About Alia
Alia Soliman holds an MA in Comparative Literature from the American University in Cairo and a PhD in Cultural Studies from the Centre of Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry at University College London, a University of London and a Russell Group University consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world in the fields of Arts and Humanities.
She holds several academic positions in the MiddleEast, Europe, and Canada.
She is affiliated with NYUAD: she is an art and heritage writer and editor with the Heritagelab Center, a global initiative by a collective of heritage professionals and art historians for the preservation and promotion of material and intangible heritage. She also works as Lecturer of Literary, Cultural and Visual Studies at New York University Abu Dhabi.
She is currently an invited Visiting Faculty with Universidade Aberta, Lisbon where she contributes to an MA module titled “Literature and Other Arts” through instruction on gender and identity in literature, film, and photography. Her instruction in this curricular unit is based on her monograph The Doppelgänger in Our Time: Visions of Alterity in Literature, Visual Culture, and New Media.
She’s a committee member at the Doctoral and Early Career Research Network at the Art History Association, UK.
She is a Pushcart nominated creative-critical writer who is fascinated by the connection between words and images. She has published several peer-reviewed articles on contemporary Arab visual art, ekphrastic writing, heritage and identity, reading and alterity, and the intersection of memory and image.
She’s has worked in art and culture programming for over fifteen years. She has taken an active role in curricular design at NYUAD where she has implemented an extensive Visual Literacy program for freshmen students.
She has worked and collaborated with numerous cultural and educational entities in the Middle East and globally such as Museo Reina Sofia, Art Dubai, New York University Press, Universidade Aberta Lisbon, and the UK Art History Association. She has extensive editorial experience, the most recent of which is the Library of Arabic Literature, a series of English translations published by New York University Press.
Testimonials
Clients, Partners, & Affiliations
"In my years of collaboration with Alia, her unparalleled commitment to student learning has consistently stood out. Her innovative teaching methods empower students to grasp intricate concepts with clarity and depth. But her attentiveness to individual learning journeys truly sets her apart. Through thoughtfully organized visual literacy modules and experiential learning excursions, she offers students the opportunity to apply their knowledge in tangible contexts. Under Alia’s guidance, students don't just learn; they thrive, explore, and appreciate the world in all its colours."
Vasilis (Bill) Molos Director and Research Lead, HHF Greek Canadian Archives at York University, Canada