Aala Abdelgadir is an Assistant Professor of Political Science. She is a comparative scholar of identity and politics. In the European context, her research investigates the impact of institutional policies and societal attitudes on the meaningful inclusion of Muslim minorities. In sub-Saharan Africa, Abdelgadir's work examines the historical origins of conservative Islamic ideas and identities and their implications for contemporary political attitudes and behaviors.
Professors Aala Abdelgadir (Political Science) and Andrea Peña-Vasquez (Graduate School of Public and International Affairs), in collaboration with Andrés Besserer Rayas (CUNY Graduate Center/El Colegio de México), have received a Global Academic Partnership (GAP) grant to launch the Migrant Regularization Archive and Data (MiRADa) project. MiRADa will create a global, publicly accessible database and digital repository documenting migrant regularization policies from 1950 to the present. By compiling source documents, conducting expert surveys, and building a global scholarly network, the project aims to bring greater conceptual clarity and visibility to an underexamined state response to irregular migration. The initiative emphasizes cross-regional research collaboration, with El Colegio de México as the lead institutional partner, and will serve scholars, policymakers, and advocates through a user-friendly platform and public-facing launch event at Pitt in 2027.