Mahmoud S Elmasry
- Email: mlmsas@leeds.ac.uk
- Supervisors: Dr Andrew Delatolla, Dr Hendrik Jan Kraetzschmar
Profile
Mahmoud S Elmasry is a PhD candidate in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Leeds, working at the intersection of authoritarian politics, gender and sexuality, and media governance. His research is informed by over a decade of professional experience in human rights and civil society across the Middle East and North Africa, which shapes both its empirical focus and analytical approach.
His doctoral project examines post-2013 Egypt, arguing that discrimination operates not as a byproduct of authoritarian rule but as a structuring mechanism through which regimes organise social hierarchy, regulate belonging, and sustain political stability. Alongside his academic work, he has led regional initiatives on digital evidence, media verification, and the governance of information in conflict and high-risk environments.
Research interests
His research takes an interdisciplinary approach to authoritarian governance, focusing on the relationship between state power, gender, and digital governance. It examines how regimes organise social and political life through the management of information, space, and normative order, with particular attention to discrimination as a governing logic that structures hierarchy, regulates belonging, and sustains authority.
Qualifications
- International Relations Master Degree - Goldsmiths, University of London.
- Non-Governmental-Organizations Management Diploma - Cairo University
- Sociology Bachelor - Ain Shams University