Nellie’s research interests centre on issues of identity, including identity construction, stigma, legitimacy and identity work. She examines these concepts in various settings including among entrepreneurs, the poor, refugees, and in the corporate world. Reflecting her passion for teaching and learning, her research also extends to the student learner identity and experiential and action learning pedagogies, including drama-based pedagogy and the use of podcasting for learning and assessment. Nellie has a keen interest in positive mental health which extends to her teaching practices, work with youth both at The American University in Cairo (AUC) and externally, and in her consulting work with corporates.

Since joining The American University in Cairo (AUC) in 2015, Nellie has explored the journeys of entrepreneurs, including in incubators and accelerators, under the Provost’s Boundary Crossing and Community Integrative Initiative (BCCI) Award. Her research on identity and marginalised groups is currently being studied in Egypt’s governorates among people who receive micro-finance loans. Nellie also works with refugees and internally displaced people (IPC) in non-profit organisations mentoring and advising them on upskilling for their business as well as life skills.

Nellie has experience in teaching a range of subjects including in human resource management, organisational behaviour, entrepreneurship and innovation, entrepreneurial leadership, critical issues in management, corporate social responsibility and international business, both at the undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA levels. She has developed and revamped a range of curricula and has recently developed and delivered a new program on entrepreneurial leadership for critical global issues part of the College Bound:AUC initiative.

Nellie serves as one of the editors for AUC’s Undergraduate Research Journal (URJe) and currently heads the Onsi Sawiris School of Business’s Undergraduate Student-Led Research Hub. She leads several initiatives, including student-produced podcasting, drama-based learning and The Authors’ Challenge, a university wide initiative on multi-modal writing.