Memorial Research Grants

The Memorial Research Grants have been established to honour the memory of IIS alumnae Mumtaz Mehboob and Nabila Wajli. The grants are available for a period of three years (2022-2025) to support IIS alumni who wish to pursue research in the fields of Education and Anthropology.

A grant of up to £1,000 per award is available annually in the fields of Education and Anthropology, with a preference for proposals that reflect the particular interests outlined below. Applicants should specify how their proposed research or dissemination project aligns with the scope of this Memorial Research Grants.

Education field

Mumtaz Mehboob (1987-2018) joined STEP Cohort 10 from Pakistan, and was posthumously appointed an Honorary STEP Teacher. A painter as well as a passionate teacher, her classmates said that her paintings

“demonstrate her love and appreciation for beauty in nature and her positive attitude towards life, which continues to inspire everyone around her.”

In order to further Mumtaz’s pursuits, the Memorial Research Grant will be awarded to the best proposals in the field of Education, with a preference for religious education; curriculum design and implementation; teaching and learning up to secondary level; and especially learning through the creative arts.

Anthropology field

Nabila Walji (1993-2022) joined the GPISH Class of 2022 from Canada, received her IIS-SOAS MA with Merit, and was posthumously awarded a master’s in social Anthropology by the University of Oxford. A keen photographer and poet as well as ethnographer, she advocated

“slowing down and listening, smelling, tasting, feeling and seeing what the world around us says about everyday life.”

In order to further Nabila’s vision, the Memorial Research Grant will be awarded to the best proposals in the field of Anthropology, with a preference for field-based ethnography; visual and material anthropology; heritage and museum studies; migration; and especially the Ismaili communities of East Africa.