Dr. Rasha A. Abdulla is Associate Professor (tenured) and Past Chair of Journalism and Mass Communication at the American University in Cairo. She has a Ph.D. in Communication (December 2003) from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. Her BA (’92) and MA (’96) in Journalism and Mass Communication are both from AUC. She is the proud recipient of several teaching and research awards, including the AUC Excellence in Research and Creative Endeavors Award (2011).

Dr. Abdulla is an international consultant, providing research services and training to a list of national and international clients, including UNESCO; the Carnegie Foundation; IREX; Internews; the Open Society Foundations; the Anna Lindh Foundation; Panos Institute Paris; Cospe International; Media Diversity Institute; Meridian Eaton International; the African Journalists' Union; and others. She lectures and conducts research on a variety of topics, including media diversity; public service television; new media uses and effects; and freedom of expression, particularly as it relates to Internet-related communication. She provides training on different aspects of journalism and new media, as well as on public speaking; presentation skills; and development communication.

Dr. Abdulla's current research interests include media in transition; media uses and effects; new media; social media and political participation; public service television; development communication and education through entertainment; and freedom of expression. Her doctoral dissertation was the first large scale academic study of the uses and gratifications of the Internet among Arab students in Egypt. She is the author of "The Internet in Egypt and the Arab World," [in Arabic, Afaq Publications]; "The Internet in the Arab World: Egypt and Beyond" [Peter Lang, Inc]; "Policing the Internet in the Arab World" [the Emirates Center for Strategic Study and Research]; and numerous other research articles, reports, and book chapters. She is the recipient of the Excellence in Research Award from the School of Business, Economics, and Communication at the American University in Cairo; the American University in Cairo’s Excellence in Research and Creative Endeavors Award; and the Mostafa and Ali Amin Journalism Award, among others.

Dr. Abdulla has taught at the University of Miami; Georgia State University; and Portland State University in the United States. She has spoken or guest lectured at Stanford University; the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California; Columbia University; Marquette University; California State University at Long Beach; Florida International University; San Francisco State University; University of California, Santa Barbara; and Aarhus University in Denmark.

Dr. Abdulla is an occasional op-ed writer, and appears frequently on national and international media interviews.

Dr. Abdulla is also a professional musician. She sings and plays the guitar. She has performed on several occasions both in Egypt and the United States. A classic rocker at heart and a lover of true Egyptian music (El Sheikh Imam style), she has performed in different style venues from the Cairo Stadium to the Cairo Opera House.

Her favorite motto is by William W. Purkey:

"Sing as if no body is listening;
Dance as if nobody is watching;
And love as if you've never been hurt before."