When you look into the landscape of modern education and leadership in the Middle East, a few names tend to pop up repeatedly in academic circles. One of those is Dr. Reem AlDhaheri (often searched as Reem M. Al Dhahiry). Now, honestly, if you’re just casual-scrolling, you might mistake her for one of the many "influencers" out there. But she’s actually a heavy-hitter in the world of higher education and policy.
She isn't just a teacher. She’s someone who has spent over 18 years—nearly two decades, if you want to feel old—navigating the complexities of how people learn and lead in the United Arab Emirates.
Who is Reem M. AlDhaheri?
Basically, Dr. Reem is an academic powerhouse based at Zayed University. She’s an Assistant Professor, but her reach goes way beyond a standard classroom lecture. If you’ve ever wondered why some educational systems in the UAE are shifting toward entrepreneurship, she’s likely one of the people behind the curtain pulling the levers.
She earned her PhD in Educational Management, Leadership and Policy from the British University in Dubai. That’s not a "fluff" degree. It’s the kind of qualification that looks at how big institutions actually function—or why they fail.
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Her Academic Path
- Bachelor of Science: Communication and Media Sciences (Zayed University).
- Master of Education: Educational Management and Leadership (Zayed University).
- PhD: Educational Management, Leadership and Policy (The British University in Dubai).
It is kinda interesting that she stayed loyal to her roots, graduating from the very institution where she now shapes minds. Since 2018, she’s been a fixture in the faculty, but her administrative experience stretches back way further. She even chaired the Department of Advising and Academic Development. If you've ever been a confused college student, you know that the "Advising" department is basically the glue holding the whole experience together.
Why Her Research Actually Matters
Most academic research is, let's be real, a bit dry. It sits in journals that nobody reads. But AlDhaheri focuses on stuff that actually impacts real families.
Take homeschooling, for example.
In a region where traditional schooling is the absolute norm, she’s been looking into why parents in the UAE are suddenly pulling their kids out of the system. Her 2024 work, Parental motivations for homeschooling in the United Arab Emirates, digs into the "why" behind this shift. Is it religious? Is it about the quality of curriculum? She’s one of the few scholars actually putting data behind these questions.
Entrepreneurship in the Classroom
She’s also obsessed with entrepreneurship education.
The UAE is trying to move away from an oil-reliant economy, and they need "job creators," not just "job seekers." Reem’s research explores how to bake that "startup mentality" into undergraduate programs.
She isn't just talking about opening a lemonade stand. She’s looking at the systemic integration of business logic into non-business degrees. It's about changing the way a 19-year-old thinks about their future career.
The "Human" Side of the Academic
It’s easy to look at a list of publications and see a robot. But Dr. Reem is a Higher Education Academy (HEA) Fellow. That’s a global recognition of teaching excellence. It means she actually cares about the art of teaching, not just the data of it.
She teaches a wild variety of courses:
- Life Skills (probably the most underrated class in any university).
- Methods of Scientific Research.
- Integrated Curriculum for Early Childhood.
- Parents as Educators.
She’s basically covering the entire lifespan of a human, from early childhood development to the professional skills you need to not go broke as an adult.
Common Misconceptions
When people search for "Reem M. Al Dhahiry," they sometimes get her confused with other people with similar names in the region. Let’s clear that up. She isn't a politician in the traditional sense, and she isn't a "social media celebrity."
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She is a practitioner.
She’s someone who works in the "boring but important" middle ground where government policy meets actual student life. If the UAE government says, "We want more innovation," people like Dr. Reem are the ones who have to figure out how to teach that to a class of thirty sleep-deprived sophomores on a Tuesday morning.
What's Next for Her?
As of 2026, her focus seems to be shifting even more toward Alternative Education. With the world becoming more digital and "decentralized," the old-school model of sitting in a desk for eight hours is dying. Her recent manuscripts suggest she's looking at how the UAE can lead in these "alternative" spaces without losing their cultural identity.
Honestly, the most impressive thing isn't the PhD. It’s the 18 years of consistency. In a world where people change careers every three years, staying in the trenches of higher education for nearly two decades shows a level of grit that’s rare.
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Actionable Insights from Her Work
If you are an educator or a parent, there are a few things you can take away from AlDhaheri’s career and research:
- Advise, don't just teach. Her time as Chair of Advising shows that student success happens outside the lecture hall.
- Entrepreneurship is a mindset. It’s not just for "business majors." It can be integrated into any field.
- Alternative education is growing. If you're a parent in the Gulf, homeschooling or hybrid models are no longer "weird" outliers—they are researched, valid paths.
- Stay local, think global. Her path through Zayed University proves you don't have to leave your home country to become a world-class expert.
If you’re looking to follow her work, keeping an eye on the Zayed University faculty portal or ResearchGate is your best bet. She is actively publishing, and her 2024-2025 papers on UAE homeschooling trends are essentially the current "gold standard" for that specific niche.