Where ideas cross borders + knowledge builds bridges.
In Jordan’s capital city — where deep history meets a modern pulse — Columbia Global’s Center in Amman connects people, ideas, and institutions across the Middle East.
The Amman Center reflects Columbia's belief that knowledge moves best through exchange. Since opening its doors in 2009, the Amman Center has become a place where research, learning, and dialogue converge.
Its work spans public health, climate resilience, education, migration, and social inclusion — fields where understanding across boundaries matters most. The Center supports Columbia faculty pursuing field-based research, students gaining immersive experience, and displaced scholars rebuilding academic lives through mentorship and community.
Hanya Salah is the director at Columbia's Amman Global Center. She joined the Center in August 2010. She is responsible for overseeing and managing the Programs Department at the Center. Prior to joining the Center, Hanya was the director of the Children’s Museum in Jordan and was responsible for implementing and coordinating the final phase of the museum’s development and launch, as well as managing its overall activities. Hanya also directed the Ali Jabri Human Heritage Foundation, where she curated and oversaw the opening of the Foundation’s inaugural exhibition and managed the Foundation’s daily operation. Prior to that, Hanya worked for over 10 years at UNICEF and the United Nations in New York in different capacities. Hanya received her B.A. in Art History from Williams College and studied for her M.A. in Near Eastern Studies and Museum Studies at New York University.
