Sania Shahid is a Junior Fellow with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center. She graduated with a MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago and a BA in International Relations with a minor in Economics from the College of William & Mary. During her undergraduate education, Sania conducted research on the buffer role performed by diplomatic spouses from India and Pakistan. Her master’s thesis topic focused on the strategies that political parties adopt after an assassination attempt against their leader.

Prior to joining Stimson, Sania worked in the non-profit sector in Pakistan as a Research and Reporting Officer for the Tameer-e-Khalaq Foundation. She has also held various Research Assistant positions working on projects about intelligence infrastructure, gendered protest strategies, and online piracy. Her research interests include political violence, gender and security, and the domestic politics of Pakistan and India. Sania has native proficiency in Urdu.