Hessa al-Attiyah is a research assistant at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies. Her research interests focus on linguistics and identity formation in Qatar. She is also the coordinator of the “Policy Analysis Unit” at the center, and a member of the editing board for Siyasat Arabiya, a peer-reviewed bi-monthly political periodical published by the Center. Before joining the ACRPS, Hessa graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Affairs, Cum Laude (With Distinction), from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service at Qatar, majoring in Culture and Politics (CULP). Her Honors Thesis was titled “Reviving the Local Dialect in Qatar: An issue of Linguistic Concern or Identity Politics?”. Before entering university, she received the Education Excellence Day Award in 2007, a Qatar-wide distinction recognizing pre-university student’s academic success. She remains a member of the Phi Alpha Theta: National History Honor Society, and was previously a member of the Honor Council at Georgetown University.