He was previously based at IMI as a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Research Officer (2015-16) and visiting fellow(2013). Ali earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California, Davis. He writes about transnationalism, nonprofits, immigrant politics, and entrepreneurship. His work is published or forthcoming in International Migration Review, the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Global Networks, and Migration Studies. His current research includes a series of papers on immigrant politics and a book project on Pakistani diaspora organizations in the USA.