chip technology also aims to fully replace animal testing in the future. Wadah has five years of research experience in tissue engineering and biomedical engineering. He invented the first concept of DLOC’s chip in 2017 during his master’s thesis at the American University Beirut.
Multidisciplinary Artist
Born in Lebanon, Ramzi Mallat is a multidisciplinary artist based between London and Beirut. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Fine Art from Lancaster University and a Masters degree in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art. Mallat has been appointed a Trustee for the IMOS Foundation in the United Kingdom and
was selected as one of Forbes Middle East's 30 Under 30 Honorees in 2022. The artist participated in various solo and group exhibitions internationally, notably at the UNESCO Palace, the Cervantes Institute in Beirut,
Lebanon and Danuser & Ramirez Gallery in London, United Kingdom.
KANIYA COLLECTIVE is not a traditional academic scholarship. For our jury, the decisive criteria are outstanding personalities with ambition that are socially engaged and care about the future of Lebanon, rather than excellent grades.
The selection process of scholars is driven exclusively by our jury, with minimal involvement of the KANIYA board. This is how we ensure KANIYA remains a grassroots organisation for the Lebanese people.
We want to support the generation affected by the economic crisis. The Jury reflects our holistic approach, being experts from different professional backgrounds that are united in their motivation to offer students a possibility in the midst of these challenging times.
