Alyssa Bivins

As the Graduate Professional and Career Development Program Coordinator in the Graduate Division, Dr. Alyssa Bivins (she/her/hers) focuses on supporting the implementation and expansion of professional training opportunities for George Mason’s graduate student population. Dr. Bivins joins George Mason with over ten years of diverse experiences in educational programming, curriculum development, and teaching in the U.S. and abroad.  

Prior to joining Mason, Alyssa earned her PhD in History from the George Washington University. She specialized in the history of the modern Middle East, international education development, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Her dissertation, “Contested Classrooms: Secondary Education in East Jerusalem, 1967 – Present,” was supported by the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation fellowship and the Fulbright-Hays Dissertation Research fellowship, among other awards. She received her BA in History and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago. Alyssa loves extolling the virtues of her hometown of Chicago, reading sci-fi fantasy, traveling the world, and crocheting.