Sobia Masood

Professor Dr. Sobia Masood
Portrait of Professor Dr. Sobia MasoodSobia's.png Sobia's.png Professor of Psychology at Rawalpindi Women University
Born
🏳️ Nationality	Pakistani
🏫 Education	PhD
💼 Occupation
Known for	Academic researcher
Notable work	Intimate Partner Violence: Childhood Exposure and Respective Attitudes among Pakistani Young Adults (PhD thesis, 2014) . Association between childhood exposure to domestic violence and violent extremism (Current Psychology, 2024) Age is No Protection – AAAS Report on Gender-Based Violence in Displacement (2017). Child Abuse Prevention in Humanitarian Crisis (Oxford–UKRI Project, 2022–2023). Psychosocial Explorations of Gender in Society (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2020).
🏅 Awards	Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (University of Oxford, UK)
🌐 Website	https://sobiaportfolio.link/

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Sobia Masood is a Pakistani academic, psychologist, and researcher specializing in gender studies, domestic violence, youth mental health, and violent extremism. She is Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Psychology at Rawalpindi Women University, Pakistan, and has also held leadership roles in academic administration and editorial work.

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Early life and education

Masood earned her MSc and MPhil degrees in Psychology from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, in 2002 and 2005, respectively. In 2014, she received a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom, under a Commonwealth Scholarship. Her doctoral research explored Intimate Partner Violence: Childhood Exposure and Respective Attitudes among Pakistani Young Adults.

She later undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Oxford, funded by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, and served as a Visiting Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford (2023). In recognition of her contributions to psychology, she was offered a Visiting Professorship in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, Canada, in 2024.

Academic career

She began her career in 2003 as a research associate at the National Institute of Psychology Centre of Excellence at Quaid-i-Azam University. She went on to serve as Lecturer (2007), Assistant Professor (2007–2023), and editorial board member of NIP’s official journal.

In September 2023, she was appointed Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Psychology at Rawalpindi Women University. Alongside teaching, she has served on institutional committees relating to research ethics, curriculum design, and gender equity. She also holds the additional charge of Chairperson of the Department of Media and Communication Studies at the university.

Research

Masood's research interests span domestic violence, intimate partner violence, gender-based violence, cyberbullying, youth radicalization, self-compassion, and psychosocial well-being. She has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on several nationally and internationally funded research projects, including collaborations with:

• University of Oxford (child abuse prevention in humanitarian crises, parenting interventions in flood-affected communities in Pakistan)
• University of Warwick (sexual violence and minority communities in the UK)
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (gender-based violence among older persons in displacement contexts)
• University of British Columbia (child and teen mental health research)

Her projects have been supported by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, UK Research and Innovation, and other international partners.

Publications

She has authored and co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed articles in national and international journals. Her works have appeared in:

• Current Psychology
• Criminal Justice & Behavior
• Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research
• Sustainability
• Psychological Studies

Select publications include:

• “Association between childhood exposure to domestic violence and violent extremism: Role of moral disengagement” (Current Psychology, 2024)
• “Risk and protective factors of deliberate self-harm among individuals with substance use disorder: A qualitative study in Pakistan” (Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 2024)
• “Role of self-control and resilience in reducing violent extremist attitudes among Pakistani young adults” (Psychological Studies, 2023)
• “Moderating Role of Gender in Association Between Exposure to Home and Community Violence on Violent Extremism”(Trends in Psychology, 2024)
• “A cross-cultural examination of the Criminal Sentiments Scale–Modified” (Criminal Justice & Behavior, 2022)

She is also co-editor of the book Psychosocial Explorations of Gender in Society (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2020).

Editorial and professional roles

She has held multiple editorial positions with the Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research (2003–2023), serving as assistant editor, associate editor, and editor. She is a consulting editor for the Foundation University Journal of Psychology and a reviewer for Child Abuse & Neglect (Elsevier).

Since 2015, she has been an On-call Scientist for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, contributing to international research on human rights and gender-based violence.

Academic supervision and mentorship

Masood has supervised numerous PhD, MPhil, and MSc research theses in areas such as violent extremism, cyberbullying, feminism, work-family balance, and self-harm. Her mentorship has contributed to training a new generation of psychologists in Pakistan.

Public Engagement

• In December 2024, Sobia Masood appeared on the national broadcaster Radio Pakistan to discuss behavioral challenges faced by youth and children. [1]
• She also contributed to an international collaboration led by the University of Oxford, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization to produce parenting tips for families affected by the 2022 Pakistan floods.[2] Archived 2025-04-22 at the Wayback Machine
• She has also represented Rawalpindi Women University in public forums and media appearances, including interviews highlighting departmental activities and her role as Chairperson.

Awards and recognition

• Commonwealth Scholarship (PhD, University of Warwick, UK)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship Award by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (University of Oxford, UK)
• Merit Scholarships throughout her academic career (Rawalpindi Board, NIP, Quaid-i-Azam University)
• Offered Visiting Professorship at the University of British Columbia, Canada (2024)

Contributions and outreach

She has conducted training workshops, seminars, and awareness programs on emotional intelligence, parenting, self-compassion, and psychosocial interventions in disaster-affected communities. She has also worked with NGOs and government organizations on issues of gender rights, youth development, and mental health.

References

This article "Sobia Masood" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Sobia Masood. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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