Naomi Hossain

Professor Naomi Hossain is a Global Research Professor at the Department of Development Studies at SOAS University of London and Director of the SOAS Development for Transformation Centre (DevTraC). She holds qualifications including a BA from Oxford University, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a DPhil from Sussex University. Her research focuses on the politics of development in Bangladesh, contentious politics of public services and disasters, state accountability, protest, and civic agency. She has conducted extensive research across Bangladesh and managed international studies spanning 20+ countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe.

Key research interests include the politics of development, Bangladesh governance, protest dynamics, disaster politics, civil society, social movements, and famine studies. Her work integrates interdisciplinary approaches and collaborates with social movements, governments, and aid agencies. She previously worked at BRAC, the Institute of Development Studies (Sussex), and the Accountability Research Center (American University).

Her recent articles address famine politics, education reform, grievance mechanisms, and the impact of crises like the 2022 cost-of-living protests. She emphasizes the role of 'unruly politics' and moral economy frameworks in addressing systemic inequalities. Currently, she supervises PhD students focusing on Bangladesh's development politics, energy protests, and famine/disaster studies.