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Dr. Amal Elsana Alhjooj is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at McGill University and the Founder and Executive Director of PLEDJ (Promoting Leadership for Empowerment, Development, and Justice). Through PLEDJ, she brings her vision of empowering marginalized communities to tackle intractable social issues at the local, national, and international levels.

With over thirty years of experience at the intersection of community organizing and peacebuilding in both the Middle East and Canada, Amal’s work focuses on marginalized minorities. Her grassroots approach strengthens the organic connection between academia and communities, ensuring that research translates into meaningful social change.

Amal earned her BA in Social Work from Ben-Gurion University in Israel and her MA in Community Organizing from McGill University. She later obtained her PhD in Social Work from McGill, where her doctoral research explored the tensions between service provision and advocacy in social service organizations working with Indigenous minorities. From 2019 to 2020, she conducted postdoctoral research at the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School, examining the barriers faced and strategies employed by women’s organizations. She continued her postdoctoral work at McGill University from 2020 to 2021, focusing on the role and challenges of civil society organizations in conflict zones.

Between 2016 and 2020, Amal served as the Executive Director of ICAN-McGill (International Community Action Network at McGill University). She is also the co-founder of AJEEC (Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment, and Cooperation) and previously served as co-executive director of AJEEC-NISPED.

Amal has received numerous prizes, awards, and distinctions for her contributions to social justice, peacebuilding, and community empowerment. Some of her notable honors include:

• King Charles III Coronation Medal (2024)
• Genius: 100 Visionaries of the Future by the Einstein Legacy Project (2017)
• Human Rights Award by the New Israel Fund (2013)
• Victor J. Goldberg Prize for Peace in the Middle East (2011)
• The Marker’s “Top 101 Most Influential People in Israel” (2010)
• Nobel Peace Prize Nominee (as part of 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize initiative, 2005)
• World Association for Small and Medium Enterprises Leadership Recognition for contributions to economic empowerment programs for Bedouin women (2005)

Amal is the author of , a personal memoir that recounts her experiences growing up as an Indigenous Bedouin Palestinian woman in Israel. The book explores her struggles against patriarchal tribal traditions, systemic discrimination, and state oppression, while also highlighting her journey of navigating multiple identities—Bedouin, Arab, woman, Palestinian, and Israeli citizen—and her lifelong commitment to social change and justice.

Amal currently lives in Montreal with her husband, Anwar, and their twin children, Adan and Moad.