Wifag Adnan is Assistant Professor of Economics at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD).

She received her B.S. at Duke University (magna cum laude with distinction) and her Ph.D. from Princeton University,

Wifag Adnan’s research focuses on how labor markets function in developing and emerging economies and the topics she has worked on span labor mobility, job search, unemployment, wage differentials, female labor force participation and education. Her doctoral dissertation covered major challenges faced by the Palestinian Labor Market during the period of 2000-2010. In ongoing research with the London School of Economics, she is working to uncover the determinants of female labor force participation and entrepreneurship in the UAE and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. She has been invited by well known government entities including the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (formerly known as the Ministry of Labor) to conduct labor market research and make policy recommendations related to meeting strategic national goals.

She is an ERF Research Associate and Visiting Scholar at INSEAD. Wifag joined IZA as a Research Affiliate in January 2017 and became a Research Fellow in December 2023.