Angela R Pashayan

Dr. A.R. Pashayan is a lecturing adjunct at Johns Hopkins SAIS and a full-time lecturing professor at American University, Washington, DC, at the School of International Service (SIS). She earned a PhD at Howard University in Political Science and International Relations, graduating as distinguished scholar in the top 5% of her class. She holds an MA degree from Norwich University in Vermont, and a BA degree from UCLA where her extensive global travels to learn about the human condition began. Her expertise is in Informal Settlements of Africa intersects gender, health, climate, food security and human rights. Dr. Pashayan’s experience in extreme poverty reduction also includes projects in Peru, India, Nepal, Indonesia, Cuba, Tanzania, and 10+ years of experience in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Her recent book, “Development in Africa’s Informal Settlements; Below the Proletariat” (Nov. 2023) provides valuable insight on realities and development issues in slums.Dr. Pashayan’s podcast and contribution to Brookings Foresight Africa 2024 Publication is further testimony to her expertise. She has spoken on the UN floor as an ECOSOC Advisor to the United Nations, and provides guest lectures on the social and environmental determinants of health and climate conditions in slums. Her lived and academic experiences provide a unique perspective on geopolitical issues that intersect extreme poverty and policymaking on the continent of Africa.