President, Shaheen Institute for Strategy and Development

Dr. Dawud Al Ansari is a leading expert in geopolitics, energy, and development, specialising in global issues and GCC-related questions. His research strands include the political economy of energy and industrialisation in the Gulf, global energy scenarios and outlooks, energy access and infrastructure in conflict settings, and the geopolitics of hydrogen and critical technologies. He founded and leads the Shaheen Institute for Strategy and Development, a Muscat-based think tank working on economics, geopolitics, and foresight in the Gulf and its partner regions. He also directs the Energy Access and Development Program, which implements energy and water infrastructure in Yemen, and chairs the Berlin-based Stiftung Nord-Süd-Brücken. Working between Muscat and Berlin, he is an adjunct professor at TU Berlin and the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech), advises decision-makers in Germany and the GCC, and comments on regional affairs in international media. Previously, he was President of the Majan Council and, at SWP Berlin, led work on hydrogen geopolitics, EU–GCC energy relations, and regional stability.