Shahirah Mahmood, Ph.D.
Director, Data Management, Measurement and Outcomes at Easterseals DC MD VA- Claim this Profile
Click to upgrade to our gold package
for the full feature experience.
-
Indonesian Native or bilingual proficiency
-
Malay Native or bilingual proficiency
Topline Score
Bio
Rachel Rinaldo
Shahirah is a terrific qualitative social scientist who combines deep regional knowledge of Southeast Asia with a strong grounding in political science and women’s/gender studies. Shahirah’s recent PhD dissertation is an important and longitudinal study of Indonesian Muslim women’s organizations, ranging from Islamist to feminist. In a majority Muslim country which is also a dynamic democracy, Shahirah examines the debates, struggles and interactions between different activists, as well as the structural conditions that shape their work and its potential for success. Shahirah’s research contributes to a broader understanding of women’s activism in Muslim settings, as well as human rights and equality in democratizing and developing countries more generally. Shahirah is a skilled and insightful researcher and analyst who would be a tremendous asset for any employer.
Joseph Liow
I have known Shahirah since 2007 when she joined the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, as my research assistant. While I have never taught her, we worked closely over a year on several research projects. This has afforded me ample opportunities to observe her aptitude for academic research up close, as well as her attitude and professionalism. Shahirah was tasked to help me with research on two contracted book projects. The first project was a major study on Islamism in Malaysia, which was published by Oxford University Press in New York. The second project was on Islamic education in Thailand’s southern border provinces. Shahirah’s help proved absolutely critical to the completion of these two projects. She was a highly motivated and enthusiastic researcher who has a deep passion for the topic of Muslim social movements in Southeast Asia. This passion came across in the quality of her work for me, where she went far beyond merely collating information to share with me her own insights and analysis of the trends I was interested in interrogating. This proved immensely helpful to my own work, and it was also this that led me to enthusiastically support her application for a Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I should stress that Shahirah energy and enthusiasm relates not only to her academic pursuits - indeed she has gone on to complete a fine Ph.D. dissertation which passed without revision - but also to "real world" policy issues and challenges. During her time at RSIS, she contributed actively to the School's climate of discussion and debate of pressing policy issues of the day, especially pertaining to Indonesia and Malaysia, two countries in which she has developed deep knowledge, understanding, and expertise. She has since indicated to me an interest in doing research and analysis in the private, NGO, and think tank sectors. I firmly believe that Shahirah is well equipped to thrive in such environments. She has a probing mind and sharp analytical skills, and is someone who is self-motivated and can keep to tight deadlines.
Rachel Rinaldo
Shahirah is a terrific qualitative social scientist who combines deep regional knowledge of Southeast Asia with a strong grounding in political science and women’s/gender studies. Shahirah’s recent PhD dissertation is an important and longitudinal study of Indonesian Muslim women’s organizations, ranging from Islamist to feminist. In a majority Muslim country which is also a dynamic democracy, Shahirah examines the debates, struggles and interactions between different activists, as well as the structural conditions that shape their work and its potential for success. Shahirah’s research contributes to a broader understanding of women’s activism in Muslim settings, as well as human rights and equality in democratizing and developing countries more generally. Shahirah is a skilled and insightful researcher and analyst who would be a tremendous asset for any employer.
Joseph Liow
I have known Shahirah since 2007 when she joined the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, as my research assistant. While I have never taught her, we worked closely over a year on several research projects. This has afforded me ample opportunities to observe her aptitude for academic research up close, as well as her attitude and professionalism. Shahirah was tasked to help me with research on two contracted book projects. The first project was a major study on Islamism in Malaysia, which was published by Oxford University Press in New York. The second project was on Islamic education in Thailand’s southern border provinces. Shahirah’s help proved absolutely critical to the completion of these two projects. She was a highly motivated and enthusiastic researcher who has a deep passion for the topic of Muslim social movements in Southeast Asia. This passion came across in the quality of her work for me, where she went far beyond merely collating information to share with me her own insights and analysis of the trends I was interested in interrogating. This proved immensely helpful to my own work, and it was also this that led me to enthusiastically support her application for a Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I should stress that Shahirah energy and enthusiasm relates not only to her academic pursuits - indeed she has gone on to complete a fine Ph.D. dissertation which passed without revision - but also to "real world" policy issues and challenges. During her time at RSIS, she contributed actively to the School's climate of discussion and debate of pressing policy issues of the day, especially pertaining to Indonesia and Malaysia, two countries in which she has developed deep knowledge, understanding, and expertise. She has since indicated to me an interest in doing research and analysis in the private, NGO, and think tank sectors. I firmly believe that Shahirah is well equipped to thrive in such environments. She has a probing mind and sharp analytical skills, and is someone who is self-motivated and can keep to tight deadlines.
Rachel Rinaldo
Shahirah is a terrific qualitative social scientist who combines deep regional knowledge of Southeast Asia with a strong grounding in political science and women’s/gender studies. Shahirah’s recent PhD dissertation is an important and longitudinal study of Indonesian Muslim women’s organizations, ranging from Islamist to feminist. In a majority Muslim country which is also a dynamic democracy, Shahirah examines the debates, struggles and interactions between different activists, as well as the structural conditions that shape their work and its potential for success. Shahirah’s research contributes to a broader understanding of women’s activism in Muslim settings, as well as human rights and equality in democratizing and developing countries more generally. Shahirah is a skilled and insightful researcher and analyst who would be a tremendous asset for any employer.
Joseph Liow
I have known Shahirah since 2007 when she joined the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, as my research assistant. While I have never taught her, we worked closely over a year on several research projects. This has afforded me ample opportunities to observe her aptitude for academic research up close, as well as her attitude and professionalism. Shahirah was tasked to help me with research on two contracted book projects. The first project was a major study on Islamism in Malaysia, which was published by Oxford University Press in New York. The second project was on Islamic education in Thailand’s southern border provinces. Shahirah’s help proved absolutely critical to the completion of these two projects. She was a highly motivated and enthusiastic researcher who has a deep passion for the topic of Muslim social movements in Southeast Asia. This passion came across in the quality of her work for me, where she went far beyond merely collating information to share with me her own insights and analysis of the trends I was interested in interrogating. This proved immensely helpful to my own work, and it was also this that led me to enthusiastically support her application for a Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I should stress that Shahirah energy and enthusiasm relates not only to her academic pursuits - indeed she has gone on to complete a fine Ph.D. dissertation which passed without revision - but also to "real world" policy issues and challenges. During her time at RSIS, she contributed actively to the School's climate of discussion and debate of pressing policy issues of the day, especially pertaining to Indonesia and Malaysia, two countries in which she has developed deep knowledge, understanding, and expertise. She has since indicated to me an interest in doing research and analysis in the private, NGO, and think tank sectors. I firmly believe that Shahirah is well equipped to thrive in such environments. She has a probing mind and sharp analytical skills, and is someone who is self-motivated and can keep to tight deadlines.
Rachel Rinaldo
Shahirah is a terrific qualitative social scientist who combines deep regional knowledge of Southeast Asia with a strong grounding in political science and women’s/gender studies. Shahirah’s recent PhD dissertation is an important and longitudinal study of Indonesian Muslim women’s organizations, ranging from Islamist to feminist. In a majority Muslim country which is also a dynamic democracy, Shahirah examines the debates, struggles and interactions between different activists, as well as the structural conditions that shape their work and its potential for success. Shahirah’s research contributes to a broader understanding of women’s activism in Muslim settings, as well as human rights and equality in democratizing and developing countries more generally. Shahirah is a skilled and insightful researcher and analyst who would be a tremendous asset for any employer.
Joseph Liow
I have known Shahirah since 2007 when she joined the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, as my research assistant. While I have never taught her, we worked closely over a year on several research projects. This has afforded me ample opportunities to observe her aptitude for academic research up close, as well as her attitude and professionalism. Shahirah was tasked to help me with research on two contracted book projects. The first project was a major study on Islamism in Malaysia, which was published by Oxford University Press in New York. The second project was on Islamic education in Thailand’s southern border provinces. Shahirah’s help proved absolutely critical to the completion of these two projects. She was a highly motivated and enthusiastic researcher who has a deep passion for the topic of Muslim social movements in Southeast Asia. This passion came across in the quality of her work for me, where she went far beyond merely collating information to share with me her own insights and analysis of the trends I was interested in interrogating. This proved immensely helpful to my own work, and it was also this that led me to enthusiastically support her application for a Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I should stress that Shahirah energy and enthusiasm relates not only to her academic pursuits - indeed she has gone on to complete a fine Ph.D. dissertation which passed without revision - but also to "real world" policy issues and challenges. During her time at RSIS, she contributed actively to the School's climate of discussion and debate of pressing policy issues of the day, especially pertaining to Indonesia and Malaysia, two countries in which she has developed deep knowledge, understanding, and expertise. She has since indicated to me an interest in doing research and analysis in the private, NGO, and think tank sectors. I firmly believe that Shahirah is well equipped to thrive in such environments. She has a probing mind and sharp analytical skills, and is someone who is self-motivated and can keep to tight deadlines.
Credentials
-
Managing and Analyzing Data in Excel (Office 365/Excel 2019)
LinkedInAug, 2020- Oct, 2024 -
Quicksight AWS
Udemy -
WWU Social Media Guru
Whole Whale
Experience
-
Easterseals DC MD VA
-
United States
-
Individual and Family Services
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
Director, Data Management, Measurement and Outcomes
-
Nov 2021 - Present
-
-
Senior Project Manager, Measurement and Evaluation
-
Jan 2020 - Nov 2021
-
-
Grants Writer (Grants, Innovation and Program Development)
-
Sep 2018 - Jan 2020
Part of a grants writing and innovation team with a win rate of 70%. My core competencies are crafting compelling cases of support for grant proposals/RFPs, collecting and analyzing data for grant compliance and reporting, and developing program outcomes, and logic models.
-
-
Grants Associate ( Grants, Innovation and Program Development)
-
Aug 2018 - Sep 2018
-
-
-
interstory
-
United States
-
Strategic Management Services
-
Board Member
-
Feb 2021 - Jan 2022
I provide guidance, share ideas and lead events at Interstory - a global professional network for program directors, L&D managers, community organizers, civil servants and CSR professionals that run high-impact programs. We bring together program professionals from around the world to discuss, practice and master the art of creating, leading and managing high-impact programs. I provide guidance, share ideas and lead events at Interstory - a global professional network for program directors, L&D managers, community organizers, civil servants and CSR professionals that run high-impact programs. We bring together program professionals from around the world to discuss, practice and master the art of creating, leading and managing high-impact programs.
-
-
-
Spark Insight Partners
-
United States
-
Public Policy Offices
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
Evaluation Consultant
-
Jun 2017 - Aug 2017
• Assisted in the evaluation of client’s strategies involving the usage of cross-sector collaboration and innovation for advancing the goals of the nuclear security field. • Coded interviews for contribution in analysis and report writing for the final output delivered to clients. • Assisted in the evaluation of client’s strategies involving the usage of cross-sector collaboration and innovation for advancing the goals of the nuclear security field. • Coded interviews for contribution in analysis and report writing for the final output delivered to clients.
-
-
-
Freedom House
-
United States
-
Non-profit Organizations
-
300 - 400 Employee
-
Country Analyst
-
Jul 2016 - May 2017
• Country Analyst for Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei; wrote country reports for the Freedom in the World 2017 project, an annual survey of civil liberties and political rights. • Remained current on public policy issues and news development pertaining to civil liberties and political rights in the Asia Pacific region. • Conducted data-driven research to identify longitudinal trends on civil liberties and political rights, and determine quantitative, country-comparative ‘freedom scores’. • Contributed and worked with other analysts in the Asia Pacific ratings review meeting to discuss and determine ‘freedom scores’ for countries in the region. • Responded efficiently and effectively to inquiries from academic advisors and other analysts; produced updated analysis for quick turnaround.
-
-
-
Management Systems International
-
United States
-
International Trade and Development
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Research Associate
-
Aug 2016 - Sep 2016
• Analyzed and consolidated core findings from monitoring and evaluation (M&E) reports for the USAID Economic Growth, Education and Environment (E3) Bureau. • Authored abstracts for M&E reports that were used by the E3 Bureau to improve effectiveness of future projects. • Collaborated with other analysts during the project to ensure consistency across reports. • Analyzed and consolidated core findings from monitoring and evaluation (M&E) reports for the USAID Economic Growth, Education and Environment (E3) Bureau. • Authored abstracts for M&E reports that were used by the E3 Bureau to improve effectiveness of future projects. • Collaborated with other analysts during the project to ensure consistency across reports.
-
-
-
American Association of University Women at AU
-
Civic and Social Organizations
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
PhD Disseration
-
Jan 2012 - Jul 2016
• Developed an original research agenda and managed a four-year research project; wrote a book manuscript, "Contextualizing the Global, Remaking the Local: Islam and Women’s Rights in Indonesia" offering a framework to analyze how discourse on Islam and women’s rights are combined to shape norms and policies on gender equality. • Used a mixed methodological approach to design a theoretical framework, collect data and conduct a rigorous analysis of transnational women’s activism in a Muslim majority country across three issue areas: Islamic marriage laws, gender-based violence, and women’s reproductive rights. • Conducted 100+ semi-structured interviews of multiple stakeholders across several Indonesian provinces; led 10 focus group discussions; designed survey protocol and implemented a small-N survey across four Muslim women’s organizations. • Performed discourse and content analysis of over 500+ pages of primary source material including parliamentary minutes, religious edicts, religious institutions’ organizational material, newspapers and archival data. • Employed sociological frame analysis and anthropological theory on cultural translation to uncover how meanings and values evolve when cultural categories and ideas travel across diverse communities; the book manuscript systematically examines the conditions and ways in which processes of human rights translation occur in a Muslim majority country. • Wrote and won 5 grant proposals to fund field research abroad; managed a budget of $50K. - • • • • Presented dissertation findings in inter-disciplinary conferences; one chapter to be published in an edited volume.
-
-
-
University of Wisconsin-Madison
-
Higher Education
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Teaching Assistant
-
Aug 2008 - Sep 2011
• Taught classes from introductory political science, international relations, comparative politics to international law, Islam and politics.• Gave lectures to 200+ students• Provided one-to-one consulting sessions to students on Political Science topics and studies• Planned and conducted in-class simulations of international law disputes• Designed lesson plans that promoted in-class debate and discussion
-
-
Researcher (Design, Fieldwork, Data Analysis)
-
Jan 2009 - Sep 2009
• Designed a study, conducted fieldwork in Jakarta (over 3 months), and wrote a report on the "Assessment of Aid Effectiveness: Case Studies of KDP and ACCESS in Indonesia"• Diagnosed political structure problems related to gender mainstreaming.• Recommended solutions to improve the quality of donor oversight procedures and ensure compliance of gender mainstreaming goals. • Liaised and coordinated monitoring and evaluation strategies regarding gender mainstreaming impact with local government agencies and international organizations.
-
-
-
Tata Group
-
India
-
Executive Offices
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Researcher (Research Design, Fieldwork, Data Analysis)
-
Jan 2010 - Sep 2010
• Co-designed a study, conducted fieldwork and wrote a report on, "Cooperatives and Equitable Upgrading: SEWA and Textile Manufacturing in India." • Extensive research on organizational structure of varied business models and business model transition. •Identifying problems and developing strategy generating sustainable operations and supply chain while mitigating workers’ welfare risks. • Recommended strategies to reduce transaction and managerial costs while improving workers’ welfare.
-
-
-
Nanyang Technological University Singapore
-
Singapore
-
Higher Education
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Research Analyst at Rajaratnam School of International Studies
-
Jul 2007 - Jul 2008
• Edited 3 book manuscripts • Produced reports and analysis on the 2008 12th Malaysian General Elections • Authored reports on “Rise of Islamism in Southeast Asia” & “Turkey and Rise of Political Islam” • Wrote newspaper commentaries • Published research papers under the RSIS working paper series • Translated books from Indonesian and Malay into English • Rapporteur for in-house conferences • Edited 3 book manuscripts • Produced reports and analysis on the 2008 12th Malaysian General Elections • Authored reports on “Rise of Islamism in Southeast Asia” & “Turkey and Rise of Political Islam” • Wrote newspaper commentaries • Published research papers under the RSIS working paper series • Translated books from Indonesian and Malay into English • Rapporteur for in-house conferences
-
-
-
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore
-
Singapore
-
International Affairs
-
400 - 500 Employee
-
Intern
-
May 2006 - Jul 2006
• Wrote political briefs for ambassadors and the President • Planned visiting trips for ambassadors to Singapore Consulates abroad • Wrote reports on potential 2008 US Presidential Candidates and implications for US Foreign Policy on Singapore • Wrote political briefs for ambassadors and the President • Planned visiting trips for ambassadors to Singapore Consulates abroad • Wrote reports on potential 2008 US Presidential Candidates and implications for US Foreign Policy on Singapore
-
-
-
-
Intern
-
May 2005 - Jul 2005
• Wrote a book for foster children • Conducted research and documentation that was included in a pamphlet for youth outreach services • Assisted psychologist and counselors in counseling youth and children • Assisted social workers conducting site visits of adoptive families • Wrote a book for foster children • Conducted research and documentation that was included in a pamphlet for youth outreach services • Assisted psychologist and counselors in counseling youth and children • Assisted social workers conducting site visits of adoptive families
-
-
-
Ang Mo Kio Secondary School
-
Singapore
-
English and Literature Teacher
-
Jan 2002 - Aug 2003
- Taught English, Literature and Civics and Moral Education to students aged 13 -16 - Conducted service trips for students - Taught English, Literature and Civics and Moral Education to students aged 13 -16 - Conducted service trips for students
-
-
Education
-
2010 - 2016
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Political Science and Government -
2008 - 2010
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Master of Arts (M.A.), Political Science and Government -
2003 - 2007
National University of Singapore
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) (Honors, 2nd Upper), Political Science and Government
Community
