Zainab Mehdi is a Researcher and Freelance Journalist, specialising in governance and development in the MENA region, especially in Iraq. Zainab has previously worked at the London School of Economics' Middle East Centre, British Red Cross in London, and Center for Arab-West Understanding (CAWU) in Cairo.

Zainab holds a BSc in Modern History and International Relations from the University of Essex and an MA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).