A light in the darkness

Eleni Courea spoke to two academics who have relocated from Syria to the UK. Names have been changed at their request.

More than buildings, roads or even individual lives, war takes its toll on a country’s social and cultural fabric. Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, the Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara) has been helping to relocate academics from Syria to Europe. The London-based non-governmental organisation is seeking to preserve the warring nation’s intellectual heritage by providing sanctuary to academics.

Abd came to the UK two years ago from Aleppo—“now a famous city”, he notes wryly—where he worked as an industrial engineer. In Syria, his work at a mapping company focused on improving digital representation of geographical terrain. In 2015, Abd secured a placement at the University of Liverpool with the assistance of Cara; he travelled to the UK with his family, and the organisation covered their living expenses. After completing a one-year honorary fellowship, Abd successfully applied for a permanent lecturership in September 2016. As a geologist specialising in surveying and geographic information systems, Abd collects and analyses data to study dams.