Oxford Brookes Gaza Scholarship

Helping young Gazans make their mark on the world while offering hope

About

Oxford Brookes' Gaza Scholarship was started in 2009 by Sir Iain Chalmers and Dr Paul Brankin OBE to indicate to Palestinians in Gaza that they hadn’t been forgotten.

For many ambitious young Gazans, there are no local opportunities to progress. Higher education beyond Bachelor’s level is not available so scholarships such as this one, offering a chance to study for a Master’s, are a practical way of supporting talented Gazans to make their mark on the world.

How to apply?

Applications for this scholarship are usually managed through the HESPAL scheme (Higher Education Scholarships for Palestinians). However, because a student is already scheduled for the next intake, we do not expect an open call for the 2025/26 academic year.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is very severe and I want to contribute positively to improving things. The reputation of the master’s at Oxford Brookes is well known and directly relevant so I searched and found this scholarship. This was my chance to come here.”

Haya Abdalhadi, MA Development and Emergency Practice graduate and Gaza Scholarship recipient

Past scholars

Since the Oxford Brookes Gaza Scholarship was established in 2010, our scholars have gone on to make significant impacts in a wide range of fields, including environmental sustainability, journalism, refugee support, cancer treatment and digital technology. And all of them have helped to promote Palestinian culture and carry the message of how much the people of Gaza have to offer the world.

We are tremendously proud of all our scholars and what they have achieved. As students they enriched our University community and as graduates they have made lasting impacts – in Gaza, the UK and globally. And we are determined to help many more Gazan students do the same in the future.

Ramy Salemdeeb ’11 - MSc Environment Management &Technology

After graduating, Ramy set up volunteer-based Zero Waste MENA, which promotes sustainable practices, with the ultimate goal of closing all the landfills in the Middle East and North Africa region. Much of its work is in sharing knowledge across social media, blogs and conferences, but they did also manage to get funding to run a six-month project in Gaza.

In 2013, Ramy started a PhD on food waste at Cambridge University. And after completing that, moved to Stirling to work for Zero Waste Scotland, as an Environmental Analyst. He currently works as a Senior Analyst (Environmental Research & ESG Modeling) at S&P Global, a company that provides governments, businesses, and individuals with market data, expertise, and technology solutions for decision-making.

Ramy is keen to promote Palestinian culture and is part of the Palestinian History Tapestry team, led by friend of the Gaza Scholarship Jan Chalmers.

Ramy is hopeful he can, in the longer-term, return to use his professional and academic expertise to improve waste management and wider environmental issues in his homeland.

Jamila Alza’anin ’12 - MA Development & Emergency Practice

Jamila studied Computer Engineering at bachelor’s level, and then worked for a UN agency and development agencies in Gaza, but felt she lacked the relevant qualifications to take her career forward at that point, this is why she applied for the scholarship.

Jamila now works for a global humanitarian agency which supports refugees. She and her team work with fundraising teams around the world to bring funds that help refugees and displaced people. She is based in Dubai and covers the Middle-East and North Africa region.

Like most Gazans, Jamila is a refugee and so working for an organisation that helps refugees is particularly meaningful for her.

Hassan Alhallaq '13 - MSc e-Business

Hassan works as a Senior Implementation Consultant for Visa in Reading.

Jehan Alfarra '14 - MSc Computer Sciences

Jehan is now a multimedia journalist at Middle East Monitor, specialising in Palestinian political news and social issues. Based in London, she covers many stories that don’t get picked up by mainstream media, providing a much-needed platform for Palestinian voices to be heard on a global stage.

She also covers events happening in the UK which are of interest to people in Palestine.

Middle East Monitor has English, Spanish and Portuguese language websites – reaching a wide global audience, and Jehan feels that slowly but surely the discourse around Palestine is changing.

Shayma Alwaheidi ’15 - MSc Public Health

Shayma Alwaheidi graduated in 2015 with an MSc in Public Health. After that, she completed a PhD at King’s College London on the survival among women with breast cancer in Gaza.

Shayma is a project officer at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (Lyon, France), and a visiting research associate in cancer epidemiology at the Centre for Cancer, Society & Public Health at King's College London. She is a national consultant in her homeland, where she helps in cancer research studies and interventions, and has recently helped developing the first Palestinian National Cancer Control Plan with the World Health Organisation. She is also a research affiliate at R4HC (Research for Health in Conflict) in the MENA region.

Omar Jouda '17 - MSc e-Business

Omar Jouda graduated in 2017 with an MSc in e-Business and is now a Machine Learning Product Manager at London North Eastern Railway.

Amal Jaber ’18 - MA Development & Emergency Practice

Amal Jaber graduated in 2018 with an MA in Development & Emergency Practice. She is now an Emergency preparedness and Response Coordinator for the United Nations in the Gaza Strip.

Hadil Louz ’19 - LLM Human Rights Law

Hadil Louz graduated in 2019 with an LLM in Human Rights Law and is now working towards a PhD at the University of St Andrews.

Read her interview on how the scholarship changed her life >>

Haya Abdalhadi ’20 - MA Development & Emergency Practice

Haya Abdalhadi graduated in 2020 with an MA in Development & Emergency Practice and she is now a Monitoring and Reporting Associate with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Mosab Alkhatib '21 - MSc Mechanical Engineering

Mosab Alkhatib graduated in 2021 with an MSc in Mechanical Engineering and is now a Mechanical Engineer at Minibems Dynamic Heat Networks in Bournemouth.

Soha Altayeb '24 - MSc Applied Sport & Exercise Nutrition

Soha Altayeb was working as a medical officer in Gaza when she got the news that she had been chosen to receive the Oxford Brookes Gaza Scholarship. She arrived in Oxford in September 2023 with a dream: to deepen her knowledge of nutrition and its impact on health. She is pursing an MSc in Applied Sport & Exercise Nutrition. Read her full interview.

How to support

The scholarship is co-funded by the British Council’s Higher Education Scholarships for Palestinians (HESPAL) scheme. Oxford Brookes University raises the remaining funds from individual donors (£14,000 a year) to welcome a new Gaza scholar on campus. Every donation makes a difference and is gratefully received.