He is a research fellow with a Reagan-Fascell Fellowship at the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Nawaf is engaged in research assessing the strengths and weaknesses of civil society in Iraqi-Kurdistan. He is also a graduate from the American University of Iraq–Sulaimani (AUIS) and a published poet in the Iowa Review. As a journalist, he has discussed issues related to sectarian conflict and democratization in several major and local news outlets including Public Radio International, Iraq Oil Report, and Niqaash.