Dr. Tahiya Mahbub is a Research Scientist with ECDEC, Global TIES for Children. She has a PhD in Inclusive Education from McGill University, a MPhil in Special Needs Education from the University of Cambridge, and a B.A. in Communication Studies from Loyola University Chicago. Her research has focused on how children respond to inclusive cultures, policies, and practices in schools and how belonging, respect, and agency are multi-spectrum needs of children in educational settings across the globe. Dr. Mahbub specializes in qualitative, participatory action, and arts-based methods to explore how participants can become agents in studies, so that research itself can be a cathartic and empowering journey for them. Before joining Global TIES, as Research Scientist, Dr. Mahbub served as the Lead Consultant for participatory projects for women with tuberculosis in Mumbai for Doctors Without Borders. She completed assignments for the Dahdaleh Institute of Global Health Research and the International Baccalaureate Organization on women and children’s participation in health and education research. She also served as the Qualitative Consultant for ECDEC’s LEGO-RTI project which aims to develop and validate instruments to measure adult support for child learning through play in centers, schools, and families.