Mahad is a passionate academic focused on global politics and conflict resolution. He grew up in East Africa where he witnessed the region's challenges firsthand, which inspired his commitment to understand these issues.

Mahad Holds a Bachelor's in English Literature and a Master's in International Relations and Conflict Resolution, and now pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science at Colorado State University. His work centers around dissecting  and analyzing conflicts in East Africa and the Middle East to foster a greater understand of the nature of those conflicts, particularly, for Western audience. Other parts of his work includes the impact of U.S.-Chinese engagement on that region.