PhD in Media and Communication, University of Westminster, London, UK
MA in International Relations & Diplomacy, Hult International, London, UK
BA in International Studies, Minor Communication Studies, Al Akhawayn University (AUI), Ifrane, Morocco

Dr. Loubna El Mkaouar is a specialist in innovation and power structures for development.  She has an interdisciplinary background that combines a unique global experience in the media and creative industries, as well as leading government and academic roles with a European expertise and a developing global south focus.  She was a deputy director of the MA program of Media and Development at the University of Westminster in the UK and moved to AUD to serve as a program director of innovation and leadership in the innovative industries. She is an Associate professor in innovation and leadership.

Dr. El Mkaouar co-worked to support many government initiatives such as the United Kingdom’s multimillion pounds Chevening program to train key media stakeholders and practitioners across Asia and Africa for fact checking and eradicating miss-information. She also led a strategic Mission by the EU to support the ministry of information in Morocco to observe international standards of gender rights as endorsed in the Moroccan constitution at the creative content production and human resources levels.  She worked as a foresight strategist for tech giants managing risk and opportunity intelligence. She also worked as an Art director & Producer for news and entertainment with agencies such as the Associated Press.  At the same time she continuously conducted research financed by key stakeholders in innovation and development that served as strategy in education, the media and the creative industries.

Dr. El Mkaouar has a 13 years’ experience in teaching at BA and MA levels as well as supervising MA dissertations and PhDs at the University of Westminster, City University of London and Kings College University.

Her research focuses on power relations and power structures, from ownership to policy to disruptive innovations along with storytelling, discourse, content production and creativity as tools of change.  She works with the principle of “the adjacent possible” aiming at transferring knowledge while focusing on urgent transferable skills to students in fast-changing hybrid media and metaverse, AI induced industries.