Bessma Momani

Dr. Bessma Momani is a Full Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo and serves as Associate Vice-President, International. She is also a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States’ Institute in Washington, DC, and Governor at the International Development Research Centre.

• Research focuses on disinformation in digital spaces, gender in the economy, and geopolitical security risks.
• She led the Pluralism Project on Canadian diversity and economic prosperity, funded by IRCC and Canadian Heritage.
• Previously held roles as Assistant Vice-President, International at Waterloo and non-resident senior fellow at Brookings Institution and Stimson Center.

Her recent research explores disinformation on encrypted platforms and its impact on ethnocultural communities. Projects include survey experiments, focus groups, and policy toolkits for mitigating disinformation.

She has received multiple SSHRC grants and directed the Department of National Defence's Defence and Security Foresight Group (2019-2022). As a Fulbright Scholar and Trudeau Fellow, her work bridges academic and policy domains.