Education
- PhD in Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, UK (2022–2026) — Durham Doctoral Studentship recipient; Thesis: Ethnic Hierarchies and Development in Tharparkar
- MA in Medical Anthropology, University of Heidelberg, Germany (2016–2018)
- Bachelor of Commerce, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada (2009–2012)
Academic Appointments
- Assistant Professor, SDP Program — Fall 2026–Present
- Lecturer, Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University (2021–2022)
- Research Fellow, Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University (2018–2020)
Courses Taught
- Culture, Health and Illness
- Behavioural and Social Approaches to Public Health
- Qualitative Research Methods
- Ethnographic Research Skills
Research Grants
- Co-Principal Investigator, Maintains (2019–2022) — DFID-funded (£15 million) research program across six countries, examining the impact of external shocks on health service utilization
- Co-Principal Investigator, Brick Kiln Study (2019–2022) — USD 1.3 million project in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University investigating bonded labour in the brick kiln industry in Sindh, Pakistan
Biography
Zarak Ahmed is a social anthropologist whose work examines ethnicity, hierarchy, and development in Sindh, Pakistan, with particular attention to how infrastructural change and displacement reshape local systems of recognition and belonging. He is completing his PhD in Anthropology at Durham University, where he holds a Durham Doctoral Studentship, with a thesis on ethnic hierarchies and development in Tharparkar. He also holds an MA in Medical Anthropology from the University of Heidelberg and a Bachelor of Commerce from Ryerson University, Toronto.
Prior to his doctoral studies, Zarak spent several years at the Aga Khan University’s Department of Community Health Sciences, first as a Research Fellow and later as a Lecturer, where he designed and led qualitative research on maternal and child health and taught courses spanning medical anthropology, qualitative methods, and public health. He has served as Co-Principal Investigator on major research grants, including the DFID-funded Maintains programme and a Johns Hopkins University collaboration on bonded labour in Sindh’s brick kiln industry. He joins as Assistant Professor in the SDP Program from Fall 2026.
Publications
Manuscripts Under Review
- Ahmed, Z. Performing Hierarchy: Qoum, Recognition, and the Making of Ethnic Order in Tharparkar. Revise and resubmit invited, Modern Asian Studies.
- Ahmed, Z. From Gaucher to the Power Grid: Spatial Fix, Displacement, and Infrastructural Development in Tharparkar. Under review, American Ethnologist.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
- Ahmed, Z. (2020). Life is not chess: Towards a dynamic theory on altruism. Culture & Psychology, 27(4), 577–590.
- Asim, M., Ahmed, Z. H., Nichols, A. R., et al. (2022). What stops us from eating: A qualitative investigation of dietary barriers during pregnancy in Punjab, Pakistan. Public Health Nutrition, 25(3), 760–769.
- Asim, M., Ahmed, Z. H., Hayward, M. D., & Widen, E. M. (2020). Prelacteal feeding practices in Pakistan: A mixed-methods study. International Breastfeeding Journal, 15(1), 53.
- Asim, M., Saleem, S., Ahmed, Z. H., et al. (2021). We won’t go there: Barriers to accessing maternal and newborn care in District Thatta, Pakistan. Healthcare, 9(10), 1314.
- Shahil, A. F., Siddiqi, S. A., Ahmed, Z., et al. (2021). Perceptions and experiences of healthcare providers during COVID-19 pandemic in Karachi, Pakistan: An exploratory qualitative study. BMJ Open, 11(8), e048984.
- Siddiqui, F., Croucher, R., Ahmad, F., Ahmed, Z., et al. (2021). Smokeless tobacco initiation, use, and cessation in South Asia: A qualitative assessment. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 23(10), 1801–1804.
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