Omar Al-Ubaydli is a contributor for Semafor Gulf. He is the Director of Research at Derasat in Bahrain. He has published numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals, including PLOS Medicine, and his research has been covered by the Economist and Newsweek. Al-Ubaydli received his MA and PhD in economics from the University of Chicago and his BA in economics from Queen’s College (University of Cambridge).