Dr. Afaf is a highly qualified academician with a Ph.D. in Tourism and Hospitality Management. She currently holds the academic title of Assistant Professor in the Department of Tourism at EPU University. As an Assistant Professor, Dr. Afaf is responsible for teaching undergraduate courses in tourism, and supervised senior year graduate students’ projects and worked closely with industry partners to provide students with practical experience in the field.

As an experienced academic in the field of tourism, Dr. Afaf has had the opportunity to participate in teaching and supervising a master's degree in Tourism at the University of Sulaymaniyah, Faculty of Commerce and Tourism Sciences.

Dr. Afaf has been actively involved in many projects aimed at supporting and developing technical education in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. She has worked with international organizations  as ilo , unido  and   British consular and support projects, including those funded by the European Union, to provide training in the tourism and hotel field. As part of these projects, she has played a key role in developing training curricula and teaching materials for multiple professional levels in the hotel and tourism sector. She has worked closely with industry partners to ensure that the training provided is relevant and up-to-date, and that it meets the needs of the industry. She has also been involved in organizing and delivering training programs for students and professionals in the tourism and hotel sector. These programs have provided participants with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the industry, and have helped to improve the overall quality of tourism and hospitality services in the region.

Dr. Afaf has been a representative of the university with the International Labor Organization (ILO) since 2022. In this role, she has been involved in preparing and implementing various training and development programs in partnership with the tourism labor market and various engineering fields in Erbil and the governorates of the region. One of the key programs that she has been involved in is the training of tourist guides in archaeological and heritage sites in the region. This program has focused on sites such as the Erbil Citadel in Erbil Governorate, as well as Khans and Garstein and Faida in Dohuk. All of these training programs have emphasized direct field training to ensure that participants have the practical skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their roles.

In addition to her work with the ILO, Dr. Afaf has also held the position of Vice President of the Association of Tourism Professionals in the region for 4 years. In this role, she has worked to promote the interests of tourism professionals in the region and to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their roles Dr. Afaf has also published numerous research papers in the field of tourism specialization in both international and local magazines. Her research has covered a wide range of topics, including tourism development, sustainable tourism practices, and the impact of tourism on local communities.