Nayla Higazy is an environmental scientist and researcher specializing in marine ecosystems, with experience in program management. She holds a master’s degree in environmental science from Qatar University, where her research focused on coral reef ecosystems and their responses to environmental variability in the Arabian Gulf.
At Earthna, Nayla leads national and contributes to regional Blue Economy initiatives, supporting the development of evidence-based frameworks for coastal resilience across the MENA region. Her work currently centers on developing structured, system-level approaches to assess blue economy sectors and identify pathways toward more resilient and regenerative coastal systems.
Prior to joining Earthna, Nayla worked at the University of Doha for Science and Technology, where she managed research operations across a large portfolio of projects and labs, overseeing the full research lifecycle from pre- to post-award. She played a key role in establishing and standardizing research processes, including governance frameworks, operational systems, and institutional workflows that supported a growing research portfolio. Her work also included contributing to the development of research ethics frameworks, facilitating strategic collaborations with national and international stakeholders, and serving as project manager for major scientific events, while contributing to university-level committees focused on research, rankings, and institutional development.
Nayla is particularly interested in bridging science, policy, and implementation to translate complex environmental challenges into practical and scalable solutions.