Dr. Omar Sharifi is a well-known anthropologist and historian. Dr. Sharifi studied medicine in Kabul Medical University. In 2006, he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and obtained his Masters degree in Cultural Anthropology from Columbia University. He was also awarded Rumsfeld Fellowship and studied Foreign Policy of the United States at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. He is currently a PhD Candidate at the department of Anthropology in Boston University. He served as director of American Institute for Afghanistan Studies, a Kabul-based research center. He has been associated with various organizations in senior advisory capacities including UNICEF Afghanistan, Open Media Fund for Afghanistan (OMFA), Civil Society Development Center (CSDC), Foundation for Culture and Civil Society, and Afghan Alumni Association. Dr. Sharifi is an Asia Society Fellow and a member of Afghan 21 Young Leaders Forum.