Amal Shaiah Istanbouli is a researcher of the UCL-based 'Southern Responses to Displacement' Project. She holds an MA degree from the Institute of Muslims Civilizations, AKU, London. Amal worked on many research projects such as the Mediterranean Missing Migrant Project, and other unpublished projects. She is interested in displacement, forced migrations, the meaning of loss related to the Syrian context and to refugees in general. She is currently based in Hatay, Turkey, where she works as a consultant and as an Arabic-English interpreter.