Overview
This webinar explores how institutions can make structured, ethical and defensible decisions about Transnational Education (TNE) during periods of geopolitical instability and conflict disruption. Drawing on direct leadership experience within the Gulf higher education sector, including operational management during periods of regional uncertainty, the session combines strategic insight with the practical institutional realities.
The webinar examines how universities balance duty of care, academic continuity, regulatory compliance, and reputational risk while supporting students and staff through rapidly evolving circumstances. Rather than positioning TNE solely as an internationalisation strategy, the session reframes it as a form of risk-exposed international activity requiring robust governance structures, clear decision-making thresholds, ethical leadership frameworks, and operational adaptability.
Key themes
- Student wellbeing and engagement during disruption
- Continuity planning and institutional resilience
- Partner and staff dependency risks
- Leadership decision-making under uncertainty
- Values-based institutional responses
- Governance and accountability in complex TNE environments.
Take part in our survey to inform the webinar
Advance HE is conducting a short sector survey to support an upcoming regional webinar exploring how institutions operating Transnational Education (TNE) in the Gulf manage disruption, uncertainty and conflict-related risk.
The survey focuses specifically on institutions with TNE operations in Gulf contexts.
Responses will help inform discussion during the webinar and contribute to anonymised regional insights shared with participants following the session. Individual institutions will not be identified.
The survey should take approximately 5-7 minutes to complete.
Speakers
Faiza Qureshi
Chair, Learning and Teaching Committee, Discipline Head, Postgraduate Education, Murdoch University Dubai
Faiza Qureshi, PFHEA, is a transnational higher education specialist and academic leader with nearly 20 years of experience across the Middle East and South Asia. Her work focuses on the academic, operational, strategic, and quality assurance dimensions of Transnational Education.
She is Discipline Head for the postgraduate Education portfolio and Discovery Units at Murdoch University Dubai, where she has worked for over a decade, leading initiatives in teaching excellence, academic innovation, AI in higher education, and student success.
She chairs Murdoch Dubai’s Learning and Teaching Committee and Annual Learning and Teaching Conference and serves on several academic and institutional boards across TNE higher education and the K–12 sector.
A Principal Fellow of Advance HE and Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, her teaching and research interests include transnational higher education quality, leadership and governance, AI and educational technology, assessments, and student and staff success.
Michael Gallimore
Dean and Academic President, Murdoch University Dubai
Professor Michael Gallimore is currently the Dean and Academic President of Murdoch University Dubai and has an extensive career spanning 30 years in both academic and industry sectors.
Previous academic roles have included Head of DMU Dubai (UAE), Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs (Kuwait), College Director of Teaching and Learning (UK), and Head of Engineering (UK).
Prior to his academic career, Professor Gallimore spent several years working for Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd, Lincoln, UK with various roles including Design Engineer, Senior Technical Support Engineer and Service Manager. He is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer, Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and has been working in Education since 2006.
His research interests focus on the application of AI and Machine Learning methods for fault detection and diagnosis in transient dynamic systems, including industrial systems, personalised drug dosing, and treatment response prediction. He has also carried out pedagogical research in student transition and support in Engineering Mathematics.
Book your place
24 June 2026 I 12:00 – 12:45 (GST/UTC+4)
