Dr. Fakhro received her Doctorate in Social Policy, Planning and Administration from Columbia University, USA, and served as a visiting scholar there in 1997. She has also conducted research on gender, citizenship and civil society in the Gulf States at the Centre for Middle East Studies, Harvard University. She has published works on Bahrain, including issues related to women, civil society and democratization. Dr. Fakhro is also currently a Board member of the High Council for Women in Bahrain and the Bahrain Academic Society. She was a member of the Advisory Board for the Arab Human Development Report 2004.